Abstract: Asymmetric casing centralizers are provided with varying flow resistances caused by a combination of straight vanes and spiral vanes; as a result, the casing centralizer has varying pressure drops thereacross when the casing centralizer is positioned within a preexisting structure such as, for example, a horizontal wellbore section that traverses one or more subterranean formations.

Abstract: A gripping device for gripping and spinning a pipe body of various diameters includes a gripping assembly having a pair of gripping arms for gripping the outer surface of the pipe body, and a spinning device having a pair of rollers for spinning the pipe body as it is engaged by gripping arms. The gripping device also includes a rotatable input shaft and a coupler. The coupler connects the rotatable input shaft to the gripping assembly and to the spinning device and is employed to selectively engage the gripping arms and the spinning device. A brake is provided so as to selectively prevent at least one of the gripping assembly and the spinning device from being operated upon rotating the rotatable input shaft.

Abstract: A screen system formed of a first screen sub and a second screen sub joined by a connector sub. The connector sub includes (i) a pipe coupling assembly connecting the base pipes of the first and second screen subs; (ii) a substantially impermeable shroud formed around the pipe coupling assembly and creating a connector annulus between the shroud and pipe coupling assembly; and (iii) end rings including a substantially annular flow passage connecting the first and second screen annuluses to the connector annulus.

Abstract: A drill bit button insert is attached to a button inserts mounted in a drill bit and performs a drilling. The drill bit button insert includes a tip body and an abrasive layer that is formed of a diamond sintered body harder than the tip body and is coated at least at the button insert working surface of the tip body. The abrasive layer has two or more high hardness layers and a low hardness layer having a hardness lower than that of the high hardness layers disposed between the high hardness layers. The high hardness layers and the low hardness layer are provided from the surface side of the abrasive layer toward the tip body side.

Abstract: The example of implementation of the invention provides a method used for exploiting a natural gas hydrate reservoir and belongs to the field of natural gas hydrate reservoir exploitation. The method mainly comprises a heat-injecting vertical well and a production horizontal well. The production horizontal well is opened in a segmental manner. In combination with natural gas hydrate heat exploitation, heat flow injected into the vertical well is enabled to heat different positions of the natural gas hydrate reservoir to increase a recovery ratio of the natural gas hydrate reservoir. The method specifically comprises the steps of injecting a heat flow into the natural gas hydrate reservoir by utilizing the vertical well to promote decomposition of the hydrate; firstly opening a horizontal branch of the horizontal well fully and keeping depressurization exploitation.

Abstract: A tubular gripping assembly includes a power tong housing configured to actuate between an open position and a closed position, one or more valves coupled to the power tong housing, an inflatable bladder apparatus coupled to an inner surface of the power tong housing and configured to grip a tubular member when the power tong housing is in the closed position and the inflatable bladder apparatus is inflated, a latch mechanism configured to secure the power tong housing in the closed position and configured to allow the power tong housing to actuate to the open position, and a remote-controller device in wireless communication with the one or more valves. The remote-controller device is configured to control the power tong housing, the inflatable bladder apparatus, and the latch mechanism.

Abstract: A method of injecting fluid into a formation, comprises exerting a mechanical force on a wall of a bore extending through a formation to modify the permeability of the formation; and injecting fluid into the modified formation. The mechanical force is exerted through inflation of at least one pressure deformable member mounted on a base member with a retaining ring.

Abstract: An assembly for circulating tool fluid of a downhole tool includes a tool fluid source line extending into a subterranean well from a wellhead spool assembly to the downhole tool. A tool fluid return line extends out of the subterranean well from the downhole tool to the wellhead spool assembly. A tool fluid reservoir is located at a surface outside of the subterranean well. The tool fluid source line is in one way fluid communication with the tool fluid reservoir and the tool fluid is free of fluid communication with wellbore fluids.

Abstract: An apparatus is adapted to be coupled to a component of a system associated with a wellhead. The apparatus includes a band adapted to be coupled to the component; a holder coupled to the band; an electronic identifying device attached to the holder and adapted to identify the component; and an identifying component coupled to the band. The identifying component visually conveys information about at least one of: the electronic identifying device, and the component to which the band is adapted to be coupled. The system associated with the wellhead is a system for pumping fluid to the wellhead. In one embodiment, the electronic identifying device is, or includes, an RFID chip.

Abstract: A system includes distributed sensors and a receiver that receives signals from the distributed sensors and that produces one or more interferometry signals from the received signals. The system also includes a digitizer to digitize each of the one or more interferometry signals. The system also includes at least one processing unit that processes each digitized interferometry signal to obtain unwrapped phase information and related parameter values. The unwrapped phase information is obtained based on a comparison of a current phase measurement with a reference phase predicted using a dynamic phase change model.

Abstract: A multi-layer downhole drilling tool designed for drilling a wellbore including a plurality of formations includes a bit body and a plurality of primary blades and secondary blades with respective leading surfaces on exterior portions of the bit body. The drilling tool further includes a plurality of first layer cutting elements and second layer cutting elements located on the leading surfaces of the primary blades and secondary blades, respectively. Each second layer cutting element is under-exposed with respect to the corresponding first layer cutting element. The amount of under-exposure is selected according to each second layer cutting element having an initial critical depth of cut greater than an actual depth of cut for a first drilling distance and a critical depth of cut equal to zero at a target drilling depth.

Abstract: A technique combines a wireless coupler system with casing to communicate signals from and/or to a device external to the casing. The wireless coupler system may comprise an inductive coupler system formed with a female inductive coupler disposed along an exterior of the well casing and a male inductive coupler mounted along tubing disposed within the well casing. The female inductive coupler is operatively coupled with the sensor and the male inductive coupler is operatively coupled with a communication line routed along the tubing. The inductive coupler system is constructed to facilitate alignment of the male inductive coupler with the female inductive coupler as the tubing is moved along an interior of the well casing. Additionally, the inductive coupler system may be constructed with a bypass channel to facilitate the flow of fluid and routing of communication lines through the inductive coupler system.

Abstract: A gravel pack system includes a service tool used to maintain a pressure of the wellbore below a hydraulic packer at the same pressure of workstring tubing above the hydraulic packer, prior to and during setting the hydraulic packer. The service tool includes a washpipe disposed at a lower portion of the service tool, a crossover port in a wall of the service tool that enables fluid to flow between workstring tubing and a space between the service tool and a completion string. The service tool also includes a valve disposed in the wall of the service tool that directs fluid from the space between the service tool and the completion string into the service tool and toward the washpipe when the valve is open, the valve being closeable in response to compression of the service tool.

Abstract: A flow restriction tool can include a closure device having positions in which flow is permitted through the tool, in one position a flow passage is open to the flow and the closure device blocks flow through another flow passage, and in another position both passages are open to the flow, and a biasing device which displaces the closure device to the former position in response to a flow rate being less than a predetermined level. A well tool string can include an orientation tool that intermittently permits flow through a wall of the tool string to transmit orientation data via pressure pulses in a flow passage through the string, and a flow restriction tool that permits flow through one flow area when a flow rate of the flow is less than a predetermined level, and permits flow through a larger flow area when the flow rate is increased.

Abstract: A downhole tool coupling (10) comprises first (11) and second (12) downhole tool elements that are securable one to the other in a releasably locking manner by moving the tool elements from a longitudinally relatively less proximate, especially overlapping position into longitudinally relatively more overlap with one another. The first downhole tool element (11) supports a first inductive, capacitative and/or magnetic energy coupler (23) and the second downhole tool element (12) supports a second inductive, capacitative and/or magnetic energy coupler (24). The first and second energy couplers (23, 24) are moveable from an energetically uncoupled position when the tool elements (11, 12) are in the longitudinally relatively less overlapping position to an energetically coupled position when the first and second downhole tool elements (11, 12) overlap relatively more.

Abstract: A coring method includes disposing a coring tool in a borehole adjacent a subterranean formation to be sampled. The method further includes determining a property of the formation and selecting a coring tool operational mode based on the property of the formation. The method also includes obtaining a sample from the formation using the coring tool operational mode. A type of coring shaft also may be selected based on the property of the formation.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a method of calculating fluid distribution from a hydraulically fractured well, especially during a plug-and-perf hydraulic fracturing operation. The Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) data is used to quantify the fluid distribution in separate perf clusters during fracturing, and the result can be used for completion design and optimization, hydraulic fracturing, and ultimately for oil and gas production.

Abstract: A bridge plug for deployment in a well defined by casing has a stackable tubular body having a front portion, a middle portion, a back portion, and an internal bore extending therethrough with the front portion having a first opening in fluid communication with the internal bore and the back portion having a second opening in fluid communication with the internal bore. The stackable tubular body has an outer configuration shaped to receive another adjacent bridge plug when the adjacent bridge plug is stacked within the well. The middle portion includes an expandable component that can frictionally engage the casing to hold the bridge plug in a fixed position within the well. The expandable component can be destroyed, at least partially, to facilitate movement of the bridge plug within the well while maintaining fluid communication between the first opening and the second opening.

Abstract: A releasable ratchet device, including a mandrel device with a grooved area and a locking device including locking grooves configured to be engaged with the grooved area of the mandrel device. The releasable ratchet device may be configured to be in a locked state, in which axial movement between the mandrel device and the locking device is allowed in a first direction when the locking device is engaged with the mandrel device and movement between the mandrel device and the locking device is prevented in a second direction opposite of the first direction when the locking device is engaged with the mandrel device. The releasable ratchet device further includes a releasing device configured to bring the releasable ratchet device to a released state, in which axial movement between the mandrel device and the locking device is allowed in both the first direction and the second direction.

Abstract: An oil or gas well fishing tool (60). The downhole fishing tool (60) has a receptacle (61) that is open at one end. The tool also has deployment tool engaging means (62), located on the opposite end of the receptacle (61) to the one end. The tool further has a layer of an alloy (64) provided on the interior surface of the receptacle (61). The alloy is a eutectic alloy and/or a bismuth alloy. The tool further comprises heating means (65) to heat the alloy (64) so that it melts and can flow over any object received within the receptacle (61).