Patents by Inventor Ann Hoefer

Ann Hoefer has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20070042913
    Abstract: This invention relates to fluid compositions used in treating a subterranean formation. In particular, the invention is aqueous wellbore treatment compositions which are foams containing a viscosifying agent, a foam extender, a gas component, and a surfactant, as well as methods of forming such fluids, and uses thereof. The viscosifying agent may be a hydratable polymer, viscoelastic surfactant, or heteropolysaccharide. The foam extender may be a material such as a polyoxyalkyleneamines, ethylenepolyamines, tertiary polyamines, bicarbonate, carbonate, phosphate, or sesquicarbonate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2005
    Publication date: February 22, 2007
    Inventors: Richard Hutchins, Ann Hoefer, Stanley McConnell, Alejandro Pena
  • Publication number: 20060157248
    Abstract: Well treatment is disclosed that includes injecting a well treatment fluid with insoluble polyol polymer such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) dispersed therein, depositing the insoluble polymer in the wellbore or an adjacent formation, and thereafter dissolving the polymer by reducing salinity and/or increasing temperature conditions in the environment of the polymer deposit. The method is disclosed for filter cake formation, fluid loss control, drilling, hydraulic fracturing and fiber assisted transport, where removal of the polyol at the end of treatment or after treatment is desired. The method is also disclosed for providing dissolved polyol as a delayed breaker in crosslinked polymer viscosified systems and viscoelastic surfactant systems. Also disclosed are well treatment fluids containing insoluble amorphous or at least partially crystalline polyol, and a PVOH fiber composition wherein the fibers are stabilized from dissolution by salinity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2005
    Publication date: July 20, 2006
    Inventors: Ann Hoefer, Philip Sullivan, Golchehreh Salamat, Curtis Boney, Jesse Lee, Yiyan Chen, Dean Willberg, Marina Bulova, Christopher Fredd, Belgin Baser, Timothy Pope
  • Publication number: 20060113077
    Abstract: A method for well treatment by forming a temporary plug in a fracture, a perforation, a wellbore, or more than one of these locations, in a well penetrating a subterranean formation is provided, in which the method of well treatment includes: injecting a slurry comprising a degradable material, allowing the degradable material to form a plug in a perforation, a fracture, or a wellbore in a well penetrating a formation; performing a downhole operation; and allowing the degradable material to degrade after a selected time such that the plug disappears.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2005
    Publication date: June 1, 2006
    Inventors: Dean Willberg, Marina Bulova, Christopher Fredd, Alexey Vostrukhov, Curtis Boney, John Lassek, Ann Hoefer, Philip Sullivan