Patents by Inventor Benjamin Jon Wellhoefer

Benjamin Jon Wellhoefer 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).

  • Patent number: 11946332
    Abstract: A swellable packer assembly that includes a mandrel, a sealing element disposed about a least a portion of the mandrel, and a degradable metal coating disposed about at least a portion of an outer surface of the sealing element. The degradable metal coating fluidly isolates the portion of an outer surface of the sealing element from an exterior of the coating and the sealing element is formed of a material responsive to exposure to a fluid in a wellbore to radially expand from the mandrel. The degradable metal coating is selectively removable from the mandrel downhole so as to expose the sealing element to the fluid in the wellbore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.
    Inventors: Michael Linley Fripp, Xiaoguang Allan Zhong, Benjamin Jon Wellhoefer
  • Publication number: 20230160276
    Abstract: A swellable packer assembly that includes a mandrel, a sealing element disposed about a least a portion of the mandrel, and a degradable metal coating disposed about at least a portion of an outer surface of the sealing element. The degradable metal coating fluidly isolates the portion of an outer surface of the sealing element from an exterior of the coating and the sealing element is formed of a material responsive to exposure to a fluid in a wellbore to radially expand from the mandrel. The degradable metal coating is selectively removable from the mandrel downhole so as to expose the sealing element to the fluid in the wellbore.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Publication date: May 25, 2023
    Applicant: HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.
    Inventors: Michael Linley FRIPP, Xiaoguang Allan ZHONG, Benjamin Jon WELLHOEFER
  • Patent number: 11441375
    Abstract: The embodiments include methods and tools to activate downhole apparatuses. In one embodiment, a hydrostatic pressure intensifier includes a housing having at least two different internal cross-sectional surface areas. The housing includes a device mounted on the housing and operable to actuate in response to being subject to a threshold amount of pressure. The housing also includes a first piston housed in a first chamber of the housing, where the first piston has a first cross-sectional area and a first stroke length, and a second piston housed in a second chamber of the housing, where the second piston has a second cross-sectional area and a second stroke length, and where the first cross-sectional area is greater than the second cross-sectional area. The hydrostatic pressure intensifier also includes a fluid flow restrictor that restricts fluid flow through the valve to control an amount of pressure applied by the first piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Owen Roane, Zheng Guan, Benjamin Jon Wellhoefer
  • Publication number: 20210363844
    Abstract: The embodiments include methods and tools to activate downhole apparatuses. In one embodiment, a hydrostatic pressure intensifier includes a housing having at least two different internal cross-sectional surface areas. The housing includes a device mounted on the housing and operable to actuate in response to being subject to a threshold amount of pressure. The housing also includes a first piston housed in a first chamber of the housing, where the first piston has a first cross-sectional area and a first stroke length, and a second piston housed in a second chamber of the housing, where the second piston has a second cross-sectional area and a second stroke length, and where the first cross-sectional area is greater than the second cross-sectional area. The hydrostatic pressure intensifier also includes a fluid flow restrictor that restricts fluid flow through the valve to control an amount of pressure applied by the first piston.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Thomas Owen ROANE, Zheng GUAN, Benjamin Jon WELLHOEFER
  • Patent number: 11136850
    Abstract: A method may comprise: inserting an apparatus into a wellbore, wherein the apparatus comprises: a seal element comprising: an elastomer; and a swellable metal embedded in the elastomer; exposing the seal element to a fluid; transitioning the seal element from an initial state with an initial volume to an expanded state with an expanded volume to form a seal in the wellbore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Jon Wellhoefer, Geir Gjelstad, Michael Linley Fripp, Zachary William Walton
  • Publication number: 20200362224
    Abstract: A method may comprise: inserting an apparatus into a wellbore, wherein the apparatus comprises: a seal element comprising: an elastomer; and a swellable metal embedded in the elastomer; exposing the seal element to a fluid; transitioning the seal element from an initial state with an initial volume to an expanded state with an expanded volume to form a seal in the wellbore.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Publication date: November 19, 2020
    Applicant: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Jon Wellhoefer, Geir Gjelstad, Michael Linley Fripp, Zachary William Walton