Patents by Inventor Bruce Dale
Bruce Dale 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).
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Patent number: 11958780Abstract: A ceramic waveguide includes: a doped metal oxide ceramic core layer; and at least one cladding layer comprising the metal oxide surrounding the core layer, such that the core layer includes an erbium dopant and at least one rare earth metal dopant being: lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, scandium, or oxides thereof, or at least one non-rare earth metal dopant comprising zirconium or oxides thereof. Also included is a quantum memory including: at least one doped polycrystalline ceramic optical device with the ceramic waveguide and a method of fabricating the ceramic waveguide.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 2022Date of Patent: April 16, 2024Assignee: Corning IncorporatedInventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, Sean Matthew Garner, Thomas Dale Ketcham, Daniel Aloysius Nolan, Jun Yang, Haitao Zhang
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Patent number: 11180986Abstract: Discrete wellbore devices, hydrocarbon wells including a downhole communication network and the discrete wellbore devices, and systems and methods including the same are disclosed herein. The discrete wellbore devices include a wellbore tool and a communication device. The wellbore tool is configured to perform a downhole operation within a wellbore conduit that is defined by a wellbore tubular of the hydrocarbon well. The communication device is operatively coupled for movement with the wellbore tool within the wellbore conduit. The communication device is configured to communicate with a downhole communication network that extends along the wellbore tubular via a wireless communication signal. The methods include actively and/or passively detecting a location of the discrete wellbore device within the wellbore conduit. The methods additionally or alternatively include wireless communication between the discrete wellbore device and the downhole communication network.Type: GrantFiled: November 6, 2019Date of Patent: November 23, 2021Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research CompanyInventors: Timothy I. Morrow, Renzo M. Angeles Boza, Bruce A. Dale
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Publication number: 20200072043Abstract: Discrete wellbore devices, hydrocarbon wells including a downhole communication network and the discrete wellbore devices, and systems and methods including the same are disclosed herein. The discrete wellbore devices include a wellbore tool and a communication device. The wellbore tool is configured to perform a downhole operation within a wellbore conduit that is defined by a wellbore tubular of the hydrocarbon well. The communication device is operatively coupled for movement with the wellbore tool within the wellbore conduit. The communication device is configured to communicate with a downhole communication network that extends along the wellbore tubular via a wireless communication signal. The methods include actively and/or passively detecting a location of the discrete wellbore device within the wellbore conduit. The methods additionally or alternatively include wireless communication between the discrete wellbore device and the downhole communication network.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 6, 2019Publication date: March 5, 2020Inventors: Timothy I. Morrow, Renzo M. Angeles Boza, Bruce A. Dale
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Patent number: 10508536Abstract: Discrete wellbore devices, hydrocarbon wells including a downhole communication network and the discrete wellbore devices, and systems and methods including the same are disclosed herein. The discrete wellbore devices include a wellbore tool and a communication device. The wellbore tool is configured to perform a downhole operation within a wellbore conduit that is defined by a wellbore tubular of the hydrocarbon well. The communication device is operatively coupled for movement with the wellbore tool within the wellbore conduit. The communication device is configured to communicate with a downhole communication network that extends along the wellbore tubular via a wireless communication signal. The methods include actively and/or passively detecting a location of the discrete wellbore device within the wellbore conduit. The methods additionally or alternatively include wireless communication between the discrete wellbore device and the downhole communication network.Type: GrantFiled: August 7, 2015Date of Patent: December 17, 2019Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research CompanyInventors: Timothy I. Morrow, Renzo M. Angeles Boza, Bruce A. Dale
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Patent number: 9650657Abstract: Methods for producing extracted and digested products from pretreated lignocellulosic biomass are provided. The methods include converting native cellulose I? to cellulose IIII by pretreating the lignocellulosic biomass with liquid ammonia under certain conditions, and performing extracting or digesting steps on the pretreated/converted lignocellulosic biomass.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 2011Date of Patent: May 16, 2017Assignee: BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITYInventors: Shishir Chundawat, Leonardo Da Costa Sousa, Albert M. Cheh, Venkatesh Balan, Bruce Dale
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Patent number: 9631437Abstract: Systems and methods for managing pressures present in an annular space defined between casing strings contained within a subterranean well. These systems and methods may include providing a pressure distribution casing that includes a plurality of pressure distribution passages and distributing fluids present within the annular space along a length of the pressure distribution casing and/or between the annular space and the subterranean formation using a portion of the plurality of pressure distribution passages. Pressure distribution passages may be present on an inner surface of the pressure distribution casing, on an outer surface of the pressure distribution casing, and/or within a wall of the pressure distribution casing and may distribute the fluids along the length of the pressure distribution casing without distributing the fluids across and/or through a wall of the pressure distribution casing, such as between the inner surface and the outer surface of the pressure distribution casing.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2011Date of Patent: April 25, 2017Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research CompanyInventors: Bruce A. Dale, David A. Baker, Michael S. Chelf, Charles S. Yeh
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Patent number: 9617829Abstract: A tool assembly is provided that includes an actuatable tool such as a valve or a setting tool. And includes a location device that senses the location of the tool assembly within a tubular body based on a physical signature. The tool assembly also includes an on-board controller configured to send an activation signal to the actuatable tool when the location device has recognized a selected location of the tool based on the physical signature. The actuatable tool, the location device, and the on-board controller are together dimensioned and arranged to be deployed in the wellbore as an autonomous unit.Type: GrantFiled: November 17, 2011Date of Patent: April 11, 2017Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research CompanyInventors: Bruce A. Dale, Randy C. Tolman, Pavlin B. Entchev, Renzo Moises Angeles Boza, Chris E. Shuchart, Eric R. Grueschow, Charles S. Yeh
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Patent number: 9297027Abstract: Several mutated strains of Scheffersomyces stipitis are generated by repetitive culturing of the parent strain on two types of concentrated hydrolyzates and with ethanol-challenged xylose-fed continuous culture. Isolates collected from various enriched populations are screened and ranked based on relative xylose uptake rate and ethanol yield. Ranking on hydrolyzates with and without nutritional supplementation is used to identify those isolates with best performance across diverse conditions.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2014Date of Patent: March 29, 2016Assignees: The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture, Board of Trustees of Michigan State UniversityInventors: Patricia J. Slininger, Stephanie R. Thompson, Venkatesh Balan, Leonardo Da Costa Sousa, Bruce Dale, Maureen A. Shea-Andersh, Bruce S. Dien
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Publication number: 20160076363Abstract: Discrete wellbore devices, hydrocarbon wells including a downhole communication network and the discrete wellbore devices, and systems and methods including the same are disclosed herein. The discrete wellbore devices include a wellbore tool and a communication device. The wellbore tool is configured to perform a downhole operation within a wellbore conduit that is defined by a wellbore tubular of the hydrocarbon well. The communication device is operatively coupled for movement with the wellbore tool within the wellbore conduit. The communication device is configured to communicate with a downhole communication network that extends along the wellbore tubular via a wireless communication signal. The methods include actively and/or passively detecting a location of the discrete wellbore device within the wellbore conduit. The methods additionally or alternatively include wireless communication between the discrete wellbore device and the downhole communication network.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 7, 2015Publication date: March 17, 2016Inventors: Timothy I. Morrow, Renzo M. Angeles Boza, Bruce A. Dale
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Patent number: 9284794Abstract: Systems and methods for improving functional access to subterranean formations that include a well, which includes a casing string having at least one casing conduit that extends and provides a hydraulic connection between a surface region and the subterranean formation. Performing a plurality of downhole operations utilizing a casing string that constitutes a plurality of hydraulic pathways between the surface region and the subterranean formation. The plurality of downhole operations may be simultaneous operations and/or may be associated with at least one of a plurality of operational states including a drilling state, completing state, stimulating state, producing state, abandoning state, and/or killing state. In some embodiments, systems and methods may include a plurality of production control assemblies to control and/or monitor the downhole operations.Type: GrantFiled: November 11, 2011Date of Patent: March 15, 2016Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research CompanyInventors: Bruce A. Dale, Pavlin B. Entchev, Stuart R. Keller
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Patent number: 9206446Abstract: A method for producing a microbial growth stimulant (MGS) from a plant biomass is described. In one embodiment, an ammonium hydroxide solution is used to extract a solution of proteins and ammonia from the biomass. Some of the proteins and ammonia are separated from the extracted solution to provide the MGS solution. The removed ammonia can be recycled and the proteins are useful as animal feeds. In one embodiment, the method comprises extracting solubles from pretreated lignocellulosic biomass with a cellulase enzyme-producing growth medium (such T. reesei) in the presence of water and an aqueous extract.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 2010Date of Patent: December 8, 2015Assignee: BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITYInventors: Ming Woei Lau, Bruce Dale, Venkatesh Balan, Shishir Chundawat
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Patent number: 9187965Abstract: A method associated with the selection of tubulars for hydrocarbon production is described based upon evaluating the performance limits of threaded connections. Constituents of an evaluation group of threaded connections are determined and then a first group of the connections is evaluated via model analysis over a range of conditions. Then, physical testing on a first group of threaded connections in the evaluation group is conducted over that range of conditions. Once modeled, the results from the physical testing and the modeling analysis of the first group are compared to assess a characteristic performance factor for the first group. A second group of threaded connections are determined and the assessed performance factor from the first group is applied to a second group, and the performance limits of the second group are defined over the range of conditions based on this characteristic performance factor, without requiring testing the second group.Type: GrantFiled: October 17, 2013Date of Patent: November 17, 2015Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research CompanyInventors: A. S. David Khemakhem, Mark W. Biegler, David A. Baker, Jason A. Burdette, Bruce A. Dale, John W. Mohr, Ismail Ceyhan, James Powers, James H. Myers, Marcus Asmann
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Patent number: 9175555Abstract: Methods for injecting a fluid into a subsurface formation are provided. Each of the methods includes the obtaining data, including formation parameters and operational variables, related to an injection well. A regime of operation for the injection well is determined. The regime of operation is determined using a heuristic model. In one aspect, one or more operational variables, including completion design, reservoir development procedures, and/or injection procedures, is designed based at least in part on the determined regime of operation. Water or other fluid may then be injected into the subsurface formation. The step of determining the regime of operation for the injection well may use a full physics computational simulation to construct a mathematical model that can estimate the operating regime for the water injection well. Alternatively or in addition, field data may be used.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2009Date of Patent: November 3, 2015Inventors: Brian W. Duffy, Rahul Pakal, Ted A. Long, Bruce A. Dale
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Patent number: 9163465Abstract: Method and apparatus for extending the horizontal distance through which wells can be drilled. A horizontal tubular is used to convey a drillstring from a drilling rig toward a target location and a mud return line and pump on the surface is used to pump drilling mud returning from the bit back to the drilling rig.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2010Date of Patent: October 20, 2015Inventors: Stuart R. Keller, Adel H. Younan, Mark C. Gentry, Timothy J. Nedwed, Bruce A. Dale
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Publication number: 20150211348Abstract: A method of producing hydrocarbons through a production well connected to a subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir includes completing the production well in fluid communication with the subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir and placing a gravel pack in the production well. The gravel pack comprises hydrogen sulfide, H2S, scavenging material such as siderite, iron oxides such as magnetite, or other suitable H2S scavenging material.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 12, 2013Publication date: July 30, 2015Inventors: John J. Lawrence, Jennifer A. Hornemann, Bruce A. Dale
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Patent number: 8945245Abstract: A method is provided in which pretreated and densified cellulosic biomass particulates can be hydrolyzed at a high solids loading rate as compared with the solids loading rate of loose hydrolysable cellulosic biomass fibers. The resulting high concentration sugar-containing stream can be easily converted to biofuels or an entire suite of other useful bioproducts.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2012Date of Patent: February 3, 2015Assignees: The Michigan Biotechnology Institute, Board of Trustees of Michigan State UniversityInventors: Bryan Bals, Farzaneh Teymouri, Tim Campbell, Bruce Dale
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Patent number: 8914268Abstract: Methods and systems for making decisions related to the operation of a hydrocarbon well include characterizing effective production capacity of a reservoir over space and time based at least in part on a reservoir potential and a near-well capacity; determining an optimized well potential over space and time relative to the characterized effective production capacity using a well model of a simulated well accessing the reservoir, which may be determined based at least in part on an objective function that considers at least one of a plurality of decision-making factors, such as one or more of operations costs, operational risks, and modeled production rates over the life of the well; and determining at least one well operating plan component that can be incorporated into a well operating plan to provide the optimized well potential in a well accessing the reservoir.Type: GrantFiled: January 5, 2010Date of Patent: December 16, 2014Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research CompanyInventors: Bruce A. Dale, Timothy K. Ellison, Dieter Postl, Dar-Lon Chang, Jennifer Hommema
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Publication number: 20140041864Abstract: A method associated with the selection of tubulars for hydrocarbon production is described based upon evaluating the performance limits of threaded connections. Constituents of an evaluation group of threaded connections are determined and then a first group of the connections is evaluated via model analysis over a range of conditions. Then, physical testing on a first group of threaded connections in the evaluation group is conducted over that range of conditions. Once modeled, the results from the physical testing and the modeling analysis of the first group are compared to assess a characteristic performance factor for the first group. A second group of threaded connections are determined and the assessed performance factor from the first group is applied to a second group, and the performance limits of the second group are defined over the range of conditions based on this characteristic performance factor, without requiring testing the second group.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 17, 2013Publication date: February 13, 2014Inventors: A.S. David Khemakhem, Mark W. Biegler, David A. Baker, Jason A. Burdette, Bruce A. Dale, John W. Mohr, Ismail Ceyhan, James Powers, James H. Myers, Marcus Asmann
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Patent number: 8590641Abstract: A method associated with the selection of tubulars for hydrocarbon production is described. In particular, the method is associated with the evaluation of performance limits of threaded connections. In this method, constituents of an evaluation group of threaded connections are determined via model analysis. Then, physical testing on a first group of threaded connections in the evaluation group is conducted. Modeling analysis on the first group and a second group of threaded connections is performed, wherein the second group are not physically tested. Once modeled, the results from the physical testing and the modeling analysis are compared to assess a characteristic performance factor for the first group. Then, the characteristic performance factor is applied to the second group, and the performance limits are defined based on this characteristic performance factor.Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 2006Date of Patent: November 26, 2013Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research CompanyInventors: A. S. David Khemakhem, Mark W. Biegler, David A. Baker, Jason A. Burdette, Bruce A. Dale, John W. Mohr, Ismail Ceyhan, James Powers, James H. Myers, Marcus Asmann
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Publication number: 20130299164Abstract: Systems and methods for improving functional access to subterranean formations that include a well, which includes a casing string having at least one casing conduit that extends and provides a hydraulic connection between a surface region and the subterranean formation. Performing a plurality of downhole operations utilizing a casing string that constitutes a plurality of hydraulic pathways between the surface region and the subterranean formation. In some embodiments, the plurality of downhole operations may be simultaneous operations and/or may be associated with at least one of a plurality of operational states including a drilling state, completing state, stimulating state, producing state, abandoning state, and/or killing state. In some embodiments, systems and methods may include a plurality of production control assemblies to control and/or monitor the downhole operations.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 11, 2011Publication date: November 14, 2013Applicant: Exxon Mobile Upstream Research CompanyInventors: Bruce A. Dale, Pavlin B. Entchev, Stuart R. Keller