Patents by Inventor Christian Wolfsteiner

Christian Wolfsteiner 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: 11567058
    Abstract: A method for simulating a microemulsion system in a chemical enhanced oil recovery process is disclosed. The method includes receiving a geological model of a subsurface reservoir that defines a grid having a plurality of cells, determining a surfactant concentration for each cell based on a volume of surfactant and a volume of water within the cell and independently from a volume of oil in the cell, and simulating fluids flowing in the subsurface reservoir. Results from simulation can be used to optimize a chemical enhanced oil recovery process in a subsurface reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
    Inventors: Xundan Shi, Choongyong Han, Yih-Bor Chang, Christian Wolfsteiner, Baris Guyaguler
  • Publication number: 20190094199
    Abstract: A method for simulating a microemulsion system in a chemical enhanced oil recovery process is disclosed. The method includes receiving a geological model of a subsurface reservoir that defines a grid having a plurality of cells, determining a surfactant concentration for each cell based on a volume of surfactant and a volume of water within the cell and independently from a volume of oil in the cell, and simulating fluids flowing in the subsurface reservoir. Results from simulation can be used to optimize a chemical enhanced oil recovery process in a subsurface reservoir.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2018
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Applicant: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
    Inventors: Xundan Shi, Choongyong Han, Yih-Bor Chang, Christian Wolfsteiner, Baris Guyaguler
  • Patent number: 7765091
    Abstract: A multi-scale finite-volume (MSFV) method simulates nonlinear immiscible three-phase compressible flow in the presence of gravity and capillary forces. Consistent with the MSFV framework, flow and transport are treated separately and differently using a fully implicit sequential algorithm. The pressure field is solved using an operator splitting algorithm. The general solution of the pressure is decomposed into an elliptic part, a buoyancy/capillary force dominant part, and an inhomogeneous part with source/sink and accumulation. A MSFV method is used to compute the basis functions of the elliptic component, capturing long range interactions in the pressure field. Direct construction of the velocity field and solution of the transport problem on the primal coarse grid provides flexibility in accommodating physical mechanisms. A MSFV method computes an approximate pressure field, including a solution of a course-scale pressure equation; constructs fine-scale fluxes; and computes a phase-transport equation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignees: Chevron U.S.A Inc., Schlumberger Technology Corporation, ETH Zurich
    Inventors: Seong H. Lee, Christian Wolfsteiner, Hamdi A. Tchelepi, Patrick Jenny, Ivan Fabrizio Lunati
  • Publication number: 20080208539
    Abstract: A multi-scale finite-volume (MSFV) method simulates nonlinear immiscible three-phase compressible flow in the presence of gravity and capillary forces. Consistent with the MSFV framework, flow and transport are treated separately and differently using a fully implicit sequential algorithm. The pressure field is solved using an operator splitting algorithm. The general solution of the pressure is decomposed into an elliptic part, a buoyancy/capillary force dominant part, and an inhomogeneous part with source/sink and accumulation. A MSFV method is used to compute the basis functions of the elliptic component, capturing long range interactions in the pressure field. Direct construction of the velocity field and solution of the transport problem on the primal coarse grid provides flexibility in accommodating physical mechanisms. A MSFV method computes an approximate pressure field, including a solution of a course-scale pressure equation; constructs fine-scale fluxes; and computes a phase-transport equation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2007
    Publication date: August 28, 2008
    Applicant: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
    Inventors: Seong H. Lee, Christian Wolfsteiner, Hamdi A. Tchelepi, Patrick Jenny, Ivan Fabrizio Lunati