Patents by Inventor Christopher Sawdon

Christopher Sawdon 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: 7928039
    Abstract: The invention concerns modified hydrophobic polyelectrolytes by amide formation of a hydrophilic skeleton by n-alkylamines whereof the alkyl chain comprises 6 to 22 carbon atoms. Preferably, the amide formation is obtained by di-n-dodecylamine. The hydrophilic skeleton is preferably a sodium polyacrylate or polyacrylic acid corresponding to a statistical acrylate-AMPS copolymer. Said polymers can be used for stabilizing direct or invert emulsions likely to be destabilized or inverted by a modification in the degree of salinity of the aqueous phase or a pH modification. The invention is particularly useful for stabilizing oil drilling fluids or the like in particular drilling, fracturation, acidification or completion fluids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventors: Nathalie Monfreux-Gaillard, Patrick Perrin, Françoise LaFuma, Christopher Sawdon
  • Patent number: 7745380
    Abstract: A method of treating a wellbore that includes circulating a wellbore fluid in the wellbore, wherein the wellbore fluid comprises an oleaginous base fluid and a wellbore additive colloidal solid material, and wherein the wellbore additive colloidal solid material is formed by grinding a solid particulate material and a polymeric dispersing agent for a sufficient time so that the polymeric dispersing agent is absorbed to the surface of the resulting colloidal solid particles and less than 10% of the resulting colloidal solid particles have a diameter greater than 10 microns, but not more than five percent of the particles are less than 0.2 micron in diameter, wherein the grinding is carried out in the presence of an oleaginous base fluid and wherein the grinding is carried out so that the wellbore additive colloidal solid material has a weight average particle diameter d50 less than 2.0 microns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventors: Andrew J. Bradbury, Christopher A. Sawdon, Sonny Clary, William M. Reid, Tom Heinz
  • Patent number: 7727939
    Abstract: A method of controlling the pressure of a casing annulus in a subterranean well that includes injecting into the casing annulus a composition including a base fluid and a polymer coated colloidal solid material. The polymer coated colloidal solid material includes: a solid particle having an weight average particle diameter (d50) of less than two microns, and a polymeric dispersing agent coated onto the surface of the solid particle during the cominution (i.e. grinding) process utilized to make the colloidal particles. The polymeric dispersing agent may be a water soluble polymer having a molecular weight of at least 2000 Daltons. The solid particulate material may be selected from materials having of specific gravity of at least 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventors: Andrew J Bradbury, Christopher A. Sawdon, Sonny Clary, William M Reid, Tom Heinz
  • Patent number: 7651040
    Abstract: A method of formulating a wellbore fluid that includes grinding a solid particulate material and a polymeric dispersing agent to provide a resulting polymer coated solid material, and suspending the resulting polymer coated solid material in the wellbore fluid. At least a portion of the resulting polymer coated solid material has a particle diameter less than 2.0 microns, wherein the polymeric dispersing agent has a molecular weight greater than 10,000. Exemplary starting materials for the solid material include weighting agents including barite, calcium carbonate, dolomite, ilmenite, hematite or other iron ores, olivine, siderite and strontium sulfate as well as mixture and combinations of these and other similar weighting materials. The dispersant in one illustrative embodiment is a polymeric acrylate ester made from the monomers of stearyl methacrylate, butylacrylate, and acrylic acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventors: Andrew J. Bradbury, Jarrod Massam, Christopher A. Sawdon
  • Publication number: 20090275487
    Abstract: A method of formulating a wellbore fluid that includes grinding a solid particulate material and a polymeric dispersing agent to provide a resulting polymer coated solid material, and suspending the resulting polymer coated solid material in the wellbore fluid. At least a portion of the resulting polymer coated solid material has a particle diameter less than 2.0 microns, wherein the polymeric dispersing agent has a molecular weight greater than 10,000. Exemplary starting materials for the solid material include weighting agents including barite, calcium carbonate, dolomite, ilmenite, hematite or other iron ores, olivine, siderite and strontium sulfate as well as mixture and combinations of these and other similar weighting materials. The dispersant in one illustrative embodiment is a polymeric acrylate ester made from the monomers of stearyl methacrylate, butyacrylate, and acrylic acid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2009
    Publication date: November 5, 2009
    Inventors: Andrew J. Bradbury, Jarrod Massam, Christopher A. Sawdon
  • Patent number: 7589049
    Abstract: A method of controlling the pressure of a casing annulus in a subterranean well that includes injecting into the casing annulus a composition including a base fluid and a polymer coated colloidal solid material. The polymer coated colloidal solid material includes: a solid particle having an weight average particle diameter (d50) of less than two microns, and a polymeric dispersing agent coated onto the surface of the solid particle during the cominution (i.e. grinding) process utilized to make the colloidal particles. The polymeric dispersing agent may be a water soluble polymer having a molecular weight of at least 2000 Daltons. The solid particulate material may be selected from materials having of specific gravity of at least 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventors: Andrew J. Bradbury, Christopher A. Sawdon, Sonny Clary, William M. Reid, Tom Heinz
  • Patent number: 7538074
    Abstract: A wellbore fluid having an oleaginous phase and an additive for increasing the density of the wellbore fluid. The additive comprises solid colloidal particles coated with a dispersant coated onto the colloidal particle during the comminution process of forming the particles. Exemplary starting materials for the colloidal particles include commonly known weighting agents including barite, calcium carbonate, dolomite, ilmenite, hematite or other iron ores, olivine, siderite, and strontium sulfate as well as mixture and combinations of these and other similar weighting materials. The dispersant in one illustrative embodiment, is selected from carboxylic acids of molecular weight of at least 150 Daltons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Assignee: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventors: Andrew J. Bradbury, Jarrod Massam, Christopher A. Sawdon
  • Publication number: 20090124521
    Abstract: A method of treating a wellbore that includes circulating a wellbore fluid in the wellbore, wherein the wellbore fluid comprises an oleaginous base fluid and a wellbore additive colloidal solid material, and wherein the wellbore additive colloidal solid material is formed by grinding a solid particulate material and a polymeric dispersing agent for a sufficient time so that the polymeric dispersing agent is absorbed to the surface of the resulting colloidal solid particles and less than 10% of the resulting colloidal solid particles have a diameter greater than 10 microns, but not more than five percent of the particles are less than 0.2 micron in diameter, wherein the grinding is carried out in the presence of an oleaginous base fluid and wherein the grinding is carried out so that the wellbore additive colloidal solid material has a weight average particle diameter d50 less than 2.0 microns.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2009
    Publication date: May 14, 2009
    Applicant: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventors: Andrew J. Bradbury, Christopher A. Sawdon, Sonny Clary, William M. Reid, Tom Heinz
  • Patent number: 7449431
    Abstract: A method of controlling the pressure of a casing annulus in a subterranean well that includes injecting into the casing annulus a composition including a base fluid and a polymer coated colloidal solid material. The polymer coated colloidal solid material includes: a solid particle having an weight average particle diameter (d50) of less than two microns, and a polymeric dispersing agent coated onto the surface of the solid particle during the comminution (i.e. grinding) process utilized to make the colloidal particles. The polymeric dispersing agent may be a water soluble polymer having a molecular weight of at least 2000 Daltons. The solid particulate material may be selected from materials having of specific gravity of at least 2.68 and preferably the solid particulate material may be selected from barium sulfate (barite), calcium carbonate, dolomite, ilmenite, hematite, olivine, siderite, strontium sulfate, combinations and mixtures of these-and other similar solids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventors: Andrew J Bradbury, Christopher A. Sawdon, Sonny Clary, William M Reid, Tom Heinz
  • Patent number: 7427582
    Abstract: A wellbore fluid including a peroxide degradable polymer and an encapsulated peroxide source. The peroxide degradable polymer may be a polysaccharide. The peroxide source may include an inorganic peroxide, including zinc and alkaline earth metal peroxides, such as magnesium peroxide. The encapsulating material may be a polymer, including enteric polymers. The release of peroxide, from peroxide sources generally, can be controlled by means of pH such that peroxide source can be activated, and peroxide released, by a change in pH. In a wellbore, this pH change can be effected by using produced fluids to lower the pH of a more basic wellbore fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2008
    Assignee: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventors: David A Ballard, Christopher A Sawdon, Trevor G Jappy
  • Publication number: 20080167203
    Abstract: A method of reducing the torque of a drill string used in drilling a subterranean well that includes injecting into the drilling fluid a composition including a base fluid and a polymer coated colloidal solid material. The polymer coated colloidal solid material includes: a solid particle having an weight average particle diameter (d5o) of less than ten microns, and a polymeric dispersing agent coated onto the surface of the solid particle during the cominution (i.e. grinding) process utilized to make the colloidal particles. The polymeric dispersing agent may be a water soluble polymer having a molecular weight of at least 2000 Daltons. The solid particulate material may be selected from materials having of specific gravity of at least 2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2006
    Publication date: July 10, 2008
    Inventors: Andrew Bradbury, Christopher Sawdon, Doug Oakley
  • Publication number: 20080011485
    Abstract: The invention concerns modified hydrophobic polyelectrolytes by amide formation of a hydrophilic skeleton by n-alkylamines whereof the alkyl chain comprises 6 to 22 carbon atoms. Preferably, the amide formation is obtained by di-n-dodecylamine. The hydrophilic skeleton is preferably a sodium polyacrylate or polyacrylic acid corresponding to a statistical acrylate-AMPS copolymer. Said polymers can be used for stabilizing direct or invert emulsions likely to be destabilized or inverted by a modification in the degree of salinity of the aqueous phase or a pH modification. The invention is particularly useful for stabilizing oil drilling fluids or the like in particular drilling, fracturation, acidification or completion fluids.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2007
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Inventors: Nathalie Monfreux-Gaillard, Patrick Perrin, Francoise LaFuma, Christopher Sawdon
  • Publication number: 20070287637
    Abstract: A wellbore fluid having an oleaginous phase and an additive for increasing the density of the wellbore fluid. The additive comprises solid colloidal particles coated with a dispersant coated onto the colloidal particle during the comminution process of forming the particles. Exemplary starting materials for the colloidal particles include commonly known weighting agents including barite, calcium carbonate, dolomite, ilmenite, hematite or other iron ores, olivine, siderite, and strontium sulfate as well as mixture and combinations of these and other similar weighting materials. The dispersant in one illustrative embodiment, is selected from carboxylic acids of molecular weight of at least 150 Daltons.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2007
    Publication date: December 13, 2007
    Inventors: Andrew BRADBURY, Jarrod Massam, Christopher Sawdon
  • Patent number: 7267291
    Abstract: A wellbore fluid having an oleaginous phase and an additive for increasing the density of the wellbore fluid. The additive comprises solid colloidal particles coated with a dispersant during the comminution process of forming the particles. Exemplary starting materials for the colloidal particles include commonly known weighting agents as well as mixture and combinations thereof. The dispersant in one embodiment, is selected from carboxylic acids of molecular weight of at least 150 Daltons. Alternatively, the dispersant coating may be made of compounds including oleic acid, polybasic fatty acids, alkylbenzene sulfonic acids, alkane sulfonic acids, linear alpha-olefin sulfonic acid or the alkaline earth metal salts of any of the above acids, and phospholipids as well as mixtures and combinations of these compounds. In another embodiment the dispersant is a polyacrylate ester having an average molecular weight from about 10,000 Daltons to about 200,000 Daltons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: M-I LLC
    Inventors: Andrew J. Bradbury, Jarrod Massam, Christopher A. Sawdon
  • Patent number: 7262152
    Abstract: The invention concerns modified hydrophobic polyelectrolytes by amide formation of a hydrophilic skeleton by n-alkylamines whereof the alkyl chain comprises 6 to 22 carbon atoms. Preferably, the amide formation is obtained by di-n-dodecylamine. The hydrophilic skeleton is preferably a sodium polyacrylate or polyacrylic acid corresponding to a statistical acrylate-AMPS copolymer. Said polymers can be used for stabilizing direct or invert emulsions likely to be destabilized or inverted by a modification in the degree of salinity of the aqueous phase or a pH modification. The invention is particularly useful for stabilizing oil drilling fluids or the like in particular drilling, fracturation, acidification or completion fluids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventors: Nathalie Monfreux-Gaillard, Patrick Perrin, Françoise LaFuma, Christopher Sawdon
  • Publication number: 20070184987
    Abstract: A wellbore fluid having an oleaginous phase and an additive for increasing the density of the wellbore fluid. The additive comprises solid colloidal particles coated with a dispersant coated onto the colloidal particle during the comminution process of forming the particles. Exemplary starting materials for the colloidal particles include commonly known weighting agents including barite, calcium carbonate, dolomite, ilmenite, hematite or other iron ores, olivine, siderite, and strontium sulfate as well as mixture and combinations of these and other similar weighting materials. The dispersant in one illustrative embodiment, is selected from carboxylic acids of molecular weight of at least 150 Daltons.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2007
    Publication date: August 9, 2007
    Inventors: Andrew Brandbury, Jarrod Massam, Christopher Sawdon
  • Publication number: 20060188651
    Abstract: A method of controlling the pressure of a casing annulus in a subterranean well that includes injecting into the casing annulus a composition including a base fluid and a polymer coated colloidal solid material. The polymer coated colloidal solid material includes: a solid particle having an weight average particle diameter (d50) of less than two microns, and a polymeric dispersing agent coated onto the surface of the solid particle during the cominution (i.e. grinding) process utilized to make the colloidal particles. The polymeric dispersing agent may be a water soluble polymer having a molecular weight of at least 2000 Daltons. The solid particulate material may be selected from materials having of specific gravity of at least 2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2005
    Publication date: August 24, 2006
    Inventors: Andrew Bradbury, Christopher Sawdon, Sonny Clary, William Reid, Tom Heinz
  • Publication number: 20050101493
    Abstract: A method of controlling the pressure of a casing annulus in a subterranean well that includes injecting into the casing annulus a composition including a base fluid and a polymer coated colloidal solid material. The polymer coated colloidal solid material includes: a solid particle having an weight average particle diameter (d50) of less than two microns, and a polymeric dispersing agent coated onto the surface of the solid particle during the cominution (i.e. grinding) process utilized to make the colloidal particles. The polymeric dispersing agent may be a water soluble polymer having a molecular weight of at least 2000 Daltons. The solid particulate material may be selected from materials having of specific gravity of at least 2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Publication date: May 12, 2005
    Applicant: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventors: Andrew Bradbury, Christopher Sawdon, Sonny Clary, William Reid, Tom Heinz
  • Publication number: 20050101492
    Abstract: A method of controlling the pressure of a casing annulus in a subterranean well that includes injecting into the casing annulus a composition including a base fluid and a polymer coated colloidal solid material. The polymer coated colloidal solid material includes: a solid particle having an weight average particle diameter (d50) of less than two microns, and a polymeric dispersing agent coated onto the surface of the solid particle during the cominution (i.e. grinding) process utilized to make the colloidal particles. The polymeric dispersing agent may be a water soluble polymer having a molecular weight of at least 2000 Daltons. The solid particulate material may be selected from materials having of specific gravity of at least 2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Publication date: May 12, 2005
    Applicant: M-I-L.L.C.
    Inventors: Andrew Bradbury, Christopher Sawdon, Sonny Clary, William Reid, Tom Heinz
  • Publication number: 20050090404
    Abstract: A wellbore fluid including a peroxide degradable polymer and an encapsulated peroxide source. The peroxide degradable polymer may be a polysaccharide. The peroxide source may include an inorganic peroxide, including zinc and alkaline earth metal peroxides, such as magnesium peroxide. The encapsulating material may be a polymer, including enteric polymers. The release of peroxide, from peroxide sources generally, can be controlled by means of pH such that peroxide source can be activated, and peroxide released, by a change in pH. In a wellbore, this pH change can be effected by using produced fluids to lower the pH of a more basic wellbore fluid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2004
    Publication date: April 28, 2005
    Inventors: David Ballard, Christopher Sawdon, Trevor Jappy