Patents by Inventor Deborah G. Vandenhoff

Deborah G. Vandenhoff 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).

  • Wet electric heating process
    Patent number: 6631761
    Abstract: A wet electric heating (“WEH”) process involves establishing electrode zones (“e-zones”) around conductors (e.g., wells) for distributing electric current and thereby generating and distributing heat accordingly through a target region in a subterranean formation having hydrocarbons. The inventive WEH process takes into account e-zone geometric shape, spacing and/or spatial orientation to provide a more diffuse distribution of increased temperature values within the target region, compared to conventional electric heating processes, during at least the first 10% of a time interval when an electric potential is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: Alberta Science and Research Authority
    Inventors: Jian-Yang Yuan, Ezra Eddy Isaacs, Haibo Huang, Deborah G. Vandenhoff
  • Wet electric heating process
    Publication number: 20030141053
    Abstract: A wet electric heating (“WEH”) process involves establishing electrode zones (“e-zones”) around conductors (e.g., wells) for distributing electric current and thereby generating and distributing heat accordingly through a target region in a subterranean formation having hydrocarbons. The inventive WEH process takes into account e-zone geometric shape, spacing and/or spatial orientation to provide a more diffuse distribution of increased temperature values within the target region, compared to conventional electric heating processes, during at least the first 10% of a time interval when an electric potential is applied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2001
    Publication date: July 31, 2003
    Inventors: Jian-Yang Yuan, Ezra Eddy Isaacs, Haibo Huang, Deborah G. Vandenhoff