Patents by Inventor Françoise Deflandre

Françoise Deflandre 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: 7397240
    Abstract: A method for measuring the wettability of rocks by low-field nuclear magnetic resonance is described which has application for hydrocarbon reservoir engineering or development, or in civil engineering. The method essentially determines the water wet pore surface and the oil wet pore surface when the sample is saturated with water and oil, by measurements of relaxation times (T1, T2) of the sample placed in a nuclear magnetic resonance device, previously brought to various water or oil saturation states, and calculating the wettability index by combination of values the relaxation times obtained for said surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Institut Francais du Petrole
    Inventors: Marc Fleury, Françoise Deflandre
  • Publication number: 20060132131
    Abstract: Method for measuring the wettability of rocks by low-field nuclear magnetic resonance. The method essentially comprises determining the water wet pore surface and the oil wet pore surface when the sample is saturated with water and oil, by measurements of relaxation times (T1, T2) of the sample placed in a nuclear magnetic resonance device, previously brought to various water or oil saturation states, and calculating the wettability index by combination of the values obtained for said surfaces. Application: hydrocarbon reservoir engineering or development, or in civil engineering, etc.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2003
    Publication date: June 22, 2006
    Applicant: INSTITUT FRANCAIS DU PETROLE
    Inventors: Marc Fleury, Francoise Deflandre
  • Patent number: 7049817
    Abstract: A thermostatically controlled containment cell for a sample, suitable notably for a measuring device such as a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer, NMR type measuring device including the cell, and method for implementation is disclosed. Cell (8) comprises a body of a tubular sleeve (9) made of a material so selected as not to interfere with NMR measurements, (for example a non-magnetic and non electrically conducting material) ending at its opposite ends with terminal parts (14, 16), containing a sample (S), and means (19–22) for circulating within tubular sleeve (9) a controlled-temperature heat carrier for maintaining the sample at a substantially constant temperature during measurements which liquid is selected to not disturb the NMR measurements. The cell containing the sample is first heated by circulation of the heat carrier. An overpressure sufficient to prevent boiling is established in the cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: Institut Francais du Petrole
    Inventors: Marc Fleury, Françoise Deflandre, José Brandely
  • Publication number: 20020147396
    Abstract: Thermostat-controlled containment cell for a sample, suitable notably for a measuring device such as a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer, NMR type measuring device including the cell, and method for implementing it.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2002
    Publication date: October 10, 2002
    Inventors: Marc Fleury, Francoise Deflandre, Jose Brandely
  • Patent number: 6229312
    Abstract: Method and device for measuring the resistivity index curve (Ir) of a solid sample such as a geologic sample independently of the capillary pressure curve (Pc). Multi-frequency complex impedance measurements are carried out for a sample subjected to a radial confining pressure, during operations of drainage or imbibition of a first, initially saturating fluid, through a semipermeable membrane permeable to this first fluid, placed at a first end of a containment cell, by injection of a second fluid under pressure at the opposite end thereof. One or more injection pressure stages are applied and the continuous variations of the resistivity index (Ir) as a function of the average saturation (Sw) variation are measured without waiting for the capillary equilibria to be reached. Electrodes pressed against the sample on the periphery thereof are used, these electrodes having a given longitudinal extension in relation to the length of the sample and being connected to an impedance meter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: Institut Francais du Petrole
    Inventors: Marc Fleury, Françoise Deflandre
  • Patent number: 5253529
    Abstract: In a process and apparatus for measuring the distribution of the concentrations of constituents of a centrifuged medium containing at least one fluid, during centrifuging, a mechanical signal, preferably a sound wave, is emitted from at least one emission point (19-22) in contact with or in the immediate vicinity of the medium (16). The emitted signal is received by at least one reception point (20-22) in contact with or in the immediate vicinity of the medium. For each emission-reception point pair, at least one propagation characteristic of the signal between the emission and reception points thereof is measured and, by an appropriate processor (15), the distribution of the concentrations of the constituents present in the medium is determined. A proposed application is the calculation of the relative permeability and capillary pressure curves of fluids in a porous medium in order to improve the working and operation of oil fields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1993
    Assignee: Institut Francais du Petrole
    Inventors: Roland Lenormand, Pierre Forbes, Moricio Hoyos, Francoise Deflandre