Patents by Inventor Frank Walles

Frank Walles 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: 11525822
    Abstract: A method of monitoring a subterranean operation includes sampling fluid from a borehole during the operation, and estimating, in near real time, a concentration of one or more gases in the sampled fluid and an isotope composition of the sampled fluid. The method also includes identifying an operational inefficiency in the operation based on the isotope composition associated with the one or more gases, and performing, during the operation, at least one of: alerting an operator and adjusting an operational parameter of the operation, based on identifying the operational inefficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES OILFIELD OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Bastian Baecker, Alex Bruns, Jessica Raines, Umesh Prasad, Svenja Erdmann, Ian McGlynn, Frank Walles
  • Patent number: 11513254
    Abstract: Methods, systems, devices, and products for well logging. Methods include conveying a logging tool in the borehole on a carrier; obtaining a borehole image over at least one interval of borehole depth from well logging measurements with a downhole imaging instrument; obtaining acoustic information representative of acoustic reflections from a far-field region of the formation; obtaining quantitative borehole fluid information indicative of properties of a formation fluid in a near-field region of the borehole; generating a borehole connectivity fracture model of the formation in dependence upon the borehole image, the quantitative borehole fluid information, and the acoustic information. Methods may include identifying near-field fractures from the borehole image, and/or identifying far-field fractures from the acoustic information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES OILFIELD OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Frank Walles, Stephen Dymmock, Alex Bruns, Umesh Prasad, Sergey Kotov
  • Patent number: 11268914
    Abstract: Systems, tools, and methods for optimizing fracturing schedules located along a horizontal wellbore include obtaining drilling cuttings during a drilling operation representative of a predetermined interval of the horizontal wellbore, performing at least one analytical process on the obtained drilling cuttings to determine at least one geomechanical property of the interval of the obtained drilling cuttings for the interval, generating a formation analysis estimation for the interval from the, wherein the formation analysis estimation comprises at least one of (i) a brittleness of the formation at the interval or (ii) a minimum horizontal stress of the formation at the interval, and based on the formation analysis estimation, at least one of (i) configuring a super-stage for deployment to the interval to perform a fracturing operation or (ii) designing a fracturing schedule to be performed to frac the formation at the interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventors: Umesh Prasad, Sergey Stolyarov, David Gadzhimirzaev, Robert Samuel Hurt, Eduardo Adrian Cazeneuve, Frank Walles, Geoffrey Cave, Said D. Sadykhov
  • Publication number: 20210285927
    Abstract: A method of monitoring a subterranean operation includes sampling fluid from a borehole during the operation, and estimating, in near real time, a concentration of one or more gases in the sampled fluid and an isotope composition of the sampled fluid. The method also includes identifying an operational inefficiency in the operation based on the isotope composition associated with the one or more gases, and performing, during the operation, at least one of: alerting an operator and adjusting an operational parameter of the operation, based on identifying the operational inefficiency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Publication date: September 16, 2021
    Applicant: Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC
    Inventors: Bastian Baecker, Alex Bruns, Jessica Raines, Umesh Prasad, Svenja Erdmann, Ian McGlynn, Frank Walles
  • Publication number: 20200225381
    Abstract: Methods, systems, devices, and products for well logging. Methods include conveying a logging tool in the borehole on a carrier; obtaining a borehole image over at least one interval of borehole depth from well logging measurements with a downhole imaging instrument; obtaining acoustic information representative of acoustic reflections from a far-field region of the formation; obtaining quantitative borehole fluid information indicative of properties of a formation fluid in a near-field region of the borehole; generating a borehole connectivity fracture model of the formation in dependence upon the borehole image, the quantitative borehole fluid information, and the acoustic information. Methods may include identifying near-field fractures from the borehole image, and/or identifying far-field fractures from the acoustic information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2019
    Publication date: July 16, 2020
    Applicant: Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC
    Inventors: Frank Walles, Stephen Dymmock, Alex Bruns, Umesh Prasad, Sergey Kotov
  • Patent number: 10648329
    Abstract: A method of estimating one or more properties of an earth formation includes acquiring formation fluid data indicative of a qualitative property of a formation fluid in a near-field region of an earth formation surrounding a borehole, the near field region including a surface of the borehole, and acquiring acoustic data based on acoustic signals transmitted into a far-field region of the formation, and estimating a property of one or more fractures in the far-field region based on the acoustic data. The method also includes combining the formation fluid data and the acoustic data, and estimating, by a processing device, at least one fracture characteristic of the formation in the near-field region and the far-field region based on the combined data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventors: Nicklas Ritzmann, Frank Walles, Alex Bruns, David Gadzhimirzaev, Sergey Kotov
  • Patent number: 10480311
    Abstract: Methods and systems for generating intervention programs for a downhole formation including collecting mud-logging data during a drilling operation, wherein the drilling operation forms a borehole through the formation, generating zone characterization of one or more zones along the borehole based on the collected mud-logging data, defining targeted zones of the one or more zones along the borehole, generating a treatment characterization for each targeted zone based on the collected mud-logging data, and generating an intervention treatment design based on the targeted zones and associated treatment characterizations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventors: Sergey Stolyarov, Sergey Kotov, Alex Bruns, David Gadzhimirzaev, Frank Walles
  • Publication number: 20190003298
    Abstract: Methods and systems for generating intervention programs for a downhole formation including collecting mud-logging data during a drilling operation, wherein the drilling operation forms a borehole through the formation, generating zone characterization of one or more zones along the borehole based on the collected mud-logging data, defining targeted zones of the one or more zones along the borehole, generating a treatment characterization for each targeted zone based on the collected mud-logging data, and generating an intervention treatment design based on the targeted zones and associated treatment characterizations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Publication date: January 3, 2019
    Applicant: Baker Hughes Incorporated
    Inventors: Sergey Stolyarov, Sergey Kotov, Alex Bruns, David Gadzhimirzaev, Frank Walles
  • Publication number: 20180291734
    Abstract: An embodiment of a method of estimating one or more properties of an earth formation includes acquiring formation fluid data indicative of a qualitative property of a formation fluid in a near-field region of an earth formation surrounding a borehole, the near field region including a surface of the borehole, and acquiring acoustic data based on acoustic signals transmitted into a far-field region of the formation, and estimating a property of one or more fractures in the far-field region based on the acoustic data. The method also includes combining the formation fluid data and the acoustic data, and estimating, by a processing device, at least one fracture characteristic of the formation in the near-field region and the far-field region based on the combined data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2017
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Applicant: Baker Hughes Incorporated
    Inventors: Nicklas Ritzmann, Frank Walles, Alex Bruns, David Gadzhimirzaev, Sergey Kotov
  • Publication number: 20180202263
    Abstract: Systems, tools, and methods for optimizing fracturing schedules located along a horizontal wellbore include obtaining drilling cuttings during a drilling operation representative of a predetermined interval of the horizontal wellbore, performing at least one analytical process on the obtained drilling cuttings to determine at least one geomechanical property of the interval of the obtained drilling cuttings for the interval, generating a formation analysis estimation for the interval from the, wherein the formation analysis estimation comprises at least one of (i) a brittleness of the formation at the interval or (ii) a minimum horizontal stress of the formation at the interval, and based on the formation analysis estimation, at least one of (i) configuring a super-stage for deployment to the interval to perform a fracturing operation or (ii) designing a fracturing schedule to be performed to frac the formation at the interval.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2017
    Publication date: July 19, 2018
    Applicant: Baker Hughes Incorporated
    Inventors: Umesh Prasad, Sergey Stolyarov, David Gadzhimirzaev, Robert Samuel Hurt, Eduardo Adrian Cazeneuve, Frank Walles, Geoffrey Cave, Said D. Sadykhov