Patents by Inventor Nicolas Daniel Huffman

Nicolas Daniel Huffman 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: 11828685
    Abstract: Syntactic foams are materials including hollow microspheres distributed throughout a cured polymeric resin. Hollow microspheres within syntactic foams, including collapsible shells that enclose empty cavities, can serve as receptacles to capture environmental constituents upon applied temperature and pressure. An epoxy formulation including of EPON™ 828, HELOXY™ 61, and TETA was combined with hollow glass microspheres with isostatic crush strengths of 300, 3000, and 10,000 psi. Effects of pressure and temperature on the mechanical properties were evaluated via dynamic mechanical analysis. Storage modulus and glass transition temperature depended on formulation. Upon exposure to specific temperature and pressures, the hollow glass spheres embedded within the resin lose mechanical integrity and collapse, resulting in the generation of unencapsulated void spaces, primed to capture embedded liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Research Triangle Institute
    Inventors: Leah Marie Johnson, Nicolas Daniel Huffman
  • Publication number: 20230069918
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to delivery and release compositions, systems, and methods of use thereof. In particular, the present disclosure relates to degradable polymeric systems including a first epoxy-containing monomer and a second, different epoxy-containing monomer, wherein the degradable polymeric system is crosslinked, and wherein one of the first epoxy-containing monomer and the second, different epoxy-containing monomer includes one or more ester groups; delivery systems incorporating degradable polymeric systems; and methods for providing cargo to a petroleum reservoir.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2021
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Inventors: Leah Marie Johnson, Nicolas Daniel Huffman, Jeffrey Brent Mecham, Ian Edward Stewart, Natalie Marie Girouard
  • Publication number: 20210317360
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to delivery and release systems, such as core-shell particles. An exemplary composition according to the disclosure can include a degradable polymeric shell surrounding a core that includes a crosslinker, which can encompass a metal, such as chromium. The core-shell particles can be provided with a gel-forming polymer, such as a polyacrylamide, into a subterranean reservoir having conditions such that the shell of the core-shell polymer degrades, and the so-released metal is effective to at least partially crosslink the gel-forming polymer to form a gel. The so-formed gel can be effective to control water flow through the subterranean reservoir, such as in relation to a waterflood of the reservoir.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2021
    Publication date: October 14, 2021
    Inventors: Leah Marie Johnson, Ginger Denison Rothrock, Chasity Antoninette Norton, Nicolas Daniel Huffman, Jeffrey Brent Mecham
  • Publication number: 20210262904
    Abstract: Syntactic foams are materials including hollow microspheres distributed throughout a cured polymeric resin. Hollow microspheres within syntactic foams, including collapsible shells that enclose empty cavities, can serve as receptacles to capture environmental constituents upon applied temperature and pressure. An epoxy formulation including of EPON™ 828, HELOXY™ 61, and TETA was combined with hollow glass microspheres with isostatic crush strengths of 300, 3000, and 10,000 psi. Effects of pressure and temperature on the mechanical properties were evaluated via dynamic mechanical analysis. Storage modulus and glass transition temperature depended on formulation. Upon exposure to specific temperature and pressures, the hollow glass spheres embedded within the resin lose mechanical integrity and collapse, resulting in the generation of unencapsulated void spaces, primed to capture embedded liquid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Publication date: August 26, 2021
    Inventors: Leah Marie Johnson, Nicolas Daniel Huffman
  • Patent number: 11078411
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to delivery and release systems wherein a plurality of particles is provided, and the particles are formed of a vehicle component and a cargo component. The systems and methods particularly can be useful in delivery of various chemicals to a petroleum reservoir. The vehicle component can undergo a change in situ such that at least a portion of the cargo component is released.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: Research Triangle Institute
    Inventors: Leah Marie Johnson, Ginger Denison Rothrock, Chasity Antoninette Norton, Sarah Dorothy Shepherd, Nicolas Daniel Huffman, Jeffrey Brent Mecham
  • Patent number: 11078404
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to delivery and release systems, such as core-shell particles. An exemplary composition according to the disclosure can include a degradable polymeric shell surrounding a core that includes a crosslinker, which can encompass a metal, such as chromium. The core-shell particles can be provided with a gel-forming polymer, such as a polyacrylamide, into a subterranean reservoir having conditions such that the shell of the core-shell polymer degrades, and the so-released metal is effective to at least partially crosslink the gel-forming polymer to form a gel. The so-formed gel can be effective to control water flow through the subterranean reservoir, such as in relation to a waterflood of the reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: Research Triangle Institute
    Inventors: Leah Marie Johnson, Ginger Denison Rothrock, Chasity Antoninette Norton, Nicolas Daniel Huffman, Jeffrey Brent Mecham
  • Publication number: 20190375982
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to delivery and release systems, such as core-shell particles. An exemplary composition according to the disclosure can include a degradable polymeric shell surrounding a core that includes a crosslinker, which can encompass a metal, such as chromium. The core-shell particles can be provided with a gel-forming polymer, such as a polyacrylamide, into a subterranean reservoir having conditions such that the shell of the core-shell polymer degrades, and the so-released metal is effective to at least partially crosslink the gel-forming polymer to form a gel. The so-formed gel can be effective to control water flow through the subterranean reservoir, such as in relation to a waterflood of the reservoir.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2019
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Inventors: Leah Marie Johnson, Ginger Denison Rothrock, Chasity Antoninette Norton, Nicolas Daniel Huffman, Jeffrey Brent Mecham
  • Patent number: 10421894
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to delivery and release systems, such as core-shell particles. An exemplary composition according to the disclosure can include a degradable polymeric shell surrounding a core that includes a crosslinker, which can encompass a metal, such as chromium. The core-shell particles can be provided with a gel-forming polymer, such as a polyacrylamide, into a subterranean reservoir having conditions such that the shell of the core-shell polymer degrades, and the so-released metal is effective to at least partially crosslink the gel-forming polymer to form a gel. The so-formed gel can be effective to control water flow through the subterranean reservoir, such as in relation to a waterflood of the reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Research Triangle Institute
    Inventors: Leah Marie Johnson, Ginger Denison Rothrock, Chasity Antoninette Norton, Nicolas Daniel Huffman, Jeffrey Brent Mecham
  • Publication number: 20190031951
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to delivery and release systems wherein a plurality of particles is provided, and the particles are formed of a vehicle component and a cargo component. The systems and methods particularly can be useful in delivery of various chemicals to a petroleum reservoir. The vehicle component can undergo a change in situ such that at least a portion of the cargo component is released.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2017
    Publication date: January 31, 2019
    Inventors: Leah Marie Johnson, Ginger Denison Rothrock, Chasity Antoninette Norton, Sarah Dorothy Shepherd, Nicolas Daniel Huffman, Jeffrey Brent Mecham
  • Publication number: 20170369766
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to delivery and release systems, such as core-shell particles. An exemplary composition according to the disclosure can include a degradable polymeric shell surrounding a core that includes a crosslinker, which can encompass a metal, such as chromium. The core-shell particles can be provided with a gel-forming polymer, such as a polyacrylamide, into a subterranean reservoir having conditions such that the shell of the core-shell polymer degrades, and the so-released metal is effective to at least partially crosslink the gel-forming polymer to form a gel. The so-formed gel can be effective to control water flow through the subterranean reservoir, such as in relation to a waterflood of the reservoir.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2017
    Publication date: December 28, 2017
    Inventors: Leah Marie Johnson, Ginger Denison Rothrock, Chasity Antoninette Norton, Nicolas Daniel Huffman, Jeffrey Brent Mecham