Patents by Inventor Stephen D. Crane

Stephen D. Crane 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).

  • Thermally assisted gravity drainage (TAGD)
    Patent number: 9051828
    Abstract: A system and method for producing bitumen or heavy oil from a clastic or carbonate reservoir. The mobility of the bitumen or heavy oil is increased by conductive heating to reduce the viscosity. The bitumen or heavy oil is heated to temperatures below the thermal cracking temperature of the bitumen or heavy oil. As the bitumen or heavy oil is produced, evolved gases or evaporated connate water or both form a gas chamber which acts to replace the volume of the produced fluid required for the gravity drainage process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: Athabasca Oil Sands Corp.
    Inventors: Bryan Gould, Ian Atkinson, Bruce Roberts, Doug Beattie, Stephen D. Crane, Arthur Hale, Tarek Hamida, Neeraj Patel
  • THERMALLY ASSISTED GRAVITY DRAINAGE (TAGD)
    Publication number: 20120318512
    Abstract: A system and method for producing bitumen or heavy oil from a clastic or carbonate reservoir. The mobility of the bitumen or heavy oil is increased by conductive heating to reduce the viscosity. The bitumen or heavy oil is heated to temperatures below the thermal cracking temperature of the bitumen or heavy oil. As the bitumen or heavy oil is produced, evolved gases or evaporated connate water or both form a gas chamber to at least partially the voids left by the produced bitumen or heavy oil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2011
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Inventors: Bryan Gould, Ian Atkinson, Bruce Roberts, Doug Beattie, Stephen D. Crane, Arthur Hale, Tarek Hamida, Neeraj Patel