Patents by Inventor Todd W. Benson

Todd W. Benson 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).

  • Publication number: 20210238996
    Abstract: Systems and methods for producing controlled vibrations within a borehole. In one example, the system includes a movement mechanism and a controller. The movement mechanism is configured to enable translational movement of a first surface relative to a second surface to allow the first surface to impact the second surface to produce a plurality of beats. The frequency and amplitude of the beats may be selectively controlled by suppressing or dampening the beats. The controller is configured to selectively control an amplitude or frequency of the beats to encode information therein, where the amplitude of a beat may be selectively controlled by dampening or suppressing the impact of the first surface and the second surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2021
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Inventor: Todd W. BENSON
  • Patent number: 11078781
    Abstract: A system and method for reducing noise from a signal during drilling of a well. A system for generating mechanical vibrations may generate acoustic signals for communicating information, and may induce pressure signals in a drilling mud communicating information. A noise reduction system may receive both the acoustic and pressure signals and phase shift one set of signals to adjust for a time difference between the two. The system may also sample the signals and may overlay the signals or the sampled signals and cancel the noise from the received signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: HELMERICH & PAYNE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventor: Todd W. Benson
  • Patent number: 11066924
    Abstract: A method for determining a total vertical depth (TVD) for a well plan involves measuring differences between a projected BHA position at a depth of a survey station and a calculated BHA position based upon a minimum curvature method at the depth of the survey station. The differences are accumulated at each survey station with respect to the BHA position. Real time TVD corrected gamma logs are generated responsive to the accumulated differences of the BHA position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: MOTIVE DRILLING TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Todd W. Benson, Brian E. Stokeld, Dwight A. Lockhart
  • Patent number: 11047222
    Abstract: A system and method for surface steerable drilling are provided. In one example, the method includes monitoring operating parameters for drilling rig equipment and bottom hole assembly (BHA) equipment for a BHA, where the operating parameters control the drilling rig equipment and BHA equipment. The method includes receiving current inputs corresponding to performance data of the drilling rig equipment and BHA equipment during a drilling operation and determining that an amount of change between the current inputs and corresponding previously received inputs exceeds a defined threshold. The method further includes determining whether a modification to the operating parameters has occurred that would result in the amount of change exceeding the defined threshold and identifying that a problem exists in at least one of the drilling rig equipment and BA equipment if no modification has occurred to the operating parameters. The method includes performing a defined action if a problem exists.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: MOTIVE DRILLING TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Todd W. Benson, Teddy C. Chen, David Lee Simpson
  • Publication number: 20210183224
    Abstract: Computer vision drilling systems and methods may be used with a drilling rig. The computer vision systems and methods may be used during drilling of a well to monitor the drilling equipment and personnel on the drilling site to provide safer drilling operations. The results from the computer vision drilling system may be used to cause corrective actions to be performed if a safety condition arises. In addition, computer vision systems and methods are provided to automatically monitor the drilling site and drilling operations, such as by tallying pipe in the drill string and by monitoring equipment for anomalous drilling conditions, and automatically taking corrective action as may be needed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2021
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Inventors: George MICHALOPULOS, Richard KULAVIK, Todd W. BENSON
  • Patent number: 11028684
    Abstract: A system and method for surface steerable drilling are provided. In one example, the system receives toolface information for a bottom hole assembly (BHA) and non-survey sensor information corresponding to a location of the BHA in a borehole. The system calculates an amount of incremental progress made by the BHA based on the non-survey sensor information and calculates an estimate of the location based on the toolface information and the amount of incremental progress. The system repeats the steps of receiving toolface information and non-survey sensor information and calculating an amount of incremental progress to calculate an estimate of a plurality of locations representing a path of the BHA from a first survey point towards a second sequential survey point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Motive Drilling Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd W. Benson, Teddy Chen
  • Patent number: 11015442
    Abstract: Systems and methods for producing controlled vibrations within a borehole. In one example, the system includes a movement mechanism and a controller. The movement mechanism is configured to enable translational movement of a first surface relative to a second surface to allow the first surface to impact the second surface to produce a plurality of beats. The frequency and amplitude of the beats may be selectively controlled by suppressing or dampening the beats. The controller is configured to selectively control an amplitude or frequency of the beats to encode information therein, where the amplitude of a beat may be selectively controlled by dampening or suppressing the impact of the first surface and the second surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Helmerich & Payne Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Todd W. Benson
  • Patent number: 10995602
    Abstract: A system and apparatus for displaying toolface orientation data including a surface steerable system for controlling drilling direction of a bottom hole assembly (BHA). The surface steerable system configured to receive toolface orientation data from the BHA and generate display data responsive thereto. A circular chart display is generated responsive to the display data responsive to the display data from the surface steerable system, the circular chart display representing current and historical toolface orientation data. The current and historical toolface orientation data is represented as an arc indicator defined on the circular chart illustrating a range in degrees of the current and historical toolface orientations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Motive Drilling Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd W. Benson, Teddy C. Chen
  • Publication number: 20210115742
    Abstract: Systems for pipe tallying in well drilling operations and methods for using the same are described. The pipe tallying systems determine a number of pipe joints that pass through an inlet based on the diameter of the pipe joint when compared against a drill pipe diameter. The pipe tally system maintains a tally of drill pipes in a borehole and the pipe tally system can produce a borehole depth measurement based on the length of pipe in the borehole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2020
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Inventors: Nishant AGARWAL, Todd W. BENSON
  • Patent number: 10957177
    Abstract: Computer vision drilling systems and methods may be used with a drilling rig. The computer vision systems and methods may be used during drilling of a well to monitor the drilling equipment and personnel on the drilling site to provide safer drilling operations. The results from the computer vision drilling system may be used to cause corrective actions to be performed if a safety condition arises. In addition, computer vision systems and methods are provided to automatically monitor the drilling site and drilling operations, such as by tallying pipe in the drill string and by monitoring equipment for anomalous drilling conditions, and automatically taking corrective action as may be needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: MOTIVE DRILLING TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: George Michalopulos, Richard Kulavik, Todd W. Benson
  • Patent number: 10920576
    Abstract: A method for controlling drilling direction of a bore hole assembly (BHA) while laterally drilling through a formation involves accessing, by a surface steerable system, recent TVD corrected logging history data from a bore hole estimator, iteratively determining, by the surface steerable system, a formation bed dip of the formation being laterally drilled through, repeating the steps of accessing the recent TVD corrected logging history data and iteratively determining the formation bed dip of the formation responsive to additional well information, determining, by the surface steerable system, a most probable statistical match of a well bore positions to predicated well bore positions based on the accessed recent TVD corrected logging history data, the determined formation bed dip and the additional well information and providing, by the surface steerable system, geosteering feedback responsive to the determined most probable statistical match.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: MOTIVE DRILLING TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Todd W. Benson, Brian E. Stokeld
  • Publication number: 20200320649
    Abstract: Provided is a method for selecting one of a plurality of convergence paths that may be drilled by a bottom hole assembly (BHA) comprising identifying, by a computer system, a plurality of geometric convergence paths, wherein each of the geometric convergence paths provides a convergence solution from a defined bottom hole assembly (BHA) location to a target drilling path of a well plan. An offset distance is calculated for drilling by the BHA each of the geometric convergence paths connecting the BHA location to the target drilling path. A drill path curvature associated with drilling each of the geometric convergence paths by the BHA is determined by the computer system. A time required for drilling each of the geometric convergence paths by the BHA is determined by the computer system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2020
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Inventors: Todd W. Benson, John Burkhart, Teddy Chen
  • Publication number: 20200284135
    Abstract: A method for drilling, comprising receiving, by a surface steerable system coupled to a drilling rig, BHA information from a rotary steerable bottom hole assembly (BHA) located in a borehole, calculating, by the surface steerable system, torsional and spatial forces acting on the rotary steerable BHA at a first location of the rotary steerable BHA with respect to a target drilling path responsive to the BHA information, calculating, by the surface steerable system, a first vector to create a convergence path from the first location of the rotary steerable BHA to the target drilling path that accounts for the torsional and the spatial forces acting on the rotary steerable BHA, causing, by the surface steerable system, at least one drilling parameter to be modified in order to alter a drilling direction of the rotary steerable BHA based on the calculated first vector, transmitting the at least one drilling parameter to the drilling rig to target the rotary steerable BHA in accordance with the first vector, and
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2020
    Publication date: September 10, 2020
    Inventors: Todd W. Benson, Teddy Chen, Joel Wilmes
  • Publication number: 20200256181
    Abstract: Systems and methods of surface steering control of drilling may be used together with systems and methods for planning one or more wells before drilling, planning a well path during drilling and/or updating that well plan and/or other well plans during the drilling of a well. The methods and systems may include planning a field, comprising a plurality of wells to be drilled and/or a plurality of pads from which a plurality of wells are to be drilled, planning a pad from which a plurality of wells are to be drilled, and planning a well both before and during drilling of the well.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2019
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: Angus Lamberton Jamieson, Andrew Evan McGregor, Todd W. Benson
  • Patent number: 10739494
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer programs for monitoring production of fluids from a subterranean formation includes receiving, from a first sensor array at a first time, a first set of electromagnetic signals generated by an electroseismic or seismoelectric conversion of seismic signals caused, at least in part, by the production of fluid from the subterranean formation; receiving, from the first sensor array at a second time, a second set of electromagnetic signals generated by an electroseismic or seismoelectric conversion of seismic signals caused, at least in part, by the production of fluid from the subterranean formation; and determining one or more reservoir properties based, at least in part, on the first and second sets signals received from the first sensor array. The first sensor array are arranged to monitor the production operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: EX Explore, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Arthur Thompson, Alan Katz, Robert England, Todd W. Benson, Mark Griffin
  • Publication number: 20200248545
    Abstract: A method and system for geosteering may generate a misfit function using a spline function. The misfit function may be used to accurately map errors or differences between TVD-based measurement data for one or more reference wells and MD-based measurement data collected during drilling of a subject well, in order to accurately determine a stratigraphic location of the subject well.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2020
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Inventors: Stefan Maus, Marc Ernest Willerth, Jarrod Shawn Deverse, Alexander Michael Mitkus, Timothy William Gee, Jason Truman Rice, Jeshurun Micaiah Chisholm, Ann Kamel Fitzgerald, Richard Kulavik, Brian Eugene Stokeld, Todd W. Benson
  • Patent number: 10683743
    Abstract: A method for drilling, comprising receiving, by a surface steerable system coupled to a drilling rig, BHA information from a rotary steerable bottom hole assembly (BHA) located in a borehole, calculating, by the surface steerable system, torsional and spatial forces acting on the rotary steerable BHA at a first location of the rotary steerable BHA with respect to a target drilling path responsive to the BHA information, calculating, by the surface steerable system, a first vector to create a convergence path from the first location of the rotary steerable BHA to the target drilling path that accounts for the torsional and the spatial forces acting on the rotary steerable BHA, causing, by the surface steerable system, at least one drilling parameter to be modified in order to alter a drilling direction of the rotary steerable BHA based on the calculated first vector, transmitting the at least one drilling parameter to the drilling rig to target the rotary steerable BHA in accordance with the first vector, and
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: Motive Drilling Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd W. Benson, Teddy Chen, Joel Wilmes
  • Publication number: 20200149384
    Abstract: A system for drilling a well may be adapted to process signals received from a fiber optic cable located in the casing of a previously drilled well or wells. The fiber optic cable may act as a distributed sensor receiving acoustic signals generated during the drilling of the well, and the system may be programmed to process the signals from the fiber optic cable to locate the borehole of the well being drilled, including its location relative to the previously drilled well or well. The system may be used to automatically update a well plan for the well being drilled responsive to information about the location of the borehole and also may be used to automatically adjust one or more drilling parameters or drilling operations responsive to the location of the second well borehole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Publication date: May 14, 2020
    Inventors: Todd W. Benson, George Michalopulos
  • Publication number: 20200126386
    Abstract: Computer vision drilling systems and methods may be used with a drilling rig. The computer vision systems and methods may be used during drilling of a well to monitor the drilling equipment and personnel on the drilling site to provide safer drilling operations. The results from the computer vision drilling system may be used to cause corrective actions to be performed if a safety condition arises. In addition, computer vision systems and methods are provided to automatically monitor the drilling site and drilling operations, such as by tallying pipe in the drill string and by monitoring equipment for anomalous drilling conditions, and automatically taking corrective action as may be needed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventors: George Michalopulos, Richard Kulavik, Todd W. Benson
  • Patent number: 10620338
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer programs for monitoring a drilling operation in a subterranean formation include receiving, from a first sensor array, one or more seismic signals caused, at least in part, by the drilling operation in the subterranean formation; receiving, from the first sensor array, one or more electromagnetic signals generated by an electroseismic or seismoelectric conversion of the one or more seismic signals caused, at least in part, by the drilling operation in the subterranean formation; and determining a property of one or more of the drillstring and the subterranean formation based, at least in part, on the seismic signals and the corresponding electromagnetic signals received from the first sensor array. The first sensor array is arranged to monitor the drilling operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: ES Xplore, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Arthur Thompson, Alan Katz, Robert England, Todd W. Benson, Mark Griffin