Patents by Inventor W. Brice Elkington

W. Brice Elkington 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).

  • Determining the locus of a processing zone in an in situ oil shale retort by sound monitoring
    Patent number: 4082145
    Abstract: The locus of a processing zone advancing through a fragmented permeable mass of particles in an in situ oil shale retort in a subterranean formation containing oil shale is determined by monitoring for sound produced in the retort, preferably by monitoring for sound at at least two locations in a plane substantially normal to the direction of advancement of the processing zone. Monitoring can be effected by placing a sound transducer in a well extending through the formation adjacent the retort and/or in the fragmented mass such as in a well extending into the fragmented mass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1977
    Date of Patent: April 4, 1978
    Assignee: Occidental Oil Shale, Inc.
    Inventor: W. Brice Elkington