Patents by Inventor William Banning Vail, III

William Banning Vail, III 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: 6857486
    Abstract: The method of providing in excess of 60 kilowatts of electrical power to the electrical motor of a subterranean electric drilling machine through a substantially neutrally buoyant composite umbilical containing electrical conductors to reduce the frictional drag on the neutrally buoyant umbilical. Drilling and casing subterranean monobore wells are contemplated to distances of 20 miles from a wellsite. For drilling applications, the umbilical possesses a drilling fluid conduit. The umbilical also possesses high speed data communications such as a fiber optic cable or a coaxial cable that is used in the feedback control of the downhole electric drilling motor. Such umbilicals are also useful to provide power to remotely operated vehicles for subsea well servicing applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2005
    Assignee: Smart Drilling and Completion, Inc.
    Inventors: James E. Chitwood, William Banning Vail, III, William G. Crossland, Damir S. Skerl, Robert L. Dekle
  • Patent number: 6577144
    Abstract: A cased well in the earth is electrically energized with A.C. current. Voltages are measured from three voltage measurement electrodes in electrical contact with the interior of the casing while the casing is electrically energized. In a measurement mode, A.C. current is conducted from a first current carrying electrode within the cased well to a remote second current carrying electrode located on the surface of the earth. In a calibration mode, current is passed from the first current carrying electrode to a third current carrying electrode located vertically at a different position within the cased well, where the three voltage measurement electrodes are located vertically in between the first and third current carrying electrodes. Voltages along the casing and resistances along the casing are measured to determine wall thickness and the location of any casing collars present so as to electrically inspect the casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Assignee: Western Atlas International, Inc.
    Inventors: William Banning Vail, III, Steven Thomas Momii
  • Patent number: 6547017
    Abstract: A long lasting rotary drill bit for drilling a hole into variable hardness geological formations that has a self-actuating mechanism responsive to the hardness of the geological formation to minimize the time necessary to drill a borehole. A long lasting rotary drill bit for drilling a hole into variable hardness geological formations that has a mechanism controllable from the surface of the earth to change the mechanical configuration of the bit to minimize the time necessary to drill a borehole. A monolithic long lasting rotary drill bit for drilling a hole into a geological formation having hardened rods composed of hard material such as tungsten carbide that are cast into a relatively soft steel matrix material to make a rotary drill bit that compensates for wear on the bottom of the drill bit and that also compensates for lateral wear of the drill bit using passive, self-actuating mechanisms, triggered by bit wear to drill relatively constant diameter holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Smart Drilling and Completion, Inc.
    Inventor: William Banning Vail, III
  • Patent number: 6450028
    Abstract: Precision gravity gradiometers and precision differential gravimeters are described. The instruments possess a gaseous medium comprised of molecules that scatter light from typically a laser light source. These molecules may be large molecular scattering structures that include assemblages of tungsten atoms surrounded by fluorine atoms that strongly scatter light. Measurements of variations in the density of the gaseous medium in a gravitational field are used to determine the gravity gradient. Great sensitivity exceeding 1 part in 1010 are obtained that may be used to measure gravity in a variety of environments. Measurements may be performed in a borehole in the earth and on the earth's surface. The precision gravity gradiometer may be used in a laboratory as a test instrument having the required sensitivity to test certain fundamental laws of physics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Inventor: William Banning Vail, III
  • Patent number: 6447816
    Abstract: Strong vapors from eucalyptus oil and tea tree oil are inhaled periodically to prevent the infection of the human respiratory system by pathogens that cause colds, influenza, pneumonia, and tuberculosis. Apparatus suitable for the periodic inhalation of strong vapors from eucalyptus oil and tea tree oil are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Inhalation, Inc.
    Inventors: William Banning Vail, III, Marilyn L. Vail
  • Patent number: 6397946
    Abstract: A closed-loop system is used to complete oil and gas wells. The term “to complete a well” means “to finish work on a well and bring it into productive status”. A closed-loop system to complete an oil and gas well is an automated system under computer control that executes a sequence of programmed steps, but those steps depend in part upon information obtained from at least one downhole sensor that is communicated to the surface to optimize and/or change the steps executed by the computer to complete the well. The closed-loop system executes the steps during at least one significant portion of the well completion process. The completed well is comprised of at least a borehole in a geological formation surrounding a pipe located within the borehole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2002
    Assignee: Smart Drilling and Completion, Inc.
    Inventor: William Banning Vail, III
  • Patent number: 6263987
    Abstract: The steel drill string attached to a drilling bit during typical rotary drilling operations used to drill oil and gas wells is used for the second purpose as the casing that is permanently installed in the wellbore for the final completion of oil and gas wells. The rotary drill bit is attached to the drill string, the well drilled, and the well is completed leaving the drill bit attached to the drill string to make a steel cased well. The steel coiled tubing attached to a coiled tubing conveyed mud motor driven rotary drill bit is used to drill oil and gas wells that is used for a second purpose as the tubing that is permanently installed in the wellbore to make a tubing encased well for the final completion of oil and gas wells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2001
    Assignee: Smart Drilling and Completion, Inc.
    Inventor: William Banning Vail, III
  • Patent number: 6249122
    Abstract: A cased well in the earth is electrically energized with A.C. current. Voltages are measured from three voltage measurement electrodes in electrical contact with the interior of the casing while the casing is electrically energized. In a measurement mode, A.C. current is conducted from a first current carrying electrode within the cased well to a remote second current carrying electrode located on the surface of the earth. In a calibration mode, current is passed from the first current carrying electrode to a third current carrying electrode located vertically at a different position within the cased well, where the three voltage measurement electrodes are located vertically in between the first and third current carrying electrodes. Voltages along the casing and resistances along the casing are measured to determine wall thickness and the location of any casing collars present so as to electrically inspect the casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: Western Atlas International, Inc.
    Inventors: William Banning Vail, III, Steven Thomas Momii
  • Patent number: 6246240
    Abstract: Methods of operation of different types of multiple electrode apparatus vertically disposed in a cased well to measure information useful to determine the resistivity of adjacent geological formations from within the cased well are described. The multiple electrode apparatus has a plurality of spaced apart voltage measurement electrodes that electrically engage a portion of the interior of the cased well. During measurements of information useful to determine formation resistivity, current is conducted between a first current conducting electrode in electrical contact with the interior of the cased well to a second current conducting electrode that is also in electrical contact with the interior of the cased well. The first and second current conducting electrodes are separated by a distance sufficient so that at least a portion of the current conducted between the first and second current conducting electrodes is conducted through the geological formation of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Western Atlas International, Inc.
    Inventor: William Banning Vail, III
  • Patent number: 6189621
    Abstract: Smart shuttles are used to complete oil and gas wells. Following drilling operations into a geological formation, a steel pipe is disposed in the wellbore. The steel pipe may be a standard casing installed into the wellbore using typical industry practices. Alternatively, the steel pipe may be a drill string attached to a rotary drill bit that is to remain in the wellbore following completion during so-called “one-pass drilling operations”. Using typical procedures in the industry, the well is “completed” by placing into the steel pipe various standard completion devices, many of which are conveyed into place using the drilling rig. Instead, with this invention, smart shuttles are used to convey into the steel pipe the various smart completion devices necessary to complete the oil and gas well. Smart shuttles may be attached to a wireline, to a coiled tubing, or to a wireline installed within coiled tubing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: Smart Drilling and Completion, Inc.
    Inventor: William Banning Vail, III
  • Patent number: 6158531
    Abstract: The steel drill string attached to a drilling bit during typical rotary drilling operations used to drill oil and gas wells is used for the second purpose as the casing that is permanently installed in the wellbore for the final completion of oil and gas wells. The rotary drill bit is attached to the drill string, the well drilled, and the well is completed leaving the drill bit attached to the drill string to make a steel cased well. The steel coiled tubing attached to a coiled tubing conveyed mud motor driven rotary drill bit is used to drill oil and gas wells that is used for a second purpose as the tubing that is permanently installed in the wellbore to make a tubing encased well for the final completion of oil and gas wells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: Smart Drilling and Completion, Inc.
    Inventor: William Banning Vail, III
  • Patent number: 6157195
    Abstract: Methods to quantitatively determine the separate amounts of oil and gas in a geological formation adjacent to a cased well using measurements of formation resistivity. The steps include obtaining resistivity measurements from within a cased well of a given formation, obtaining the porosity, obtaining the resistivity of formation water present, computing the combined amounts of oil and gas present using Archie's Equations, determining the relative amounts of oil and gas present from measurements within a cased well, and then quantitatively determining the separate amounts of oil and gas present in the formation. Resistivity measurements are obtained from within the cased well by conducting A.C. current from within the cased well to a remote electrode at a frequency that is within the frequency range of 0.1 Hz to 20 Hz.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: Western Atlas International, Inc.
    Inventor: William Banning Vail, III
  • Patent number: 6057424
    Abstract: The methods to synthesize these chemicals in a laboratory are theorized to be related to natural processes that resulted in the creation of primordial life in the early atmosphere of Earth. The theory of the origin of primordial life in the Earth's early atmosphere is derived from an earlier U.S. Disclosure Document entitled "Method and Apparatus to Create Primordial Life from Inanimate Materials" that is substantially repeated in the application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Inventor: William Banning Vail, III
  • Patent number: 6031381
    Abstract: A cased well in the earth is electrically energized with A.C. current. Voltages are measured from three voltage measurement electrodes in electrical contact with the interior of the casing while the casing is electrically energized. In a measurement mode, A.C. current is conducted from a first current carrying electrode within the cased well to a remote second current carrying electrode located on the surface of the earth. In a calibration mode, current is passed from the first current carrying electrode to a third current carrying electrode located vertically at a different position within the cased well, where the three voltage measurement electrodes are located vertically in between the first and third current carrying electrodes. Voltages along the casing and resistances along the casing are measured to determine wall thickness and the location of any casing collars present so as to electrically inspect the casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 29, 2000
    Assignee: ParaMagnetic Logging, Inc.
    Inventors: William Banning Vail, III, Steven Thomas Momii
  • Patent number: 6025721
    Abstract: Methods of operation of different types of multiple electrode apparatus vertically disposed in a cased well to measure information related to the resistivity of adjacent geological formations from within the cased well are described. The multiple electrode apparatus has a minimum of two spaced apart voltage measurement electrodes that electrically engage a first portion of the interior of the cased well and that provide at least first voltage information. Current control means are used to control the magnitude of any selected current that flows along a second portion of the interior of the casing to be equal to a predetermined selected constant. The first portion of the interior of the cased well is spaced apart from the second portion of the interior of the cased well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2000
    Assignee: ParaMagnetic Logging, Inc.
    Inventor: William Banning Vail, III
  • Patent number: 6014895
    Abstract: Apparatus to measure gravity comprising means to measure density variations in a material. Apparatus to measure gravity comprising means to measure the distribution of masses in a material. The material may be a gas comprised of one molecular species, a gaseous mixture having at least two gaseous species, liquids, or other material. Laser light is absorbed by the materials, and the re-emmitted light is measured to determine gravity in one method of measurement. Other optical processes to measure gravity are described. Other physical parameters are measured to determine gravity. Density variations measured by microwave processes and nuclear processes are also described. Apparatus are described to provide sufficiently accurate measurements of gravity to be useful for routine measurements of gravity from within a borehole in the earth to locate and quantitatively identify the amount of gas present in a hydrocarbon reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2000
    Inventor: William Banning Vail III
  • Patent number: 5894897
    Abstract: The steel drill string attached to a drilling bit during typical rotary drilling operations used to drill oil and gas wells is used for a second purpose as the casing that is cemented in place during typical oil and gas well completions. Methods of operation are described that provide for the efficient installation a cemented steel cased well wherein the drill string and the drill bit are cemented into place during one single drilling pass down into the earth. The normal mud passages or watercourses present in the rotary drill bit are used for the second independent purpose of passing cement into the annulus between the casing and the well while cementing the drill string into place during one single pass into the earth. A one-way cement valve is installed near the drill bit of the drill string that allows the cement to set up efficiently under ambient hydrostatic conditions while the drill string and drill bit are cemented into place during one single drilling pass into the earth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1999
    Inventor: William Banning Vail, III
  • Patent number: 5836409
    Abstract: A monolithic long lasting rotary drill bit for drilling a hole into a geological formation having at least one hardened rod which has a length of at least three times its diameter composed of hard material such as tungsten carbide that is cast into a relatively soft steel matrix material to make a rotary drill bit that compensates for wear on the bottom of the drill bit and that also compensates for lateral wear of the drill bit using passive, self-actuating mechanisms, triggered by bit wear to drill relatively constant diameter holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Inventor: William Banning Vail, III
  • Patent number: 5717334
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are described to produce stick-slip motion of a logging tool within a cased well attached to a wireline that is drawn upward by a continuously rotating wireline drum. The stick-slip motion results in the periodic upward movement of the tool in the cased well described in terms of a dwell time during which time the tool is stationary, the move time during which time the tool moves, and the stroke that is upward distance that the tool translates during the "slip" portion of the stick-slip motion. This method of measurement is used to log the well at different vertical positions of the tool. Therefore, any typical "station-to-station logging tool" may be modified to be a "continuous logging tool", where "continuous" means that the wireline drum continually rotates while the tool undergoes stick-slip motion downhole and measurements are performed during the dwell times when the tool is momentarily stationary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 10, 1998
    Assignee: ParaMagnetic Logging, Inc.
    Inventors: William Banning Vail, III, Steven Thomas Momii