Patents by Inventor William Stephen Averill

William Stephen Averill 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: 20250059845
    Abstract: A method for remotely evaluating fatigue damage of a subsea wellhead may include obtaining a plurality of values associated with measurements of a parameter associated with the fatigue damage of the subsea wellhead during field operations, wherein the measurements are measured by a sensor device positioned separately from and adjacent to the subsea wellhead; executing an algorithm using the measurements to generate a result; comparing the result of the algorithm with a range of acceptable values; and determining that the subsea wellhead has a potential failure when the result falls outside the range of acceptable values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2024
    Publication date: February 20, 2025
    Inventors: Wangming Lu, Khiem Nguyen, William Stephen Averill
  • Patent number: 12221860
    Abstract: A wellhead bracing system for a subsea well includes a base plate assembly and a wellhead brace assembly. The base plate assembly comprises a top surface, a bottom surface, a base plate aperture, and a plurality of anchor holes. The wellhead brace assembly comprises a vertical plate assembly having a cylindrical shape, a horizontal plate assembly to which the vertical plate assembly is attached, and a vertical support assembly attached to an outer surface of the vertical plate assembly and attached to the top surface of the horizontal plate assembly. Horizontal plate holes of the horizontal plate assembly are configured to attach to studs on the top surface of the base plate to secure the wellhead brace assembly to the base plate assembly. The wellhead bracing system slides onto a wellhead of the subsea well and braces an exterior of the wellhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.
    Inventors: Wangming Lu, Khiem Nguyen, Jay Patrick Painter, Caleb Kimbrell Carroll, William Stephen Averill, Deryck Edward Matthew Williams, David Crenshaw Barrow, Michael Ryan Fitzsimmons
  • Publication number: 20240328300
    Abstract: The wave characteristics of the water (e.g., ocean) above a wellhead may be used to determine a wave-induced wellhead fatigue damage rate for the wellhead, and the current profile of water around a riser connected to the wellhead may be used to determine a riser vortex-induced vibration caused fatigue damage rate for the wellhead. The wave-induced wellhead fatigue damage rate and the riser vortex-induced vibration caused fatigue damage rate for the wellhead may be combined to obtain the total wellhead fatigue damage rate for the wellhead, which may be used to make operational decisions, such as connections or disconnections, for the well.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2024
    Publication date: October 3, 2024
    Inventors: Wangming Lu, William Stephen Averill
  • Publication number: 20240110463
    Abstract: A wellhead bracing system for a subsea well includes a base plate assembly and a wellhead brace assembly. The base plate assembly comprises a top surface, a bottom surface, a base plate aperture, and a plurality of anchor holes. The wellhead brace assembly comprises a vertical plate assembly having a cylindrical shape, a horizontal plate assembly to which the vertical plate assembly is attached, and a vertical support assembly attached to an outer surface of the vertical plate assembly and attached to the top surface of the horizontal plate assembly. Horizontal plate holes of the horizontal plate assembly are configured to attach to studs on the top surface of the base plate to secure the wellhead brace assembly to the base plate assembly. The wellhead bracing system slides onto a wellhead of the subsea well and braces an exterior of the wellhead.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2023
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Inventors: Wangming Lu, Khiem Nguyen, Jay Patrick Painter, Caleb Kimbrell Carroll, William Stephen Averill, Deryck Edward Matthew Williams, David Crenshaw Barrow, Michael Ryan Fitzsimmons
  • Patent number: 9957770
    Abstract: An annular blowout preventer includes a body, a piston disposed within the body, and a packing unit disposed adjacent the piston. The packing unit includes an packer body surrounding an opening. The packer body is fabricated from a first material. The packing unit further includes a second material disposed between the packer body and the opening, the second material being less rigid than the first material. The packer body and the second material constrict the opening when the annular blowout preventer is actuated. The second material creates a seal around a tool disposed within the opening. The second material fills in one or more crevices or recesses on an outer perimeter of the tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.
    Inventors: William Stephen Averill, Michael James Fuller, Dana Earl Witt
  • Publication number: 20160201422
    Abstract: An annular blowout preventer includes a body, a piston disposed within the body, and a packing unit disposed adjacent the piston. The packing unit includes an packer body surrounding an opening. The packer body is fabricated from a first material. The packing unit further includes a second material disposed between the packer body and the opening, the second material being less rigid than the first material. The packer body and the second material constrict the opening when the annular blowout preventer is actuated. The second material creates a seal around a tool disposed within the opening. The second material fills in one or more crevices or recesses on an outer perimeter of the tool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2015
    Publication date: July 14, 2016
    Applicant: CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.
    Inventors: William Stephen Averill, Michael James Fuller, Dana Earl Witt