Patents by Inventor Zachary William Walton

Zachary William Walton 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: 20190144733
    Abstract: Wellbore isolation devices, methods of use, and downhole tools and systems comprising the wellbore isolation devices. A wellbore isolation device comprises a component selected from the group consisting of a mandrel, a packer element, a sealing ball, a wedge, a slip, a mule shoe, a wiper element, a wiper body, and any combination thereof; wherein the component comprises a degradable non-metallic material that degrades upon exposure to a wellbore environment; and wherein the degradable non-metallic material is a composite material comprising a non-epoxy matrix material and a reinforcing material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Publication date: May 16, 2019
    Inventors: Michael Linley FRIPP, Zachary William WALTON
  • Patent number: 10260309
    Abstract: Downhole tools and methods and systems associated therewith, wherein the downhole tools comprise a body and at least one sealing element comprising an aqueous-degradable thermoplastic rubber copolymer composed of a thermoplastic component and a rubber component. The thermoplastic component is present in an amount of about 5% to about 95% by weight of the aqueous-degradable thermoplastic rubber copolymer, and at least a portion of the sealing element hydrolytically degrades when exposed to an aqueous fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Linley Fripp, Zachary William Walton, Charles Timothy Smith
  • Publication number: 20190093450
    Abstract: Downhole tools including a wellbore isolation device that provides a plurality of components including a mandrel, and a slip assembly comprising a plurality of slip elements including a slip wedge and a slip, wherein an element of the slip assembly is composed of a degradable metal material, and wherein the slip comprises a slip insert embedded therein, the slip insert having a compressive strength of greater than about 120,000 psi.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2018
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Inventors: Zachary William Walton, Michael Linley Fripp
  • Patent number: 10240427
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to downhole tools comprising aqueous-degradable sealing elements and, more specifically, to downhole tools comprising a body and an aqueous-degradable sealing element, wherein at least a portion of the body is also degradable upon exposure to a wellbore environment. A downhole tool that includes a body, wherein at least a portion of the body is degradable when exposed to a wellbore environment; and at least one aqueous-degradable sealing element composed of an aqueous-degradable elastomer, wherein the aqueous-degradable sealing element degrades when exposed to an aqueous fluid in the wellbore environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Zachary Ryan Murphree, Michael Linley Fripp, Zachary William Walton, Charles Timothy Smith
  • Patent number: 10227841
    Abstract: Downhole tools including a wellbore isolation device that provides a plurality of components including a mandrel, a packer element, and a sealing ball, wherein the mandrel defines a central flow passage that allows fluid flow in at least one direction through the wellbore isolation device, wherein at least a portion of the mandrel is composed of a degradable metal material, at least a portion of the packer element is composed of an elastomer, and at least a portion of the sealing ball is composed of a degradable substance, and wherein the degradable metal material and the degradable substance degrades upon exposure to a wellbore environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Linley Fripp, Zachary William Walton
  • Publication number: 20190055810
    Abstract: Wellbore isolation devices may be produced with wear bands and slips having modified surfaces to change the frictional properties between these components and the surrounding wellbore surface. For example, a wellbore isolation device may include: a mandrel; slips disposed circumferentially about the mandrel and in a first position along the mandrel, wherein the slips comprise particles coupled thereto forming a modified surface, and wherein the particles comprise at least some sharp protrusions; and at least one packer element disposed along the mandrel and in a second position along the mandrel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Publication date: February 21, 2019
    Applicant: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Linley FRIPP, John Charles GANO, Zachary William WALTON
  • Patent number: 10190385
    Abstract: Downhole tools, and methods and systems related thereto, comprising a body; and at least one sealing element composed of an elastomer and anhydrous acid particles, and wherein at least a portion of the sealing element hydrolytically degrades in a wellbore environment. The anhydrous acid particles hydrolyze to form an acid that accelerates degradation of the sealing element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Linley Fripp, Zachary William Walton, Aaron M. Beuterbaugh
  • Patent number: 10174578
    Abstract: Downhole tools including a wellbore isolation device that provides a plurality of components including a mandrel, and a slip assembly comprising a plurality of slip elements including a slip wedge and a slip, wherein an element of the slip assembly is composed of a degradable metal material, and wherein the slip comprises a slip insert embedded therein, the slip insert having a compressive strength of greater than about 120,000 psi.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Zachary William Walton, Michael Linley Fripp
  • Patent number: 10167534
    Abstract: Downhole tools, methods, and systems of use thereof, the downhole tools comprising at least one component made of a doped alloy that at least partially degrades by micro-galvanic corrosion in the presence of fresh water having a salinity of less than about 1000 ppm, and wherein the doped alloy is selected from the group consisting of a doped magnesium alloy, a doped aluminum alloy, and any combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Linley Fripp, Zachary William Walton
  • Publication number: 20180328132
    Abstract: A downhole wellbore isolation tool includes an elastomeric sealing element for engaging a casing member or another tubular member in a wellbore. The isolation tool includes one or more expandable slips for gripping the tubular member and holding the isolation tool in place. The sealing element has an axial end in direct contact with an abutment surface of the expandable slip such that the slip limits, if not eliminates, unwanted extrusion of the sealing element, e.g., upon setting of the isolation tool. The expandable slips may be constructed of a plurality of slip elements, and the elastomeric sealing element may flow into gaps defined between the slip elements when the isolation tool is set. The slip segments and other components of the isolation tool may be constructed of a dissolvable material to facilitate removal of the isolation tool from the wellbore.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2016
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Inventors: Zachary William Walton, Michael Linley Fripp, Michael James Jurgensmeier, John C. Gano
  • Patent number: 10125568
    Abstract: Methods including introducing a frac plug into a wellbore in a subterranean formation, the frac plug comprising at least a mandrel, slips, and a packer element, wherein at least a portion of the mandrel and/or the slips is composed of a degradable alloy selected from the group consisting of a magnesium alloy, an aluminum alloy, and any combination thereof. The wellbore may be a cased wellbore or an open-hole wellbore, and wherein the slips are frictionally engaged with the casing string or the wellbore wall and the packer element is compressed against the casing or the wellbore wall to set the frac plug. One or more perforations is created within the formation and the formation is hydraulically fractured. The frac plug is at least partially degraded upon contact with an electrolyte in the wellbore before or after beginning production of a hydrocarbon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Linley Fripp, Zachary William Walton
  • Publication number: 20180320472
    Abstract: Degradable downhole tools that include a doped aluminum alloy may degrade via a galvanic mechanism. More specifically, such a degradable downhole tool may comprise at least one component of the downhole tool made of a doped aluminum alloy that at least partially degrades by micro-galvanic corrosion in the presence of water having a salinity of greater than about 10 ppm, wherein the doped aluminum alloy comprises aluminum, 0.05% to about 25% dopant by weight of the doped aluminum alloy, less than 0.5% gallium by weight of the doped aluminum alloy, and less than 0.5% mercury by weight of the doped aluminum alloy, and wherein the dopant is selected from the group consisting of iron, copper, nickel, tin, chromium, silver, gold, palladium, carbon, and any combination thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2016
    Publication date: November 8, 2018
    Inventors: Michael Linley FRIPP, Zachary William WALTON
  • Patent number: 10119358
    Abstract: An example downhole tool includes a wellbore isolation device that provides a plurality of components including one or more first components and one or more second components. Each component is made of a degradable material that degrades when exposed to a wellbore environment, and the one or more first components degrades at a first degradation rate while the one or more second components degrades at a second degradation rate that is slower than the first degradation rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Zachary William Walton, Michael Linley Fripp, Zachary Ryan Murphree, John Todd Broome
  • Publication number: 20180252067
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments include a wellbore isolation device, a method to form the wellbore isolation device, and a downhole, device-tracking system. In one embodiment, the system includes a wellbore isolation device having a first identification tag and a dissolvable component. The first identification tag is operable to travel along a fluid flow path toward the surface of a well upon dissolution of the dissolvable component. The system also includes a detector disposed along the fluid flow path, where the detector is operable to detect the first identification tag when the first identification tag is proximate to the detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2015
    Publication date: September 6, 2018
    Inventors: Michael Linley FRIPP, John Todd BROOME, Zachary William WALTON
  • Publication number: 20180245422
    Abstract: A wellbore isolation device may include a mandrel; degradable slips disposed about the mandrel and composed of a degradable metal alloy selected from the group consisting of a magnesium alloy, an aluminum alloy, and any combination thereof; and at least one packer element disposed along the mandrel. The degradable slips may be formed of a degradable metal material. Optionally, the wellbore isolation device may further include degradable slip bands formed of a degradable metal material or a degradable polymer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2015
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Inventors: Michael Linley FRIPP, Zachary William WALTON
  • Publication number: 20180245448
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments include methods to obtain measurements of a wellbore and data logging devices. In one embodiment, the method includes measuring, by a sensor of a wellbore isolation device, at least one condition of the wellbore proximate to the sensor. The wellbore isolation device has a dissolvable portion, and the sensor is releasable from the wellbore isolation device upon dissolution of the dissolvable portion. The method also includes storing measurements of the at least one condition of the wellbore in a machine-readable medium. The method further includes providing the stored measurements of the sensor to a controller following dissolution of the dissolvable portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2015
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Inventors: Michael Linley FRIPP, John Todd BROOME, Zachary William WALTON
  • Publication number: 20180216431
    Abstract: A wellbore isolation device capable of being set from the top including one or more components capable of degrading when exposed to a wellbore environment. A method and system for providing zonal isolation in a wellbore that includes a downhole degradable top-setting wellbore isolation device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2015
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Applicant: HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.
    Inventors: Zachary William WALTON, III, Michael Linley FRIPP
  • Publication number: 20180163503
    Abstract: Downhole tools and methods and systems associated therewith, wherein the downhole tools comprise a body and at least one sealing element comprising an aqueous-degradable thermoplastic rubber copolymer composed of a thermoplastic component and a rubber component. The thermoplastic component is present in an amount of about 5% to about 95% by weight of the aqueous-degradable thermoplastic rubber copolymer, and at least a portion of the sealing element hydrolytically degrades when exposed to an aqueous fluid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Publication date: June 14, 2018
    Applicant: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Linley Fripp, Zachary William Walton, Charles Timothy Smith
  • Patent number: 9982530
    Abstract: A wellbore servicing system comprising a controller node disposed within a wellbore, and a tool node configured for movement through the wellbore, wherein the tool node communicates with the controller node via a near field communication (NFC) signal, wherein prior to communication with the controller node, the tool node will not perform at least one function and, after communication with the controller node, the tool node will selectively perform the at least one function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Zachary William Walton, Matthew Todd Howell, Michael Linley Fripp
  • Patent number: 9976401
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a seat assembly for use in wellbore servicing systems, comprising a cylindrical baffle with an annular shaped seat with an upward facing seat for receiving an obturator, the seat defining a central passageway. Erosion resistance rings are placed inside of and in front the baffle to protect the baffle and seat from erosion cause by treatment fluids and solids passing through the servicing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.
    Inventors: Zachary William Walton, Matthew James Merron