To Determine Fluid Entry Patents (Class 324/325)
  • Patent number: 11506027
    Abstract: An energy storage device is formed in an earthen well and includes an outer tubular member disposed in the well and an inner tubular member disposed in the outer tubular member. Both the inner and outer tubular members may extend the length of the well. The inner tubular member is porous and includes a catholyte fluid disposed therein. The outer tubular member includes an anolyte fluid disposed therein. An anode terminal is located between the inner and outer tubular members and contacts an external surface of the inner tubular member. A cathode terminal is located in the inner tubular member and contacts the inner surface of the inner tubular member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Streamline Innovations, Inc.
    Inventors: David Sisk, Peter J. Photos
  • Patent number: 11028561
    Abstract: An example system is configured to manage the storage of water underground using a sensor-based grid system. The example system includes wells, each of which is between a surface and an underground formation capable of storing water received from the surface. The example system includes pumps, at least of which is associated with each well to force water from the surface, through the well, into the underground formation. The example system includes sensors, at least of which is associated with each well. The sensors are configured to communicate sensor data wirelessly. The example system also includes a computing system configured to receive sensor data from each of the sensors and to control operations of one or more of the pumps based on the sensor data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventor: Suliman M. Azzouni
  • Patent number: 10895146
    Abstract: A water level and well depth measuring device includes a measuring probe, a control switch, a processing unit, an external power source, and a housing. The measuring probe is inserted into a well to determine a depth to a water level and a depth to a well bottom. An insulated cable, which connects the measuring probe and the housing, is used to lower the measuring probe into the well. The control switch, preferably a three-way switch, the processing unit, and the external power source are integrated into the housing. The control switch may be used to alternate between a level-measuring module and a base-measuring module of the measuring probe. The measuring probe is communicably coupled with the processing unit. Therefore, when the level-measuring module detects a water level and when the base-measuring module is at a well bottom, the processing unit activates a visual indicator and an audible alarm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: King Abdulaziz University
    Inventor: Mohamed Ahmed Ahmed Rashed
  • Patent number: 9733380
    Abstract: An electromagnetic (EM) receiver system for measuring EM signals. The EM receiver system includes a frame; a first EM receiver attached to the frame and configured to measure the EM signals within a first frequency range; and a second EM receiver attached to the frame and configured to measure the EM signals within a second frequency range. Corresponding axes of the first and second EM receivers are substantially parallel to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: CGG SERVICES SAS
    Inventors: Philip Miles, Jason Berringer
  • Patent number: 9035657
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for conducting an electromagnetic borehole-to-surface survey of a formation surrounding a borehole. Such methods include deploying a dipole transmitter into the borehole to a depth of investigation, deploying an array of electromagnetic receivers outside of the wellbore, and measuring a response of the formation at the array of electromagnetic receivers deployed outside of the wellbore, for example at the surface. From the response of the formation a property of the formation can be determined based on the response of the formation measured at the array of electromagnetic receivers. For the scenario of a cased well, a local reference receiver may be added at a location proximate the borehole to measure the effective magnetic moment of the transmitter inside the casing, and normalize the formation response in order for a more accurate determination of a formation characteristic, such as resistivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Hong Zhang, Richard A. Rosthal
  • Patent number: 8841899
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electro-magnetic tomography including: a modulator configured to modulate a generated transmit reference signal using a pseudo-noise signal; a transmitter configured to transmit the signal modulated by the modulator; a receiver configured to receive a signal transmitted from a transmitter; an amplitude detector configured to compare an amplitude magnitude between the signal received by the receiver and the transmit reference signal to measure a received amplitude; and a demodulator configured to demodulate the signal received by the receiver using the pseudo-noise signal to generate a cyclic signal, compare a phase between the transmit reference signal and the cyclic signal to measure the phase of the cyclic signal, and determine the phase of the received signal based on the phase of the measured cyclic signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Soon-Ik Jeon, Hyuk-Je Kim, Seong-Ho Son
  • Patent number: 8803527
    Abstract: A multicomponent induction logging tool uses a nonconducting mandrel. A central conducting member including wires that electrically connect at least one of the antennas to another of the antennas. Electrodes disposed about the transmitter antenna form a conductive path through a borehole fluid to the central conducting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated
    Inventors: Michael B. Rabinovich, Alexandre N. Bespalov, Stanislav W. Forgang
  • Patent number: 8754650
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method to determine a characteristic of a subsurface formation using electromagnetic coupling components. A downhole logging tool having one or more transmitters and one or more receivers, and being capable of measuring the electromagnetic coupling components is provided. The electromagnetic coupling components are measured using the downhole logging tool and used to form a 3-D Lateral Indicator and/or a 3-D Longitudinal Indicator. The 3-D Lateral Indicator and/or the 3-D Longitudinal Indicator are used to determine the characteristic of the subsurface formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Emmanuel Legendre, Fabienne Legendre
  • Patent number: 8614578
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to determining the attenuation of an electromagnetic signal passing through a conductive material. An antenna is provided and placed in relatively close proximity to the conductive material. An alternating current is passed through the antenna and the impedance of the antenna is measured. The attenuation is determined using the measured impedance. A single frequency measurement may be made, or multiple measurements using different frequencies may be made. Grouped parameters based on properties of the material and the frequency of the current are used to relate the coil impedance to the attenuation. A current frequency for which the ratio of the antenna's resistive part of the impedance to the angular frequency of the current is substantially insensitive to at least one of the parameters is preferred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Guozhong Gao, H. Frank Morrison, Hong Zhang, Richard A. Rosthal, David Alumbaugh, Cyrille Levesque
  • Patent number: 8581591
    Abstract: Determining an electrical property of a formation fluid. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods comprising drawing formation fluids into a tool within a borehole, applying a swept frequency electric field to the formation fluids by way of a first winding, inducing a current flow in a second winding based on the swept frequency electric field, and determining a property of the formation fluids based, at least in part, on the current flow in the second winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael T. Pelletier, Li Gao
  • Patent number: 8433551
    Abstract: A machine, computer program product, and method to enable scalable parallel reservoir simulations for a variety of simulation model sizes are described herein. Some embodiments of the disclosed invention include a machine, methods, and implemented software for performing parallel processing of a grid defining a reservoir or oil/gas field using a plurality of sub-domains for the reservoir simulation, a parallel process of re-ordering a local cell index for each of the plurality of cells using characteristics of the cell and location within the at least one sub-domain and a parallel process of simulating at least one production characteristic of the reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Larry S. K. Fung, Mokhles M. Mezghani
  • Patent number: 8237443
    Abstract: The position of a movable downhole component such as a sleeve in a choke valve is monitored and determined using an array of sensors, preferably Hall Effect sensors that measure the strength of a magnetic field from a magnet that travels with the sleeve. The sensors measure the field strength and output a voltage related to the strength of the field that is detected. A plurality of sensors, with readings, transmits signals to a microprocessor to compute the magnet position directly. The sensors are in the tool body and are not mechanically coupled to the sleeve. The longitudinal position of the sleeve is directly computed using less than all available sensors to facilitate the speed of transmission of data and computation of actual position using known mathematical techniques.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated
    Inventors: Don A. Hopmann, Daniel M. Cousin, Levon H. Yeriazarian, Juan P. Franco, Ahmed J. Jasser, Priyesh Ranjan
  • Patent number: 8106659
    Abstract: A borehole formation testing system that measures resistivity of near borehole formation in situ rather than the measuring resistivity of fluid drawn into a formation tester tool. A radially extendable probe assembly contacts and forms a hydraulic seal with the wall of a borehole using a pad. Electrode contacts are disposed on the contact surface of the pad and electrically contact the near borehole formation. Response of the electrode contacts are used to determine resistivity of the near borehole formation. This resistivity is with a deeper formation resistivity measurement to determine if virgin formation fluid is at or in the vicinity of the pad. Alternately, a plurality of resistivity measurements is made at the formation tester pad and virgin formation fluid at or near the pad is determined from the rate of change of the plurality of resistivity measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Precision Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventor: M. Douglas McGregor
  • Publication number: 20110101983
    Abstract: The invention relates to a logging tool (1) for determining properties of a fluid (2) surrounding the tool arranged downhole in a casing (3) comprising a wall (4) and having a longitudinal extension. The logging tool has a substantially longitudinal cylindrical shape with a longitudinal axis and, when seen in cross-section, a periphery (5). Moreover, the logging tool comprises a plurality of electrodes (6) arranged spaced around the longitudinal axis in the periphery of the tool so that the fluid flows between the electrodes and the casing wall and a means for measuring the capacitance between two electrodes in all possible combinations giving n*(n?1)/2 capacitance measurements for n electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2009
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Applicant: Welltec A/S
    Inventors: Jorgen Hallundbaek, Jimmy Kjaersgaard-Rasmussen
  • Patent number: 7640110
    Abstract: A method of determining the nature of a submarine or subterranean reservoir having an electromagnetic characteristic is described. The method comprises analyzing data associated with the application of a time varying electromagnetic field from above the reservoir using a data analysis methodology that does not utilize an estimate of the reservoir's geometry in determining one or more characteristics of the reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Aria Abubakar, Tarek M. Habashy, Vladimir Druskin, David Lee Alumbaugh
  • Patent number: 7380598
    Abstract: A method for the detection of a fluid leak from a plugged well extending from a surface of the earth to penetrate a subterranean formation which contains fluid by logging a collection chamber positioned in the plugged well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: BP Corporation North America Inc.
    Inventors: Ray Wydrinski, Charles A. Christopher
  • Patent number: 7129704
    Abstract: A well (10) for producing water is characterized in that it includes a network of widely spaced electrodes (8) electrically coupled with measurement means (3) or with electric current generation means (1). By utilizing a measurement result, the progression of a salt water front heading for the well (10) may be detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2006
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Jean-Pierre Delhomme, Christian Jennevin, Philippe Souhaite, Eric Veignat
  • Patent number: 6012017
    Abstract: Formation tops correlation is interpreted between sampled log curves by a weighted combination of covariance, the ratio of standard deviation, and the ratio of summed amplitude. This covariance function is computed and evaluated appropriately for the geologic environment over a sliding analysis window. Correlations are determined for any number of wells and any number of events in each well. Geologic rules are used to establish a parameter for the algorithm operation and for the analysis of the resulting function. The geologic rules include bounding guide horizons, sequence rules, and a covariance cutoff parameter. Bounding horizons are picked from pre-existing seismic or geologic interpretations and from map grids. The rule set includes onlap, truncated, conformable, and unstructured sequence definitions. Additional geologic complexity such as crossover, repeat sections, and inverted sections are accommodated by the rule set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2000
    Assignee: GeoQuest, a division of Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Peter P. Van Bemmel, Randolph E. F. Pepper, Horacio R. Bouzas
  • Patent number: 5767680
    Abstract: Inception of hydrocarbon extraction from a reservoir causes the oil-water interface to warp and cusp toward the extraction gates along a well. This invention proposes time-lapse DC/AC measurements with an array of permanently deployed sensors in order to detect and estimate the change in geometry and proximity of the oil-water interface as a result of production, and therefore as a function of time. The estimation is carried out with a parametric inversion technique whereby the shape of the oil-water interface is assumed to take the form of a three-dimensional surface describable with only a few unknown parameters. A nonlinear optimization technique is used to search for the unknown parameters such that the differences between the measured data and the numerically simulated data are minimized in a least-squares fashion with concomitant hard bound physical constraints on the unknowns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1998
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Carlos Torres-Verdin, Sheng Fang, Vladimir Druskin, Ian Bryant, Metin Karakas
  • Patent number: 5214384
    Abstract: A method for time lapse electric logging in a cased hole in which electrodes are implanted in the casing or the hole is completed with a gravel packed non conductive, perforated liner that allows an open hole logging tool to be used for time-lapse logging. Thereafter, the implemented electrodes or a self-potential (SP) logging tool are used to monitor a steam-flooding EOR method by detecting two-phase flow with time lapse logging. A potential drop between the surface and zones of interest is measured with electrodes installed in a non-conductive casing or the SP logging tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1993
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Eve S. Sprunt, Nizar F. Djabbarah
  • Patent number: 5151658
    Abstract: A three-dimensional detection system for detecting fractures and their distributions in the earth crust utilizing an artificial magnetic field which comprises: a magnetic particle tracer being injected into the fractures of the earth crust, having high magnetic permeability and specific weight of the same degree with a fluid substance existing in the fractures; and inner borehole magnetic field detecting devices being hung in boreholes which are dug in the earth crust and having transmitters and/or receivers operating at a predetermined frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1992
    Assignee: Chinetsu Gijutsu Kaihatsu Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeki Muramatsu, Shinji Takasugi, Kazumi Osato
  • Patent number: 4980642
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system, apparatus and methods for determining influx of formation fluids into a well borehole during drilling. The methods of the present invention comprise determining the dielectric constant and/or conductivity of the fluid in the annulus about a drill pipe in a well borehole, comparing the determined dielectric constant and/or conductivity to a reference value and inferring that influx has occurred when the difference between the dielectric constant and/or conductivity and the reference value is greater than a predetermined limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 25, 1990
    Assignee: Baroid Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul F. Rodney
  • Patent number: 4802143
    Abstract: A detector for use in wells comprises a collar member connected to a drill string at a position down-well with respect to the surface of the earth, a sensor in the collar in the area being monitored for sensing down-well fluids in deep wells, an impulse generator cavity in the collar, an acoustic impulse generator mounted in the impulse generator cavity for producing a deformation wave in the drill string, having longitudinal, torsional and radial components, an elongated fluid sampling cavity in the collar having lower and upper ends and inlet and outlet means, respectively, in the lower and upper ends for allowing the passage of down-well fluids through the sampling cavity, such fluids being primarily mixtures of mud and oil and mixtures of mud, oil and gas. The sensor is supported within the sampling cavity in a position so that when gas enters into the cavity in abnormal amounts, separation of the components of the mixture produces variations in thermal conductivity properties sensed by the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1989
    Inventor: Robert D. Smith