| BP EXPLORATION OPERATING COMPANY LIMITED Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
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| 20120085555 | Hydrocarbon recovery process - Hydrocarbons are recovered from subterranean formations by waterflooding. The method comprises passing an aqueous displacement fluid via an injection well through a porous and permeable sandstone formation to release oil and recovering said released oil from a production well spaced from said injection well, wherein (a) the sandstone formation comprises at least one mineral having a negative zeta potential under the formation conditions; (b) oil and connate water are present in the pores of the formation; and (c) the fraction of the divalent cation content of the said aqueous displacement fluid to the divalent cation content of said connate water is less than 1. | 04-12-2012 |
| 20120085544 | MARINE SUBSEA FREE-STANDING RISER SYSTEMS AND METHODS - A free-standing riser system connects a subsea source to a surface structure. The system includes a concentric free-standing riser comprising inner and outer risers defining an annulus there between. A lower end of the riser is fluidly coupled to the subsea source through a lower riser assembly (LRA) and one or more subsea flexible conduits. An upper end of the riser is connected to a buoyancy assembly and the surface structure through an upper riser assembly (URA) and one or more upper flexible conduits, the riser also mechanically connected to a buoyancy assembly that applies upward tension to the riser. The riser may be insulated for flow assurance, either by a flow assurance fluid in the annulus, insulation of the outside of the outer riser, or both. The system may include a hydrate inhibition system and/or a subsea dispersant system. The surface structure may be dynamically positioned. | 04-12-2012 |
| 20120085276 | SUBSEA AUTONOMOUS DISPERSANT INJECTION SYSTEM AND METHODS - A system for autonomously supplying a chemical dispersant to a subsea hydrocarbon discharge site which comprises a subsea storage vessel configured to store the chemical dispersant subsea is described herein. The storage vessel includes a dispersant outlet in fluid communication with the subsea hydrocarbon discharge site. | 04-12-2012 |
| 20120018168 | Pump - A multistage pump ( | 01-26-2012 |
| 20110273958 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ACCURATE DETERMINATION OF OCEAN BOTTOM SEISMOMETER POSITIONING AND TIMING - There is provided herein a system and method of seismic exploration that produces improved locations and timings for ocean bottom seismometers. The instant method utilizes linearized inversion in conjunction with a conventionally accurate clock to provide both time and positioning for each OBS unit with high accuracy as compared with the prior art approach. Inversion is one mathematical tool that effectively performs the requisite triangulation. Furthermore, the clock drift can be accounted for in the inversion scheme. The inversion not only determines the OBS position and shot timing errors, but also estimates the accuracy of the position and timing determination. | 11-10-2011 |
| 20110247879 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING GASES DURING CORING OPERATIONS - A method for detecting the presence of an acid gas in a formation fluid from a subterranean formation comprises (a) lowering a coring assembly into a wellbore. The coring assembly including an outer core barrel and an inner core barrel disposed within the outer core barrel. The inner core barrel has an upper end, a lower end opposite the upper end, and a core sample chamber extending axially from the lower end. In addition, the method comprises (b) capturing a core sample from the subterranean formation within the sample chamber. Further, the method comprises (c) raising the coring assembly to the surface after (b). Still further the method comprises (d) contacting a formation fluid in the sample chamber with at least one detector during (c). Moreover, the method comprises (e) detecting the presence of a formation acid gas in the formation fluid with the at least one detector during (c). | 10-13-2011 |
| 20110229099 | FIBER OPTIC CABLE - A fiber optic cable includes a strain element including a first optical fiber and an optical element including a second optical fiber. The optical element is compliantly coupled with the strain element to transfer a portion of strain experienced by the strain element to the optical element. A fiber optic cable includes a strain transfer member, a central optical fiber disposed through the strain transfer member, and a tight jacket mechanically coupling the central optical fiber and the strain transfer member. The fiber optic cable further includes a compliant layer disposed about and affixed to the strain transfer member; a peripheral optical fiber disposed in the compliant layer, such that a portion of the strain experienced by the strain transfer member is transferred to the peripheral optical fiber via the compliant layer; and a protective cover disposed about the compliant layer. | 09-22-2011 |
| 20110162906 | MARINE SEISMIC SOURCE - A marine seismic source comprises a housing having a central axis, an open end, and a closed end opposite the open end. In addition, the seismic source includes a piston extending coaxially through the open end of the housing. The piston is adapted to axially reciprocate relative to the housing. Further, the piston has a first end distal the housing and a second end disposed within the housing. | 07-07-2011 |
| 20110089778 | MOTOR ASSEMBLY - A motor assembly comprising a motor unit having a first end and a second end and being couplable adjacent the first end of the motor unit to an external electrical device, the motor unit comprising at least one motor winding extending between the first and second ends and an electrical return path extending from the second end to the first end, the electrical return path being in electrical contact at the first end with an electrical connector for supplying impressed secondary power to the external electrical device, wherein the first end of the motor unit is provided with means for coupling a power source to the motor winding and the second end of the motor unit is provided with means to electrically couple the motor winding to the electrical return path. Also provided is a motor comprising a motor winding having a first end and a second end and an incomplete number of winding turns between the first and second ends, and an electrical return path for passing a current through the motor, the motor winding and the electrical return path being discontinuous. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20100034593 | NOVEL DEPLOYMENT TECHNIQUE FOR OPTICAL FIBRES WITHIN PIPELINE COATINGS - An improved method and system of deploying a pipeline for fiber optic sensing applications. A plurality of pipe sections ( | 02-11-2010 |
| 20100016179 | Wellbore Fluid - There is provided a wellbore fluid having a continuous aqueous phase, and comprising at least one polymer which:—has a molecular weight in the range of from 2,000 to less than 100,000; contains hydrophilic units such that the polymer is at least 2% soluble in water at 20° C., and such that less than 50% by weight of said hydrophilic units comprise —CH | 01-21-2010 |
| 20090298958 | Fischer Tropsch Process - The present invention relates to a process for converting synthesis gas to hydrocarbons, in particular to hydrocarbons in the C5-C60 range particularly suitable for use as liquid motor fuels, in a slurry reactor in the presence of a Fischer-Tropsch catalyst comprising cobalt and zinc oxide wherein the Fischer-Tropsch catalyst is activated with a reducing gas consisting of hydrogen and an inert gas at 330 to 400° C. prior to contact with synthesis gas in the slurry reactor. | 12-03-2009 |
| 20090276156 | AUTOMATED HYDROCARBON RESERVOIR PRESSURE ESTIMATION - A method and system for estimating reservoir pressure in a hydrocarbon reservoir from downhole pressure measurements of producing wells is disclosed. Pressure measurements are obtained from wells in the production field over time, and communicated to a server that applies the pressure measurements for a well to a model of that well. The server operates the model using the pressure measurements to determine an operating mode of the well, such as producing or shut-in. Upon detection of a change in operating mode indicative of an abrupt change in flow at the well, such as corresponding to a shut-in event, additional downhole pressure measurement data is acquired until a steady-state condition is reached. The pressure measurements are used to determine a reservoir pressure, which is transmitted to a responsible reservoir engineer or other user. Modification of the determined reservoir pressure value by the user can be received, and the stored reservoir pressure and well model are updated accordingly. | 11-05-2009 |
| 20090230025 | Process for Regasifying a Gas Hydrate Slurry - A continuous process for regasifying a feed stream comprising (i) a slurry phase comprising gas hydrate particles suspended in a produced liquid hydrocarbon and optionally free produced water and (ii) optionally a gaseous phase comprising free produced gaseous hydrocarbon thereby generating a regasified multiphase fluid and for separating the regasified multiphase fluid into its component fluids, comprising the steps of: (a) heating the feed stream to above the dissociation temperature of the gas hydrate thereby regasifying the feed stream by converting the gas hydrate particles into gaseous hydrocarbon and water; (b) separating a gaseous hydrocarbon phase from the regasified multiphase fluid thereby forming a gaseous hydrocarbon product stream and a liquid stream comprising a mixture of liquid hydrocarbon and water; (c) separating the liquid stream comprising a mixture of the liquid hydrocarbon and water into a liquid hydrocarbon phase and an aqueous phase; and (d) removing the liquid hydrocarbon phase as a liquid hydrocarbon product stream. | 09-17-2009 |
| 20090036558 | Modified catalyst and use of this catalyst for the conversion of synthesis gas to hydrocarbons - The present invention relates to a process for the conversion of synthesis gas to hydrocarbons in the presence of a modified supporter Fischer-Tropsch catalyst composition. | 02-05-2009 |
| 20090008536 | DISTRIBUTED SENSING IN AN OPTICAL FIBER USING BRILLOUIN SCATTERING - To perform distributed sensing with an optical fiber using Brillouin scattering, a light pulse is transmitted into the optical fiber, where the transmitted light pulse has a first frequency. Backscattered light and optical local oscillator light are combined, where the backscattered light is received from the optical fiber in response to the transmitted light pulse, and where the optical local oscillator light has a second frequency. A frequency offset is caused to be present between the first frequency of the transmitted light pulse and the second frequency of the optical local oscillator light, where the frequency offset is at least 1 GHz less than a Brillouin frequency shift of the backscattered light. Spectra representing Stokes and anti-Stokes components of the backscattered light are acquired, where the Stokes and anti-Stokes components are separated by a frequency span that is based on the frequency offset. | 01-08-2009 |
| 20090008095 | Wellbore Fluid Comprising a Base Fluid and a Particulate Bridging Agent - A wellbore fluid comprising a base fluid and a particulate bridging agent comprised of a sparingly water-soluble material selected from the group consisting of melamine(2,4,5-triamino-1,3,5-triazine), lithium carbonate, lithium phosphate (Li | 01-08-2009 |
