| EXXONMOBIL UPSTREAM RESEARCH COMPANY Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
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| 20120130696 | Optimizing Well Management Policy - A field operating policy for a subsurface region is optimized by setting initial policy parameters for the subsurface region. Fluid flow within a subsurface region is simulated, wherein the simulation includes optimizing an objective function for field operating policy, the objective function corresponding simultaneously to the modeled fluid flow characteristics of one or more wellbores within the subsurface region and relating to at least one production system performance parameter. Optimizing the objective function for field operating policy may include optimizing the initial policy parameters for the subsurface region with an over time optimization technique, wherein the policy parameters are optimized for a predetermined policy period. An enhanced value of the objective function is determined at each timestep within the predetermined policy period. The optimized policy parameters for the predetermined policy period may serve as constraints in the determination of an enhanced value of the objective function at each timestep within the predetermined policy period. | 05-24-2012 |
| 20120125631 | Systems and Methods of Diverting Fluids In A Wellbore Using Destructible Plugs - A bridge plug arrangement includes a plug having an upper end and a bottom end. The bridge plug arrangement also optionally includes a cylindrical seat. The bridge plug arrangement further includes a tubular member. The tubular member may be part of a casing string. The tubular member is configured to receive the plug and, when used, the seat. The plug and/or the seat may be fabricated from a frangible material. A method for diverting fluids in a wellbore using the bridge plug arrangement is also provided. The method may include landing the plug onto the seat within the wellbore below a subsurface zone of interest. Treatment fluids are then injected into the wellbore, where they are diverted through perforations and into a formation. The plug and/or seat is then optionally broken into a plurality of pieces through use of a downward mechanical force. | 05-24-2012 |
| 20120036890 | NITROGEN REJECTION METHODS AND SYSTEMS - Methods and systems for removing nitrogen from a natural gas feed stream. The systems and methods generally include a heat exchange unit, a separation unit, and a liquid methane pump unit, where the separation unit produces a liquid methane bottoms stream and a gaseous overhead stream enriched in nitrogen and the liquid methane pump unit compresses the liquid methane bottoms stream and then pumps the stream through the heat exchange unit to cool a natural gas feed stream. In some embodiments the liquid methane pump unit is a sleeve bearing type unit. Beneficially, the disclosed systems and methods incorporate high head pumps for liquid methane compression instead of vaporizing the liquid methane and compressing it in a gaseous compression units that are typically used for this purpose, saving space, materials, and power. | 02-16-2012 |
| 20120014218 | System and Method For Reconstruction of Time-Lapse Data - Techniques are disclosed for performing time-lapse monitor surveys with sparsely sampled monitor data sets ( | 01-19-2012 |
| 20110265558 | Method and System For Determining Particle Size Distribution and Filterable Solids In A Bitumen-Containing Fluid - A method and system for determining particle size distribution and/or filterable solids in bitumen-containing fluid is described. A sample of bitumen-containing fluid, such as bitumen-froth feed, bitumen-froth solvent or paraffinic-froth-treated (PFT) bitumen-solvent is obtained. An optimized diluent combination is determined, comprising an aromatic or cycloaliphatic solvent such as toluene, benzene, naphthalene, xylene, anthracene, or cyclohexane together with a C3 to C12 paraffinic solvent. The combination is considered optimized when diluting the sample with the combination maintains substantially the same level of deasphalting in the diluted sample as in the undiluted sample. Upon dilution of the sample with optimized diluent combination, particle size distribution can be accurately determined using optical instrumentation, laser diffraction instrumentation, electrical counting instrumentation, or ultrasonic instrumentation. | 11-03-2011 |
| 20110162848 | Fluid Injection Completion Techniques - Methods for injecting a fluid into a subsurface formation are provided. Each of the methods includes the obtaining data, including formation parameters and operational variables, related to an injection well. A regime of operation for the injection well is determined. The regime of operation is determined using a heuristic model. In one aspect, one or more operational variables, including completion design, reservoir development procedures, and/or injection procedures, is designed based at least in part on the determined regime of operation. Water or other fluid may then be injected into the subsurface formation. The step of determining the regime of operation for the injection well may use a full physics computational simulation to construct a mathematical model that can estimate the operating regime for the water injection well. Alternatively or in addition, field data may be used. | 07-07-2011 |
| 20100097888 | Separation and Noise Removal for Multiple Vibratory Source Seismic Data - The invention discloses a way to recover separated seismograms with reduced interference noise by processing vibroseis data recorded (or computer simulated) with multiple vibrators shaking simultaneously or nearly simultaneously ( | 04-22-2010 |
| 20100038086 | Conformance Control Through Stimulus-Responsive Materials - A method, apparatus and production well system that utilize stimulus-responsive materials for “conformance control” and profile control along the fluid flow path in a well as part of a gravel pack or a coating on a well tool. The stimulus-responsive materials are also known as intelligent or smart polymers and are typically polymeric materials that reversibly or irreversibly swell or collapse in the presence of stimulus such as changes in concentration of a fluid media in contact with the stimulus-responsive material, pH or polarity of the media the stimulus-responsive material is in contact with, salinity, current; or temperature. The stimulus-responsive materials may swell upon contact with a rust stimulus and shrink or collapse upon contact with a second stimulus or vice-versa The changes between production and injection profiles may be automatic with the application of the stimulus-responsive materials and may occur without user intervention. | 02-18-2010 |
| 20090211763 | Vertical Annular Separation and Pumping System with Integrated Pump Shroud and Baffle - A Vertical Annular Separation and Pumping System (VASPS) utilizing an isolation baffle to replace a standard pump shroud associated with an electrical submersible pump. The isolation baffle may be a one piece plate positioned so as to direct produced wellbore liquids around the electrical submersible pump motor to provide a cooling medium to prevent overheating and early failure of the electrical submersible pump. | 08-27-2009 |
| 20090067546 | Method for Compensating Electromagnetic Data - Method for compensating for phase errors in electromagnetic data by exploiting the frequency scaling properties of electromagnetic fields. The data are obtained at various source-receiver offsets. Then, temporal frequency components of the data at each offset R are determined. Next, the phase spectrum (phase vs. offset) for each of the frequency components is determined. Then, the phase spectra for the different frequencies f are displayed vs. scaled offset R√ω, where ω=2πf. Finally, the phase spectra are then adjusted such that the differences in phases for the different frequencies are reduced. The adjustment process can be repeated until phase differences are reduced to an acceptable level. | 03-12-2009 |
| 20080312478 | Recovery of Kinetic Hydrate Inhibitor - A method for treating a fluid having hydrate-forming constituents is provided. In one or more embodiments, the method includes including a mixture ( | 12-18-2008 |
