Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
166284000 | Fluid flow causes pellet to block opening in wall of conduit | 14 |
20090255674 | Sealing By Ball Sealers - In downhole treatments in the oilfield, ball sealers seated in perforations may not fully seal and may leak fluid through gaps and asperities between the balls and the perforations. A method is given for improving the sealing of ball sealers in perforations by adding a sealing agent that forms a plug in the gaps and severely restricts or eliminates fluid flow. The sealing agent is preferably degradable or soluble, malleable fibers slightly larger than the gaps. Optionally, the particles may be non-degradable, rigid, of different shapes, and smaller than the gaps but able to bridge them. Mixtures of sealing agents may be used. The sealing agent may be added with the ball sealers, after the ball sealers, or both. | 10-15-2009 |
20100200235 | Degradable perforation balls and associated methods of use in subterranean applications - Methods and compositions that include a method of treating a subterranean formation comprising the steps of providing a carrier fluid comprising degradable balls that comprise a carboxylic acid, a fatty alcohol, a fatty acid salt, a fatty ester, a fatty acid salt, or a combination thereof, and introducing the carrier fluid to the subterranean formation during a treatment. | 08-12-2010 |
20100288496 | RADIAL BALL INJECTING APPARATUS FOR WELLBORE OPERATIONS - An apparatus for successively releasing balls into a wellbore during wellbore operations is disclosed. The apparatus has a radial housing having at least one radial ball array having two or more radial bores. Each radial bore houses a ball cartridge adapted to receive and release balls and an actuator for operably aligning or misaligning the ball cartridge with an axial bore in fluid communication with the wellbore. The ball cartridge is moveable along the radial bore and is operable between an aligned position, for releasing a ball and a misaligned position for storing the ball. | 11-18-2010 |
20120085538 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DEPLOYING AND USING SELF-LOCATING TITLE OF THE INVENTION DOWNHOLE DEVICES - A technique that is usable with a well includes deploying a plurality of location markers in a passageway of the well and deploying an untethered object in the passageway such that the object travels downhole via the passageway. The technique includes using the untethered object to sense proximity of at least some of the location markers as the object travels downhole, and based on the sensing, selectively expand its size to cause the object to become lodged in the passageway near a predetermined location. | 04-12-2012 |
20120234538 | COMPOSITE FRAC BALL - Herein disclosed is a frac ball comprising three orthogonal axes x, y, and z; wherein the frac ball has approximately equal strength in each direction of the three axes x, y, and z. In an embodiment, the frac ball comprises a resin. In an embodiment, the frac ball comprises glass fibers or carbon fibers or both. In an embodiment, the frac ball comprises an equal amount of glass fibers in each direction of the x, y, and z axes. In an embodiment, the frac ball comprises glass fibers in the x and y axes and carbon fibers in the z axis. In an embodiment, the frac ball comprises no interlaminar layers. In an embodiment, the frac ball has different diameters. Also disclosed herein are methods of making and using such frac balls. | 09-20-2012 |
20120273198 | BALL AND DART LAUNCHER WITH PARALLEL AXIS RELEASE - A universal dart launcher launches a dart by moving a dart from a first position to a second position. The universal dart launcher has a launcher body defining a central bore having an axis and lower and upper ends configured to attach to a string of pipe. A cartridge housed within the launcher body may move perpendicular to the axis from a first position to a second position. A drop member is positioned within the cartridge so that it will not be in axial alignment with the central bore while in the first position, and will be in axial alignment with the central bore while in the second position. An actuator assembly couples to the launcher body to move the cartridge from the first position to the second position when actuated. | 11-01-2012 |
20130161005 | MODULAR DART LAUNCHER WITH STATUS INDICATOR - A dart launcher launches a dart by placing the dart within a launcher bore formed within a launcher body. The launcher body also defines a central bore coupled inline with a tubing string and in fluid communication with the launcher bore. The launcher bore is formed at an angle to the central bore. A release assembly is coupled to the launcher body and includes a release rod protruding into the launcher bore to selectively release the dart. A visual indicator assembly is coupled to the launcher body downstream from the release assembly and includes a flapper protruding into the launcher bore. The release assembly is actuated by the dart rotating the flapper to rotate an arm from a non-released position to a released position. | 06-27-2013 |
20130175033 | TREATMENT SYSTEM FOR MULTIPLE ZONES - A technique provides a system and methodology for treating a plurality of zones, e.g. well zones. A plurality of flow control devices is located along a tubular structure, such as a well string in a wellbore. Each flow control device or each set of flow control devices comprises a seat member having a unique profile relative to the profiles of the other flow control devices. Drop objects are designed with engagement features arranged to engage the profiles of specific flow control devices. For example, each drop object may have an engagement feature of a corresponding profile designed to engage the unique profile of a specific flow control device or of a specific set of flow control devices to enable actuation of the specific flow control device or the specific set of flow control devices once the drop object is dropped through the tubular structure. | 07-11-2013 |
20130192828 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SEALING A PORTION OF A COMPONENT DISPOSED IN A WELLBORE - An apparatus and method are provided for substantially sealing an opening defined by a hydrocarbon well downhole component, wherein an interior portion of the downhole component is in fluid communication with a formation surrounding the hydrocarbon well. The apparatus includes a deformable plug adaptable to being injected into the wellbore and carried through the wellbore in a fluid. The fluid carrying the deformable plug can flow through the opening and the deformable plug is sized and configured such that at least a portion of the deformable plug can deform to the contour of the opening and seat in the opening. The deformable plug is capable of swelling, hardening, or compressing such that the deformable plug forms a substantially sealed relationship with the hydrocarbon well downhole component such that the interior portion of the downhole component ceases to be in fluid communication with the formation surrounding the well. | 08-01-2013 |
20140196899 | DEGRADABLE BALL SEALER - High strength, degradable ball sealer for temporarily sealing off lower zones in a wellbore from the flow of a fluid injected into the well. The degradable ball sealer may also seal openings formed through slidable packers or sleeves received within a tubing string in the well, from the flow of a fluid injected into the well. The ball sealer includes an aluminum-based alloy matrix containing gallium, with graphitic carbon particulate and salt particulate homogeneously distributed within the aluminum-based alloy matrix. | 07-17-2014 |
20140360720 | Atmospheric ball injecting apparatus, system and method for wellbore operations - In one aspect the invention provides a ball injecting apparatus for releasing balls into the wellbore of a well. The apparatus comprises a body having an interior capable of housing one or more balls, at least one window in the body to allow for fluid communication between the body's interior and outside atmosphere. The window also provides for placement and removal of the balls into and out of the body's interior. An opening of suitable dimensions is provided on the body to allow the balls to exit the apparatus. A ball retaining and release mechanism retains and selectively releases the balls out the opening. The interior of the ball injecting apparatus is open to atmospheric pressure during operations. System and method aspects are also provided. | 12-11-2014 |
20150041133 | Methods of Operating Well Bore Stimulation Valves - Methods of controlling flow into a formation through the use of a stimulation valve in a tubular assembly installed in a well. Fluid is pumped into the formation through one or more ports in the stimulation valve. The stimulation valve defines a conduit for flow of fluids through the stimulation valve. The ports are adapted to allow flow of fluids between the conduit and the exterior of the stimulation valve and to receive a ball sealer for shutting off flow of fluids through the ports. The ports then are closed by introducing a plurality of ball sealers into the fluid. The fluid carries the ball sealers into the valve where they seat on and shut off flow of the fluid through the ports. | 02-12-2015 |
20150060069 | SWELLABLE BALL SEALERS - Swellable ball sealers comprising swellable material are described. A swellable ball sealer may be used as a diversion agent by being suspended in a fluid injected into a wellbore and swelling once seated on a perforation such that the swellable ball sealer adapts to the shape of a perforation opening on which the swellable ball sealer has seated. | 03-05-2015 |
20150129214 | SEALING BY BALL SEALERS - In downhole treatments in the oilfield, ball sealers seated in perforations may not fully seal and may leak fluid through gaps and asperities between the balls and the perforations. A method is given for improving the sealing of ball sealers in perforations by adding a sealing agent that forms a plug in the gaps and severely restricts or eliminates fluid flow. The sealing agent is preferably degradable or soluble, malleable fibers slightly larger than the gaps. Optionally, the particles may be non-degradable, rigid, of different shapes, and smaller than the gaps but able to bridge them. Mixtures of sealing agents may be used. The sealing agent may be added with the ball sealers, after the ball sealers, or both. | 05-14-2015 |