Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090056645 | Rotational vessel heating - Aqueous fluids are heated or boiled in a tank or vessel by causing cavitation in the fluid within the tank or vessel. A rotor having cavities on its cylindrical surface is rotated within a closely dimensioned housing submerged in the fluid, deliberately causing cavitation which heats the aqueous fluid without the use of flame or heat exchange surface. An electric motor which powers the rotor may itself be submerged in the tank or boiler vessel. The rotor includes radial channels for imparting centrifugal impetus to the fluid as it flows toward the cavitation zone. | 03-05-2009 |
20090131287 | Inhibiting hydration of shale using a polyol and potassium formate - A substantially nonaqueous composition comprising a polyol and potassium formate is made by removing water from a mixture while heating. The polyol beneficially contains 3-50 hydroxyl groups and may be polyglycerin. The water removed may originate from a solution of one or more of the ingredients, from a condensation reaction of hydroxyl groups, and/or from an esterification reaction of hydroxyl groups on the polyol(s) and the formate groups. The composition is effective for treating shale formations in well drilling to reduce hydration and sloughing of the shale. If, in the course of treating shale formations, the polyol/potassium formate composition mixes with connate or other water, the water may be removed on returning the composition to the surface, and recycled. | 05-21-2009 |
20090133882 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DOWNHOLE ARTIFICIAL LIFT SYSTEM PROTECTION - A fluid conditioning system designed to be installed between the well perforation and the intake of a pump used to effect artificial lift is used to filter and chemically treat production fluids. The fluid conditioning system is an apparatus that provides scale inhibitors and/or other chemical treatments into the production stream. In some embodiments, the fluid conditioning system may be a part of the production stream filter wherein the filtering material is comprised of a porous medium that contains and supports the treatment chemical. In other embodiments, the chemical treatment may be accomplished by the gradual dissolution of a solid phase chemical. The treating chemical may be recharged or replenished by various downhole reservoirs or feeding means. In yet other embodiments, the treating chemical may be replenished from the surface by means of a capillary tube. In certain other embodiments, the apparatus may be retrievable from the surface thereby permitting recharge or replenishment of the chemical in the apparatus on an as-needed basis. The filtration apparatus may incorporate a bypass valve that allows fluid to by-pass the filter as sand or other particulate matter fills up or blocks the filter. | 05-28-2009 |
20090139771 | Method of making drilling fluids containing microbubbles - Light weight drilling fluids are prepared by passing a gas and the drilling fluid through a cavitation device. Bubbles are finely divided into microbubbles, thereby reducing the density of the fluid. Low HLB surfactants, natural polymers, and ionic-charged polymers may be added to enhance the stability of the microbubble suspension. | 06-04-2009 |
20090140444 | Compressed gas system useful for producing light weight drilling fluids - A compressor station having at least one primary compressor and a booster compressor is controlled to conserve energy and air, and to respond quickly to sudden changes in demand for air, by employing a volume bottle to buffer changes in air pressure and by recycling already compressed air from the intake to the output of the booster compressor. The system may be used in air drilling and to provide compressed air for generating low density drilling fluid on site by injecting microbubbles into a base drilling fluid. Two different methods of generating microbubbles are illustrated. The primary and booster compressors are kept in a state of readiness during drill pipe connection time, providing for a rapid resumption of pressure and air flow after connection is completed. The system can utilize gases other than air. | 06-04-2009 |
20090143253 | Drilling fluids containing microbubbles - A drilling fluid comprises water and microbubbles in an amount to achieve a density of the fluid in the range of 4-6 pounds per gallon; the desired density is achieved, and the novel drilling fluid exists, at pressures in the range of 350-5000 pounds per square inch. | 06-04-2009 |
20090166171 | Trifunctional membrane tube arrays - Membrane tubes or similar membrane devices are arrayed in layers so that liquid placed on their outer surfaces may be evaporated and also drain onto lower membrane devices. The entire array is subjected to moving air to enhance evaporation. The membrane devices function as filters while permeating water from industrial fluids while also providing evaporative surfaces to reduce the volume of used aqueous industrial fluids. The retentate surfaces of the membrane devices may also be on the interiors of the devices, and the permeate contacted with flowing air to evaporate the permeate. Unevaporated permeate is collected in either configuration for use as clean water, and concentrated fluid may be more easily handled, disposed or, and/or its components recycled. A cavitation device may be used to heat the aqueous industrial fluid to enhance permeation and evaporation rates with minimal scaling. | 07-02-2009 |
20090184056 | Method of removing dissolved iron in aqueous systems - Oilfield completion, drilling, produced, flowback, and workover fluids containing iron are treated to remove the iron by passing them through a cavitation device together with an oxidizing agent and with the addition of lime. The cavitation device intimately mixes the oxidizing agent with the fluid while increasing the temperature of the fluid, thus promoting the oxidation reaction. Lime contributes to an increase in pH while promoting the formation of floc. Ferric hydrate and other solids or colloidal iron are removed in a filter capable of removing particles as small as 0.5 micron. The system may be enhanced by the addition of a bed of activated carbon capable of catalyzing the oxidation reaction. | 07-23-2009 |
20090184065 | Dewatering of brine-containing oilfield fluids of uncertain composition - Brine-containing oilfield fluid of uncertain composition, such as produced water and used oilfield completion and workover brines, are prepared for transportation and storage by reducing them to very high densities but still with little risk of crystallization at a prescribed temperature. The fluids are densified by boiling at a temperature determined to achieve the desired density, under steady state conditions of input and withdrawal of steam or vapor and the desired concentrate, still without knowing the contstituents. Boiling temperature is significantly reduced under subatmospheric pressures while the desired target density is achieved. | 07-23-2009 |
20090188721 | Membrane method of making drilling fluids containing microbubbles - Drilling fluid is reduced in density while under pressure and prior to injection in the well by creating microbubbles of gas formed on transportation through a membrane while maintaining a transmembrane pressure difference sufficient to create the microbubbles. | 07-30-2009 |
20090235664 | Cavitation evaporator system for oil well fluids integrated with a Rankine cycle - Oil field fluids are heated by a cavitation device to minimize or eliminate scaling while reducing their volume by evaporation. Heat is conserved by combining the system with an organic Rankine cycle, which is utilized to rotate or help rotate the cavitation device. | 09-24-2009 |
20090277633 | Treatment of Cesium-Containing Fluids - Cesium solutions are treated in a cavitation device to increase their temperature and facilitate the removal of water from them. The context is normally an oil well fluid or a mining solution. The concentrated solutions can be reused, in the case of oil well fluids, or more easily handled for recovery of the elemental cesium or cesium in the form of a salt. Thermal energy is saved by using the concentrate or the water vapor to heat various streams within the system. | 11-12-2009 |
20100288708 | Viscosity control and filtration of well fluids - Circulating completion, workover and drilling fluids used in hydrocarbon recovery are filtered after monitoring for viscosity, which frequently causes plugging of filters. A viscometer generates a signal representative of viscosity in the fluid; the signal is used by a programmable controller to divert viscous fluid from the filter, or to take other action to prevent damage to the filter. The viscometer can be used in various positions in the system. Fluids deemed too viscous for the filter can be sent to a viscosity-reducing device, which may be a heating, shear-thinning, or cavitation device, to reduce its viscosity, enabling the fluid to pass through a filter without fouling. After filtering and a return to a lower temperature, the fluid may be treated if necessary to become viscous again for a useful purpose. A temperature monitor can be deployed on the fluid emerging or downstream from the cavitation or other device to assist in correlating temperatures to viscosities of various fluids. The cavitation device can also be used to increase the concentration of a dilute polymer-containing fluid to a usefully viscous value. | 11-18-2010 |
20130035264 | Constraining Pyrite Activity in Shale - Degeneration of shale caused by oxygen in aqueous drilling, fracturing and completion fluids is minimized by introducing imidazolines modified so that they will be attracted efficiently to pyrites in the shale, thereby forming a protective coating on the pyrites. Inhibiting oxidation of the pyrites sharply reduces physical degradation of the shale in the presence of drilling, fracturing and completion fluids carrying oxygen. The imidazoline is an ionic salt or a beatine. | 02-07-2013 |
20130284427 | Constraining Pyrite Activity in Shale - Degeneration of shale caused by oxygen in aqueous drilling, fracturing and completion fluids is minimized by introducing imidazolines modified so that they will be attracted efficiently to pyrites in the shale, thereby forming a protective coating on the pyrites. Inhibiting oxidation of the pyrites sharply reduces physical degradation of the shale, and the generation of undesirable oxides, in the presence of drilling, fracturing and completion fluids carrying oxygen. The imidazoline is an ionic salt of a monocarboxylic acid. | 10-31-2013 |