| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20080230233 | Coupler retained liner hanger mechanism and methods of setting a hanger inside a wellbore - A liner hanger has a housing with a pocket disposed on an inner wall surface and a slip slidingly engaged within the pocket. The liner hanger housing is secured in the string of casing. A setting mechanism connected to the slips is also located in the pocket. An actuator is mounted on the liner. As the liner is moved through the casing coupler, the actuator actuates the setting mechanism, causing the slips to move axially downward. As the setting mechanism moves downward, the slips move radially inward and grip the liner. | 09-25-2008 |
| 20080257561 | Casing coupler liner hanger mechanism - A liner hanger has a housing with a pocket disposed on an inner wall surface and a slip slidingly engaged within the pocket. The liner hanger housing is secured in the string of casing. Both a setting mechanism and a liner engagement member are connected to the slips and are also located in the pocket. A releasable latching mechanism maintains the slips in the run-in position until the releasable latching mechanism is actuated. As the liner is moved through the casing coupler, the liner engagement member engages the liner through frictional force to cause the setting mechanism to move with the liner so that the latching mechanism can be disengaged and the slips can move axially downward. As the setting mechanism moves downward, the slips move radially inward and grip the liner. | 10-23-2008 |
| 20090071654 | Tubing Retrievable Injection Valve - A flapper type downhole valve is opened by flow against the flapper. The flapper and the housing contain magnets that hold the flapper open after it has been opened by flow to keep the flapper from chattering from the flow going past it. The strength of the force is not sufficient to hold the flapper open against a torsion spring on a pivot pin, when there is no flow through the valve. The valve can still be held in the locked open position with no flow through the housing by pressurizing the surrounding annulus to position another magnet to increase the holding force to a level greater than the force of the torsion spring. The additional magnet is spring biased so that upon removal of annulus pressure it shifts to allow the flapper to close. Alternative designs with and without a flow tube are possible. Fixed or movable restrictions can be associated with the flow tube to create a force to shift it to open a flapper with flow into the well. | 03-19-2009 |
| 20090084549 | Downhole tools having screens for insertion into gravel disposed in wellbores and methods of installing same - Downhole tools for gravel pack completion processes in wellbores comprise a screen, an isolation device comprising a sealing element disposed above the screen, and an artificial lifting device disposed above the isolation device. Upon actuation, the sealing element divides the wellbore into an upper zone and a lower zone so that the screen is disposed in the lower zone and the artificial lifting device is disposed in the upper zone. The two zones are in fluid communication with each other through a longitudinal bore within the downhole tool. In operation, the artificial lifting device of the downhole tool creates a negative pressure so wellbore fluid is transported from the lower zone into the upper zone. Due to this flow of fluid through the downhole tool, gravel disposed within the wellbore becomes sufficiently fluidized to facilitate the screen being inserted into the gravel form the gravel pack completion. | 04-02-2009 |
| 20090095368 | HIGH FRICTION INTERFACE FOR IMPROVED FLOW AND METHOD - A tubular body for flowing fluid includes an inside diameter surface of the tubular body; and a surface treatment of the inside diameter surface sufficient to cause a viscous interaction with a fluid flowing therethrough and method. | 04-16-2009 |
| 20090159268 | Coupler retained liner hanger mechanism and methods of setting a hanger inside a wellbore - A liner hanger has a housing with a pocket disposed on an inner wall surface and a slip slidingly engaged within the pocket. The liner hanger housing is secured in the string of casing. A setting mechanism connected to the slips is also located in the pocket. An actuator is mounted on the liner. As the liner is moved through the casing coupler, the actuator actuates the setting mechanism, causing the slips to move axially downward. As the setting mechanism moves downward, the slips move radially inward and grip the liner. | 06-25-2009 |
| 20090159296 | Coupler retained liner hanger mechanism and methods of setting a hanger inside a wellbore - A liner hanger has a housing with a pocket disposed on an inner wall surface and a slip slidingly engaged within the pocket. The liner hanger housing is secured in the string of casing. A setting mechanism connected to the slips is also located in the pocket. An actuator is mounted on the liner. As the liner is moved through the casing coupler, the actuator actuates the setting mechanism, causing the slips to move axially downward. As the setting mechanism moves downward, the slips move radially inward and grip the liner. | 06-25-2009 |
| 20090173492 | SURFACE ACTIVATED DOWNHOLE SPARK-GAP TOOL - A completion mounted spark gap tool comprising a completion component housing; a spark gap device having a plurality of electrodes at the housing and configured to produce a shockwave having a frequency in the range of about 0.1 to about 100 HZ; a voltage source in operable communication with the electrodes and a method for far field stimulation. | 07-09-2009 |
| 20090178802 | PARASITICALLY POWERED SIGNAL SOURCE AND METHOD - A system for monitoring a wellbore including a parasitic power generation configuration, a signal source in operable connection with the parasitic power generation configuration, the source being permanently positioned within the wellbore and capable of providing a signal that is receivable by a separate device to query condition of the wellbore, and method for monitoring the wellbore. | 07-16-2009 |
| 20100011559 | Retrofit Seals and Method for Placement in an Existing Groove - A seal is retrofit to an existing seal groove and made whole after being positioned in the groove. It can be an initial coil shape to allow it to slip over a shaft to get to the groove or it can be in a plurality of sections that are joined in place. The sections can be abutting or overlapping and are preferably coated with a brazing material that will ultimately join such ends. The ends can then have a nano-engineered coating that comprises alternating layers of aluminum and nickel that when initiated with applied heat becomes reactive exothermically to join the ends using the brazing material. | 01-21-2010 |
| 20100088895 | Cylindrical Spring Fabricated by Compressive Force - A spring for use in downhole tools delivers a high force over a long deflection in a relatively uniform fashion. The spring is a tubular shape that is preferably metallic and is preferably plastically deformed into an undulating walled tube either before assembly into a downhole tool or downhole after assembly to the downhole tool. Alternatively the shape can be machined. Spacer rings are used inside and outside the tube as it is compressed to obtain the desired corrugated wall pattern and to prevent localized buckling that can cause wall failure. The spring can conduct pressurized fluids and be rotationally locked to transmit torque and to facilitate milling out. Some machining internally and/or externally can assist in forming the desired corrugated wall shape. | 04-15-2010 |
| 20100307767 | Coupler retained liner hanger mechanism with moveable cover and methods of setting a hanger inside a wellbore - A liner hanger has a housing with a pocket disposed on an inner wall surface and a slip slidingly engaged within the pocket. A moveable cover is disposed interior to the slip thereby restricting movement of the slip from a unset position to a set position. The liner hanger housing is secured in the string of casing and an actuator is mounted on the liner. As the liner is moved through the casing coupler, the actuator actuates the cover, causing the cover to be moved so that the slip can move axially downward from its unset position to its set position. As the cover is moved, the slip moves radially inward and grips the liner to secure the liner within the casing string of the wellbore. | 12-09-2010 |
| 20110011585 | Apparatus and Method for Controlling Flow of Solids Into Wellbores Using Filter Media Containing an Array of Three-Dimensional Elements - In aspects, the disclosure provides an apparatus that may include a member having fluid flow passages and a filter member placed proximate the member with the fluid flow passages, the filter member including an array of three-dimensional elements configured to inhibit flow of solid particles of a selected size when a fluid containing such solid particles flows from the filter member to the member with the fluid flow passages. | 01-20-2011 |
| 20110024105 | Multi-zone Screen Isolation System with selective Control - A modular screen system allows connection of screens using couplings that connect the annular space in each module between the screen material and the base pipe. A series of connected screens and couplings feed into a single valve to control the flow through many screens. The valve is preferably located in a coupling and the passages through the coupling or the screen can also accommodate instrumentation to detect, store or transmit well data or flows through the various screen modules. | 02-03-2011 |
| 20110146975 | Wireline-Adjustable Downhole Flow Control Devices and Methods for Using Same - A method of producing fluids from a wellbore that has therein n adjustable flow control device for controlling flow of fluid between a formation and the wellbore may include: providing a tool having a sensor configured to provide measurements relating to a downhole property of interest, wherein the tool is configured to adjust flow from the flow control device; conveying the tool into the wellbore; determining the property of interest using the tool; and adjusting the flow through the flow control device with the tool at least in part in response to the determined parameter of interest. An apparatus for controlling fluid flow between a formation and a wellbore, according to one embodiment may include: a tool configured to be conveyed into a wellbore that contains at least one sensor for estimating a property of interest downhole and a latching device configured to couple to a flow control device in the wellbore to alter flow of the fluid through the flow control device. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110147006 | Downhole-Adjustable Flow Control Device for Controlling Flow of a Fluid Into a Wellbore - A flow control device is provided that in one embodiment includes a flow-through region configured to receive formation fluid at an inflow region and discharge the received fluid at an outflow region and a setting device configured to adjust the flow of the fluid through the flow-through region to a selected level. The setting device includes a coupling member configured to be coupled to an external latching device adapted to move the coupling member to cause the setting device to alter the flow of the fluid from the flow-through region to the selected level. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110147007 | Downhole-Adjustable Flow Control Device for Controlling Flow of a Fluid Into a Wellbore - A flow control device is provided that in one embodiment includes a flow-through region configured to receive formation fluid at an inflow region and discharge the received fluid at an outflow region and a setting device configured to adjust the flow of the fluid through the flow-through region to a selected level. The setting device includes a coupling member configured to be coupled to an external latching device adapted to move the coupling member to cause the setting device to alter the flow of the fluid from the flow-through region to the selected level. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110162837 | Filtration of Dangerous or Undesirable Contaminants - Nanoparticle-treated substrates, such as screens, sand beds or proppant beds, may effectively filter and purify fluids such as waste water or fluids produced from a formation, as well as other liquids. When tiny contaminant particles in a fluid such as waste water flow contact the nanoparticle-treated substrate, the nanoparticles will capture and hold the tiny contaminant particles on the substrate due to the nanoparticles' surface forces, including, but not necessarily limited to van der Waals and electrostatic forces or other associative forces. Coating agents such as alcohols, glycols, polyols, vegetable oil, and mineral oils may help apply the nanoparticles to the surfaces of structures in the filter beds or packs. | 07-07-2011 |