Did You Know...
...that Thomas Edison's patent application on his phonograph was approved by the Patent Office in just seven weeks? In contrast, it took Gordon Gould, the inventor of the laser, 30 years to obtain his patent -- finally awarded in 1988!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8177424 | Fiber optic sensor for use on sub-sea pipelines A fiber optic sensor assembly for use on a sub-sea pipeline. The fiber optic sensor assembly is coupled to remotely located equipment by fiber optic cable(s) which extend outside of the pipeline. The fiber optic sensor assembly is affixed to a mounting point on the ... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8146658 | Providing a sensor array To assemble a sensor array having plural sections, the sections of the sensor array are sealably attached, where the sections include sensors and cable segments. An inert gas is flowed through at least one inner fluid path inside the sensor array when the sections o... | 04/03/2012 |
| 8146656 | Method to measure injector inflow profiles A method of determining the inflow profile of an injection wellbore, comprising stopping injection of fluid into a formation, the formation intersected by a wellbore having a section uphole of the formation and a section within the formation, monitoring temperature ... | 04/03/2012 |
| 8134696 | Measuring Brillouin backscatter from an optical fibre using a tracking signal A method for measuring Brillouin backscattering from an optical fiber, includes frequency mixing a first signal with a frequency representative of the Brillouin frequency shift in backscattered light received from a deployed optical fiber with a second signal at a f... | 03/13/2012 |
| 8128281 | Fluid level indication system and technique A technique that is usable with a well includes changing the temperature of a local environment of a distributed temperature sensor, which is deployed in a region of the well and using the sensor to acquire measurements of a temperature versus depth profile. The reg... | 03/06/2012 |
| 8121790 | Combining reservoir modeling with downhole sensors and inductive coupling A method is disclosed of characterizing a well using a series of measurements taken along the sandface of that well in order to optimize a well model. The method may comprise providing a well model with a plurality of adjustable physical parameters, providing a data... | 02/21/2012 |
| 8113290 | Dissolvable connector guard A connector guard is provided to protect one or both downhole connectors during wellbore run in prior to mating downhole. The connector guard may comprise dissolvable or degradable material and include an engagement sections and a removal feature. The connector guar... | 02/14/2012 |
| 8082990 | Method and system for placing sensor arrays and control assemblies in a completion A technique facilitates recovery of hydrocarbons in subterranean formations by simplifying the joining of completion assemblies downhole. The system and methodology utilize a well completion having completion assemblies that may be selectively engaged downhole witho... | 12/27/2011 |
| 8082983 | Completion system having a sand control assembly, an inductive coupler, and a sensor proximate to the sand control assembly A completion system for use in a well includes a first completion section and a second section. The first completion section has a sand control assembly to prevent passage of particulates, a first inductive coupler portion, and a sensor positioned proximate to the s... | 12/27/2011 |
| 8040250 | Retractable sensor system and technique A technique usable with a well includes disposing a retractable line in a conduit having an open end located above a region of interest in the well. The retractable line comprises a sensing portion that, when the line is deployed, extends from the open end of the co... | 10/18/2011 |
| 8020616 | Determining a status in a wellbore based on acoustic events detected by an optical fiber mechanism A system for use in a well includes downhole equipment for positioning in the well, and an optical fiber for deployment in the well, the optical fiber to extend to a location of interest in the well in proximity of the downhole equipment. An analysis unit analyzes d... | 09/20/2011 |
| 8013986 | Measuring brillouin backscatter from an optical fibre using channelisation Methods and apparatus for measuring Brillouin backscattering from an optical fiber. A pulse of light with a first frequency is launched into an optical fiber. Backscattered light is received from the fiber, which includes Brillouin spectral line at a second frequenc... | 09/06/2011 |
| 8011430 | Method to measure injector inflow profiles A method of determining the inflow profile of an injection wellbore, comprising stopping injection of fluid into a formation, the formation intersected by a wellbore having a section uphole of the formation and a section within the formation, monitoring temperature ... | 09/06/2011 |
| 8006768 | System and method for controlling a downhole actuator A technique is provided for utilizing a hydraulic fluid metering control module in cooperation with a downhole component. The downhole component is shifted via hydraulic fluid delivered through first and/or second control lines to an actuator of the downhole compone... | 08/30/2011 |
| 8002040 | System and method for controlling flow in a wellbore A technique enables control over flow in a wellbore with a flow control system. The flow control system combines a flow reduction mechanism with a flow control device, such as a valve. The flow reduction mechanism comprises a closure member which can be selectively ... | 08/23/2011 |
| 7999422 | Linear actuator using magnetostrictive power element A linear actuator includes a substantially cylindrical magnetostrictive element disposed in a housing. A retainer is cooperatively engaged with the housing and an exterior of the magnetostrictive element such that relaxed portions of the magnetostrictive element are... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7995209 | Time domain multiplexing of interferometric sensors An optical sensor array includes a plurality of interferometric sensors that are disposed at a plurality of locations in a region of interest. To determine a physical parameter at the plurality of locations, the array is interrogated with a plurality of optical puls... | 08/09/2011 |
| 7980316 | Formation isolation valve A valve includes a housing, a valve element that is located in the housing, an operator, a locking device and an interference device. The housing includes an interior surface that has a profile. The operator may be configured to transition the valve element between ... | 07/19/2011 |
| 7975772 | Method and system of hydraulic control line connection A method of coupling a first control line to a second control line is provided comprising the steps of prepping the first and second control lines to respectively produce a first end and a second end. Prepping may comprise inserting a plug assembly into at least one... | 07/12/2011 |
| 7954552 | Overriding a primary control subsystem of a downhole tool A system that is usable with a well may include a piston, a primary control subsystem and an override subsystem. The piston actuates the downhole tool, and the primary control subsystem may be connected to at least one hydraulic line in order to move the piston in r... | 06/07/2011 |
| 7946350 | System and method for deploying optical fiber A technique is provided for utilizing optical fiber in a well environment. A well system is combined with a tube-in-tube system designed to protect one or more internal optical fibers. The tube-in-tube system has an entry at one end and a turn around at an opposite ... | 05/24/2011 |
| 7931079 | Tubing hanger and method of compensating pressure differential between a tubing hanger and an external well volume A tubing hanger and method for reducing loads and stresses on sealing boundaries in a tubing hanger is provided. The tubing hanger has an inner cavity that is sealed with respect to an external well volume present in for example the surrounding tree architecture and... | 04/26/2011 |
| 7921916 | Communicating measurement data from a well To communicate measurement data from a well, data corresponding to measurement data collected by multiple sensors in a well is transformed downhole and passed to an intermediate communications device, which device in turn passes a subset of that data to a destinatio... | 04/12/2011 |
| 7903915 | Cable with intermediate member disconnection sections A cable is provided including an inner member, an outer member and an intermediate member. The intermediate member may be positioned between the inner member and the outer member and include a number of disconnection sections spaced apart from one another. In some c... | 03/08/2011 |
| 7902955 | Providing an inductive coupler assembly having discrete ferromagnetic segments An inductive coupler assembly has a first coupler having a first support structure and plural discrete first ferromagnetic segments supported by the first support structure, and a second coupler to inductively couple to the first coupler, the second coupler having a... | 03/08/2011 |
| 7900705 | Flow control assembly having a fixed flow control device and an adjustable flow control device An apparatus for use in a well includes a flow control assembly to control fluid flow in a first zone of the well, where the flow control assembly has a fixed flow control device and an adjustable flow control device that cooperate to control the fluid flow in the f... | 03/08/2011 |
| 7896070 | Providing an expandable sealing element having a slot to receive a sensor array A completion assembly has an expandable sealing element provided on an outer surface of the completion assembly. The expandable sealing element has a slot. The slot of the expandable sealing element enables the expandable sealing element to expand around a spoolable... | 03/01/2011 |
| 7890273 | Determining fluid and/or reservoir information using an instrumented completion To determine fluid flow information associated with a well, data from plural discrete temperature sensors in zones without radial fluid flow in the well are received. The fluid flow information associated with the well is derived by combining the received data from ... | 02/15/2011 |
| 7866401 | Safety valve for use in an injection well The present invention provides for a valve to allow injection of fluids into a well or other subterranean facility. The valve comprises a housing and a flow tube assembly disposed in the housing. A restrictor is joined with the flow tube to restrict flow through the... | 01/11/2011 |
| 7854264 | Volumetric compensating annular bellows Embodiments of the present invention relate to a volumetric compensating annular bellows used to compensate two fluid volumes by an annular displacement. This is achieved using a bellows welded on to a tube with a varying shape radius. A bellows is arranged within t... | 12/21/2010 |
| 7836960 | Method for running a continuous communication line through a packer Techniques are provided for sealing a communication line within a device positioned in a wellbore. The communication line may be continuous and extends through a pass-through arranged generally longitudinally through the device. Swellable sealing material is positio... | 11/23/2010 |
| 7819683 | Contact pin assembly for a high voltage electrical connection There is disclosed a contact pin assembly for a high voltage electrical connection, the contact pin assembly comprising: an electrically-conductive outer member which is supportable from a support member, the outer member having a ... | 10/26/2010 |
| 7793718 | Communicating electrical energy with an electrical device in a well A completion system for use in the well includes a liner for lining the well, where the liner has a first inductive coupler portion. An electric cable extends outside an inner passage of the liner. The completion system further includes a second inductive coupler po... | 09/14/2010 |
| 7787504 | Optical supply arrangement In an optical supply arrangement, a laser source (10) provides transmitted laser light down an optical supply line (12, 14). A first coupler (16), remote from the laser source (10) along the optical supply line (14), taps off a sma... | 08/31/2010 |
| 7779919 | Flapper valve retention method and system A system and method for use in a wellbore that includes a string comprising a housing. The housing comprises a valve including a valve seat having an inner channel and a flapper configured to pivot relative to the valve seat between a first position and a second pos... | 08/24/2010 |
| 7778780 | Well characterisation method One aspect of the invention relates to a method (10) for characterizing a well (700) using distributed temperature sensor (DTS) data to optimise a well model (12). The method comprises providing a well model of flow and thermal properties (12... | 08/17/2010 |
| 7775275 | Providing a string having an electric pump and an inductive coupler A system for use in a well includes a string for placement in the well, where the string including an electric pump and a first inductive coupler portion. A completion section is deployed in a zone of the well to be developed, where the completion section includes a... | 08/17/2010 |
| 7773841 | Optical turnaround Fiber optic sensors commonly require a 180 degree turnaround to form a continuous optical circuit. Methods and apparatus for providing 180 degree turnarounds in a fiber optic system that include a shorter radius turnaround then provided by micro-bending the optic fi... | 08/10/2010 |
| 7748461 | Method and apparatus for multi-drop tool control A hydraulic actuator is connected between a downhole tool and a hydraulic control line for operating the downhole tool through an actuation sequence. The hydraulic actuator comprises a valve shuttle section having an inlet port in connection with the hydraulic contr... | 07/06/2010 |
| 7740075 | Pressure relief actuated valves An embodiment of a valve that is operable from one position to another position upon relief of an applied pressure includes a housing having a bore; a valve member disposed with the housing, wherein the valve member is actuated to one position in response to a certa... | 06/22/2010 |
