"Rail travel at high speeds is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia."
Dionysius Lardner, Professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy at University College, London ; 1830
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7703533 | Shear type circulation valve and swivel with open port reciprocating feature A tool and associated method allows a liner top to be dressed. Then while maintaining a lateral port closed the tool can be used to circulate while being rotated and reciprocated. The tool features discrete j-slot mechanisms. The upper j-slot allows the lateral port... | 04/27/2010 |
| 7523787 | Reverse out valve for well treatment operations A reverse out valve (100) comprises an outer housing (120) and a mandrel (144) that form a bypass region (130) therebetween. The mandrel (144) includes a central flow path (164) with a valve seat (152) positioned ther... | 04/28/2009 |
| 7422065 | System for controlling zones of fluid in and out of a wellbore A system for controlling zones of fluid flow in and out of a wellbore. The wellbore has a top of a well and a bottom of a well. The system has a control line connected to a power source, and a control system; wherein the control line is disposed within the wellbore.... | 09/09/2008 |
| 7377327 | Variable choke valve Embodiments of the present invention generally provide a more reliable variable choke flow control valve. In one embodiment, a variable choke valve for use in a wellbore is provided. The valve includes a tubular housing having an axial bore therethrough and a port t... | 05/27/2008 |
| 7322419 | Circulating sub and method A control sub for use with a hydraulically operated downhole tool. In an embodiment, the sub comprises an outer sleeve connected to a work string and an inner sleeve slidably engaged to the outer sleeve by matching hex profiles, connected to the downhole tool. Radia... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7296633 | Flow control apparatus for use in a wellbore Methods and apparatus for use in a welibore to meter and choke certain components from being produced, based upon their density relative to the density of oil are described herein. The device includes an inner tubular body portion having apertures in the wall thereo... | 11/20/2007 |
| 7267177 | Tubing fill and testing valve The present invention provides for a valve in a tubing string that allows the tubing string to fill with well fluids as the string is assembled and lowered into a well bore, but can be used to check pressure integrity of the tubing string during various stages of th... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7255174 | Cement control ring A sealing system for a flow tube keeps cement from getting around it to the flapper when the safety valve is in the open position. Seals are provided at opposed ends of the flow tube so that the power spring and the flapper will not get fouled with cement pumped thr... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7252152 | Methods and apparatus for actuating a downhole tool The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for remotely actuating a downhole tool. In one aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for activating a downhole tool in a wellbore, the downhole tool having an actuated and unactuated positions. The... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7228898 | Gravel pack completion with fluid loss control fiber optic wet connect A gravel pack completion with fluid loss control and fiber optic wet connect. In a described embodiment, a system for completing a subterranean well includes multiple assemblies installed in a wellbore. Each assembly has a fiber optic line. The fiber optic lines are... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7219730 | Smart cementing systems The present invention provides methods and apparatus for determining the location of an apparatus in a wellbore. The method includes lowering the apparatus with a conveying member and measuring a parameter associated with the conveying member. Thereafter, the measur... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7210534 | Lock for a downhole tool with a reset feature The lock allows two members in a downhole tool to be temporarily held together. In an application where mandrel movement is dictated by pressure cycling in combination with a J-slot mechanism, such as in a downhole valve, the mandrel is releaseably retained to an ad... | 05/01/2007 |
| 7201230 | Hydraulic control and actuation system for downhole tools A hydraulic control and actuation system for downhole tools. In a described embodiment, a hydraulic control and actuation system includes an internal chamber serving as a low pressure region and a well annulus serving as an energy source. A valve assembly provides s... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7198109 | Double-pin radial flow valve A valve with the following components: a pipe; an inner sub connected to the pipe; an outer sub connected to the pipe, wherein the inner and outer subs are concentric and define a sub annulus; a conduit between the sub annulus and an inside diameter of the inner sub... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7195033 | Method and system for determining and controlling position of valve Apparatuses and methods for accurately determining the position of a sliding or rotational sleeve valve in real time are disclosed. The apparatus comprises fiber optic cable based sensors which are either linearly or circumferentially arrayed in the housing that sur... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7086479 | Expanding well tools Methods of expanding well tools, which permit operation of the well tools after expansion, are provided. In a described example, a cementing tool includes a valve and a packer. After the cementing tool is expanded, the valve is selectively opened and closed, and the... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7063156 | Tubing fill and testing valve The present invention provides for a valve in a tubing string that allows the tubing string to fill with well fluids as the string is assembled and lowered into a well bore, but can be used to check pressure integrity of the tubing string during various stages of th... | 06/20/2006 |
| 6957699 | Downhole shut-in tool The invention provides a downhole shut-in tool for obtaining formation pressure data. The tool includes a fast-closing main valve and a pressure-relief valve operable between open and closed positions to effect periodic sealing and release of formation pressure with... | 10/25/2005 |
| 6918452 | Drill string shutoff valve A valve assembly connects into a drill string for opening and closing the inner passage within the drill string. The valve member moves between the open and closed positions in response to axial movement of the drill string. The valve member has an upper portion and... | 07/19/2005 |
| 6854519 | Subsurface valve with system and method for sealing A valve for use in a wellbore, the valve having a compensating secondary sealing system for misalignments that inevitably occur in sealing subsurface valves, particularly subsurface safety valves. A sealing system can include a dynamic sealing system and a static se... | 02/15/2005 |
| 6817409 | Double-acting reciprocating downhole pump A positive displacement pump for pumping fluids from a downhole formation to the earth's surface is provided. The pump first comprises a plunger. The plunger is reciprocated axially within the wellbore by a linear actuator, such as a submersible electrical pump, in ... | 11/16/2004 |
| 6808023 | Disconnect check valve mechanism for coiled tubing A tubing conveyed disconnect check valve mechanism having releasable connection with a payload tool and being selectively actuated downhole for disconnecting from the payload tool for retrieval by the tubing string, with the check valve enabled for direct circulatin... | 10/26/2004 |
| 6808020 | Debris-free valve apparatus and method of use The present invention provides an apparatus for use in completing a subterranean zone penetrated by a wellbore. One aspect of the invention comprises a housing member with a longitudinal bore and a valve member located within the housing member that is movable betwe... | 10/26/2004 |
| 6732803 | Debris free valve apparatus The present invention provides an apparatus for use in completing a subterranean zone penetrated by a wellbore. One aspect of the invention comprises a housing member with a longitudinal bore and a valve member located within the housing member that is movable betwe... | 05/11/2004 |
| 6722440 | Multi-zone completion strings and methods for multi-zone completions A string for completing a well, the string having several parts including: a base pipe with a hole; a packer in mechanical communication with the base pipe; a screen in mechanical communication with the base pipe, wherein the screen is proximate the hole in the base... | 04/20/2004 |
| 6691788 | Retrievable packer having a positively operated support ring A retrievable packer (50) for establishing a sealing and gripping engagement between a tubing string and a well casing (34) disposed in a wellbore is disclosed. The retrievable packer (50) comprises a collet member (64) that is slidably disposed about a p... | 02/17/2004 |
| 6675897 | Downhole bypass valve The present invention relates to bypass valves for use in wellbores, particularly but not exclusively to bypass valves used during the setting of hydraulic anchor packers. A bypass valve (2) is provided with a piston (30) slidably mounted adjacent a body ... | 01/13/2004 |
| 6607037 | Sand control seal for subsurface safety valve A seal is provided to prevent contamination by sand or grit in the clearance between a flow tube and the inner housing wall in a safety valve. An enlarged space is provided adjacent the seal to allow accumulation of sand or grit in the annular clearance s... | 08/19/2003 |
| 6568470 | Downhole actuation system utilizing electroactive fluids Downhole wellbore tools are actuated by electrically controllable fluids that are energized by a magnetic field. When energized, the viscosity state of the fluid may be increased by a degree depending on the fluid formulation. Reduction of the controllabl... | 05/27/2003 |
| 6474419 | Packer with equalizing valve and method of use A packer with an equalizing valve for automatically equalizing the pressure above and below the packer element. The packer comprises a housing having an equalizing valve disposed therein. A packer element is disposed about the housing for sealingly engagi... | 11/05/2002 |
| 6397949 | Method and apparatus for production using a pressure actuated circulating valve The present invention relates to a pressure actuated valve for use in well completion assemblies. The valve is operable by pressure between three configurations. In a first configuration, the valve is in a locked-closed configuration. In a second configur... | 06/04/2002 |
| 6394187 | Flapper valve assembly apparatus and method The flapper valve assembly can be used in series to provide collapsible closures in a drill pipe. Thus, when work strings are withdrawn through the flapper valve, it will close in a conventional manner. However, when the work string must be reinserted thr... | 05/28/2002 |
| 6343658 | Underbalanced well completion Apparatus and associated methods are provided which facilitate underbalanced drilling and completion of wells. In a described embodiment of a well control valve, the valve is opened and closed when a drill string is displaced therethrough. A shifting devi... | 02/05/2002 |
| 6279657 | Apparatus and method for circulating fluid in a well bore A circulating tool for circulating fluid in a borehole comprising a tubular assembly having an axial through passage between an inlet and a first outlet, a second outlet extending generally transversely of the tubular assembly, and an obturating member mo... | 08/28/2001 |
| 6082459 | Drill string diverter apparatus and method The present invention relates to a drill string diverter apparatus for reducing surge pressure when lowering a liner into a partially cased wellbore. The diverter apparatus is connected in a pipe string above a liner being lowered into a wellbore. The div... | 07/04/2000 |
| 6050341 | Downhole running tool A downhole running tool (10) for use in positioning an item, such as a length of tubing (12) , in a bore comprises a body (11, 22) defining a fluid passage, an arrangement (20, 30) for creating a flow restriction, to create an increase in fluid pressure i... | 04/18/2000 |
| 6019175 | Tubing hanger to permit axial tubing displacement in a well bore and method of using same A tubing hanger and a method for axially displacing tubing string in a cased well bore without removing the wellhead from the well are described. The tubing hanger consists of a primary tubing hanger component engageable with the wellhead and a secondary ... | 02/01/2000 |
| 5957198 | Telescoping joint for use in conduit connected wellhead and zone isolating tool A telescoping joint for use in a conduit connected to a wellhead and supporting downhole well tools to permit the downhole well tools to be axially displaced in the well bore without disconnecting the conduit from the wellhead is described. The telescopin... | 09/28/1999 |
| 5927401 | Method and apparatus for remote control of multilateral wells A method and apparatus for selectively producing fluids from multiple lateral wellbores that extend from a central wellbore. The apparatus comprises a fluid flow assembly with a selectively openable and adjustable flow control valve in communication with ... | 07/27/1999 |
| 5775421 | Fluid loss device A fluid loss device has a housing, a seal assembly, a running tool, and a plug. The housing of the fluid loss device is placed in a production string before a well bore is completed. The plug is attached to the running tool, and the running tool is attach... | 07/07/1998 |