Did You Know...
...that in the early 1940s GE engineer James Wright was charged with a task of utmost importance to the war effort: develop a cheap substitute for rubber that could be used to produce tires, gas masks and a whole host of military gear. Wright tackled the task diligently -- and wound up inventing Silly Putty.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7992632 | System for power supply to subsea installations A system for power supply to subsea installations and plants for production of hydrocarbons, comprising a preferably heat insulated pipeline (10), in which the possibility for internal formation of detrimental hydrates or wax deposits are present, and compris... | 08/09/2011 |
| 7942197 | Methods and systems for producing fluid from an in situ conversion process A system that includes a plurality of heat sources configured to heat a portion of a formation is described. At least one production well is in the formation. A bottom portion of the production well is a sump in an underburden of the formation below the heated porti... | 05/17/2011 |
| 7389814 | Heat exchange compressor An apparatus and process for simultaneously compressing liquids and gases and exchanging the heat of compression with fluids which may be the same liquids and gasses compressed. An apparatus and process for heating maintenance fluids using heat generated when the li... | 06/24/2008 |
| 7367398 | Device for heating and thermally insulating at least one undersea pipeline Apparatus for heating and lagging at least one main undersea pipe for conveying a flow of hot effluent. The apparatus includes a covering of thermally insulating material surrounding the main pipe(s), and covered by a leaktight outer protective casing and an interna... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7322415 | Subterranean electro-thermal heating system and method A subterranean electro-thermal heating system including one or more heater cable sections extending through one or more heat target regions of a subterranean environment and one or more cold lead sections coupled to the heater cable section(s) and extending through ... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7311151 | Substantially neutrally buoyant and positively buoyant electrically heated flowlines for production of subsea hydrocarbons A flowline is described for producing hydrocarbons from a subsea well that is comprised of a substantially neutrally buoyant tubular composite umbilical. The flowline may possess electrical heating apparatus within the tubular walls of the tubular composite umbilica... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7293606 | Heat exchanging apparatus A heat exchanging apparatus including a gas fuelled flameless heater and a heat exchanger loop. The heat exchanger loop includes a heat absorbing section which is contained within the flameless heater so that the flameless heater provides a heat source for the heat ... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7182151 | Apparatus and method for horizontal drilling An apparatus and method for horizontally drilling for detecting subsurface features and avoiding such features during closed-loop control of an underground drilling machine. A horizontal drilling system includes a base machine capable of propelling a drill pipe rota... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7147057 | Loop systems and methods of using the same for conveying and distributing thermal energy into a wellbore Systems and methods are provided for treating a wellbore using a loop system to heat oil in a subterranean formation contacted by the wellbore. The loop system comprises a loop that conveys a fluid (e.g., steam) down the wellbore via a injection conduit and returns ... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7138093 | Heat exchanger device A heat exchanger device is configured for use with a catalytic heater having a planar heat radiating surface. The device includes an inlet header, an outlet header and heat exchanger tubes communicating therebetween. A frame supports the headers and the heat exchang... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7111693 | System and method for locating and tracking a boring tool A system for monitoring the position and orientation of a downhole tool assembly having multiple beacons. In a preferred embodiment the first and second beacons are supported by the downhole tool assembly. Both beacons are adapted to transmit signals that are indica... | 09/26/2006 |
| 7104330 | Marine riser tower This invention relates to a marine riser tower (112, 114) for use in the production of hydrocarbons from offshore wells. The riser tower (112, 114) includes a plurality of fluid conduits, which may comprise production flow lines (P), gas-lift lines (G)... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7100694 | Marine riser tower The invention relates to a marine riser tower having a plurality of rigid metallic conduits bundled together with a metallic tubular core. The conduits may include production lines for hydrocarbons, water injection lines, and/or gas lift lines. A production line or ... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7086468 | In situ thermal processing of a hydrocarbon containing formation using heat sources positioned within open wellbores A hydrocarbon containing formation may be treated using an in situ thermal process. Hydrocarbons, H2, and/or other formation fluids may be produced from the formation. Heat may be applied to the formation to raise a temperature of a portion of the formati... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7037105 | Heating apparatus for wells An apparatus for warming objects such as production conduits at a well site comprises an internal combustion engine driving a well pump. A heat exchanger shell is connected to an exhaust port of the engine, and has an output port. A circulating pump is driven by the... | 05/02/2006 |
| 7032658 | High power umbilicals for electric flowline immersion heating of produced hydrocarbons Methods and apparatus for installing electrically heated composite umbilicals within subsea flowlines containing produced hydrocarbons as immersion heaters to prevent waxes and hydrates from forming within the subsea flowlines that could block the flowlines. The ele... | 04/25/2006 |
| 7032675 | Thermally-controlled valves and methods of using the same in a wellbore Methods of operating a downhole tool comprise thermally-controlling the tool by sensing a temperature and controlling the tool in response to the sensed temperature. Thermally-controlled downhole tools comprise a control element responsive to a change in temperature... | 04/25/2006 |
| 7017664 | Single trip horizontal gravel pack and stimulation system and method A method for completing a well in a single trip, including: inserting a completion tool assembly into the well, the completion tool assembly having a gravel packing assembly and a service tool assembly slidably positioned substantially within an interior cavity in t... | 03/28/2006 |
| 6955221 | Active heating of thermally insulated flowlines Hydrocarbon liquids are transported from a subsea welihead to an above-surface hydrocarbon processing facility along a pipe-in-pipe flowline. The flowline is a pipe placed coaxially within an outer carrier pipe and the annulus between the pipes is filled with therma... | 10/18/2005 |
| 6939082 | Subea pipeline blockage remediation method The method of taking a remotely operated vehicle to the ocean floor to land on and move along a subsea pipeline above or below the seafloor and repeatedly circulate seawater which has been heated electrically, mechanically, or chemically across the outer surface of ... | 09/06/2005 |
| 6776227 | Wellhead heating apparatus and method Apparatus and method for heating and preventing freeze-off of wellhead equipment utilize radiant heat from a flameless heater to heat fluid in a heat exchanger, such as a tank or finned radiator. A pump is used to circulate the heated fluid through a conduit loop de... | 08/17/2004 |
| 6752210 | In situ thermal processing of a coal formation using heat sources positioned within open wellbores A coal formation may be treated using an in situ thermal process. Hydrocarbons, H2, and/or other formation fluids may be produced from the formation. Heat may be applied to the formation to raise a temperature of a portion of the formation to a pyrolysis ... | 06/22/2004 |
| 6588500 | Enhanced oil well production system A closed loop heat transfer system located on the surface near the wellhead for transporting hot fluid through a tubing located in the annulus between the well casing and the outer surface of the production string. The tubing extends down along the produc... | 07/08/2003 |
| 6338381 | Heat exchange systems A system for heating or cooling a wellhead, the system including a header in fluid communication via a pipe with a wellhead so that header heat transfer fluid is flowable from the header to the wellhead and back to the header, an earth heat exchange syste... | 01/15/2002 |
| 5899269 | Flameless combustor A combustor method and apparatus is provided. The method utilizes flameless combustion with one or more of three improvements to enhance ignition of the flameless combustor. A catalytic surface can be provided within a combustion chamber to provide flamel... | 05/04/1999 |
| 5285846 | Thermal mineral extraction system Material is thermally extracted from an underground formation with the aid of heat supplied by electrical resistance heaters (21) or by tubing (5, 6) serving as such, or by heated fluid conveyed downhole in pipes (12), which may serve as electrical conduc... | 02/15/1994 |
| 5211223 | Down hole oil well heater employing electro-thermal paper A down-hole oil well heater for improved recovery of oil includes a heating element comprising a sheet of electrically conductive paper which generates heat as a result of resistance to current flow therethrough and spaced apart, primary conductor element... | 05/18/1993 |
| 5126037 | Geopreater heating method and apparatus A separate heat source, such an a skin effect heater, is added to a subterranean heat exchanger and oxygen combustion device for upgrading viscous crude oil feeds. An insulated wire is integrated with combustion oxygen supply piping to form the skin effec... | 06/30/1992 |
| 5040605 | Oil recovery method and apparatus A method and apparatus are provided for the recovery of a heavy oil, contained in an outcropping formation, without any significant adverse environmental impact. Broadly, the invention comprises indirectly heating an oil containing formation to reduce the... | 08/20/1991 |
| 4988389 | Exploitation method for reservoirs containing hydrogen sulphide A method of producing fluids from subterreanean reservoirs containing hydrogen sulphide and especially those reservoirs where elemental sulphur or hydrogen polysulphides are present. The method describes the use of a jet pump, chemical injection, and down... | 01/29/1991 |
| 4865130 | Hot gas generator with integral recovery tube A housing surrounds a portion of a tubular member forming a combustion chamber in the annulus between the housing and the tubular member. The housing has an upper end and a lower end with a port for the passage of hot gases. The tubular member has a port ... | 09/12/1989 |
| 4783585 | Downhole electric steam or hot water generator for oil wells A downhole heating generator for producing steam or hot water in oil wells to aid in the recovery of oil includes an elongated cylindrical housing suspended by a cable within the tube string of an oil well bore at the level of a geological formation to be... | 11/08/1988 |
| 4576661 | Process for sealing the end of insulated pipes which have a number of monitoring wires, and means for carrying out the process The structure and process for providing a sealed insulated piping arrangement by introducing a molten sealing material between the inner fluid conducting pipe, and an outer casing, which space may include monitoring wires. The sealing material is introduc... | 03/18/1986 |
| 4509599 | Gas well liquid removal system and process A split-stream method and apparatus for preventing the accumulation of liquids, such as water or oil, in subterranean gas wells having low shut-in bottom hole pressures is provided. A compressor whose capacity can be less than the theoretical adiabatic ho... | 04/09/1985 |
| 4446917 | Method and apparatus for producing viscous or waxy crude oils Tubing which contains crude oil being moved to the surface is surrounded by concentric sections of pipe at various depths along portions of the tubing. Said concentric sections of pipe contain a porous media incorporating an oxidizing catalyst in the annu... | 05/08/1984 |
| 4436158 | Releasable drill string device and method A drill string working tool is provided that may be releasably engaged to and removed from a drill string member. The tool, such as a cylindrical stabilizer body, is positioned around a cylindrical drill string member, the inner diameter of the stabilizer... | 03/13/1984 |
| 4328865 | Wax control in oil wells using a thermal syphon system This invention relates to a system for controlling wax formation in oil wells using a thermal syphon wherein a confined annular space between the production tube and the oil string casing is provided by means of a plug, or "packer", installed at a point w... | 05/11/1982 |
| 4304308 | Burner apparatus for making holes in coal seams A method and apparatus for making holes in coal seams in a coal mining system in which hot working gas is employed to impinge on the coal under high pressure and speed in order to disintegrate it and particularly for making inclined or horizontal holes wh... | 12/08/1981 |
| 4154297 | Lift gas heat exchanger In order to prevent freezing of the input lift gas in an oilwell in which gas under pressure is used to lift the well fluids, a heat exchanger is provided which serves to heat the input gas from the warm well fluids. The heat exchanger includes an outer c... | 05/15/1979 |
| 4019575 | System for recovering viscous petroleum from thick tar sand Recovery of viscous petroleum such as from thick tar sands is assisted using a closed-loop flow path formed in a well by concentric casing and tubular members extending from the earth's surface through a substantial portion of the formation for conducting... | 04/26/1977 |
