...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 |
| 7958948 | Method and system for return of drilling fluid A system and method is described for use and return of drilling fluid/cuttings from a well, which is drilled on the ocean floor, in connection with offshore related oil production and gas production, where, from a drilling rig or drilling vessel (10), a drill... | 06/14/2011 |
| 7448454 | Method and system for return of drilling fluid from a sealed marine riser to a floating drilling rig while drilling A floating rig or structure for drilling in the floor of an ocean using a rotatable tubular includes a seal housing having a rotatable seal connected above a portion of a marine riser fixed to the floor of the ocean. The seal rotating with the rotating tubular allow... | 11/11/2008 |
| 7367410 | Method and device for liner system Method for drilling and lining a well wherein at least one liner (1, 2, 32) with a larger external diameter than the substantial part of a drilling riser (10) is pre-installed at a point below the substantial part of the drilling riser (10). A b... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7350597 | Drilling system and method A drilling system for drilling a bore hole into an earth formation, the bore hole having an inside wall. A drill string reaches into the bore hole from a surface, leaving a drilling fluid return passage between the drill string and the bore hole inside wall. A botto... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7331746 | Apparatus for handling and racking pipes An apparatus for handling pipes in a derrick and racking the pipes on a pipe racking assembly mounted on the derrick is provided to improve the stability of transferring pipes during a round trip operation. The apparatus includes a rotatable gate assembly mounted on... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7331394 | Autonomous well intervention system A self-contained well intervention system which can be deployed from a lightweight vessel and coupled directly to a wellhead is described. The system includes valve means for providing a suitable well barrier and sealing the intervention system to allow an emergency... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7322412 | Casing shoes and methods of reverse-circulation cementing of casing A method having the following steps: running a circulation valve comprising a reactive material into the well bore on the casing; reverse-circulating an activator material in the well bore until the activator material contacts the reactive material of the circulatio... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7324929 | Method and system for simulating a hydrocarbon-bearing formation The invention is a method for simulating one or more characteristics of a multi-component, hydrocarbon-bearing formation into which a displacement fluid having at least one component is injected to displace formation hydrocarbons. The first step of the method is to ... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7318479 | Assembly for connecting a jumper to a subsea structure An assembly for connecting a jumper to a subsea structure. The assembly comprises a jumper connector attached to an end of the jumper that has a vertically disposed main body adapted for receiving a plurality of lines, which connect into a corresponding plurality of... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7314087 | Heave compensation system for hydraulic workover The present invention relates generally to offshore drilling and production operations, and, more particularly, to marine drilling workover/intervention tensioning and compensating devices and methodologies. A heave compensated hydraulic workover device and/or syste... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7314088 | System for retrieving a tubular element from a well A system is disclosed for retrieving a tubular element extending into a subsea well provided with a wellhead, the tubular element being provided with a hanger suspending the tubular element at the wellhead, the hanger having a larger outer diameter than the tubular ... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7308943 | Well operations system A wellhead has, instead of a conventional Christmas tree, a spool tree in which a tubing hanger is landed at a predetermined angular orientation. As the tubing string can be pulled without disturbing the tree, many advantages follow, including access to the producti... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7308953 | Mobile drilling rig An embodied mobile drilling rig is made of three sections, two substructures and a mast section, which are easily transported and installed at a drilling site. Each substructure includes a mast starting section; a floor side box connected to the mast starting sectio... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7308902 | Subsea valve assembly with replaceable fixed orifice insert The present invention is directed to an subsea valve assembly having a fixed orifice insert that can be removed and replaced using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The valve assembly includes a removable orifice insert holder and a threaded receptacle housing into... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7303014 | Casing strings and methods of using such strings in subterranean cementing operations Improved casing strings, and methods of using improved casing strings in subterranean cementing operations, are provided. An example of an apparatus is a pipe string comprising at least one pipe section and a delivery system of an activator. Another example of an ap... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7303008 | Methods and systems for reverse-circulation cementing in subterranean formations Methods and systems for reverse-circulation cementing in subterranean formations are provided. An example of a method is a method of cementing casing in a subterranean well bore, comprising inserting a casing into the well bore, the casing comprising a casing shoe; ... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7290611 | Methods and systems for cementing wells that lack surface casing Methods and systems for cementing casing in well bores drilled in subterranean formations, and more particularly, methods and systems for cementing casing in a well bore without surface casing or a well head are provided. A method provided herein may comprise sealin... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7284616 | Selectively retrievable wear bushing for subsea or surface applications The present invention is directed to an assembly for installing and selectively retrieving a wear bushing in the bore of a subsea or surface wellhead. The assembly includes a bit sub, which is adapted for attachment to a drill string, a drill string adapter removabl... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7284608 | Casing strings and methods of using such strings in subterranean cementing operations Improved casing strings, and methods of using improved casing strings in subterranean operations, are provided. An example of a method is a method of cementing a pipe string in a subterranean formation. Another example of a method is a method of cementing a pipe str... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7274989 | Borehole equipment position detection system It is important to know the precise position of equipment when testing of the BOP, testing the wellhead, flow testing the well, kick control, well circulation and testing of spool trees between the wellhead and the BOP. Accordingly, there is provided a system for de... | 09/25/2007 |
| 7270185 | Drilling system and method for controlling equivalent circulating density during drilling of wellbores A drilling system for drilling subsea wellbores includes a tubing-conveyed drill bit that passes through a subsea wellhead. Surface supplied drilling fluid flows through the tubing, discharges at the drill bit, returns to the wellhead through a wellbore annulus, and... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7264058 | Arrangement and method for regulating bottom hole pressures when drilling deepwater offshore wells An arrangement and a method to control and regulate the bottom hole pressure in a well during subsea drilling at deep waters: The method involves adjustment of a liquid/gas interface level in a drilling riser up or down. The arrangement comprises a high pressure dri... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7261164 | Floatable drill cuttings bag and method and system for use in cuttings disposal In aspects, embodiments of the present invention provide devices, systems and methods for managing cuttings formed during drilling of a subsea wellbore. By managing, it is meant the processing, storage, transportation and disposal of the cuttings. In an exemplary ap... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7255180 | Modular drill system requiring limited field assembly and limited equipment support A modular transfigurable drilling rig comprises one or more transfigurable containers with drilling equipment to form an operational drilling rig. The transfigurable containers include a first and second load bearing support and a load bearing bottom disposed betwee... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7252147 | Cementing methods and systems for initiating fluid flow with reduced pumping pressure A method of initiating fluid circulation in a well bore through a casing inner diameter and an annulus outside the casing, the method having the following steps: inducing an increase in the annulus fluid pressure; flowing cement composition into the annulus at the t... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7252159 | Underwater rock boring apparatus having differential global positioning system receiver and boring method thereof The present invention relates to an underwater rock boring apparatus having differential global positioning system receiver and boring method thereof, new boring technology—a satellite navigation device orients the accurate position of a target—is brought to the... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7243738 | Multi seam coal bed/methane dewatering and depressurizing production system A process for underbalanced drilling into multiple coal and shale formations, and dewatering the drilled formations, which includes drilling a first borehole through several coal seams to a certain depth; lowering an upstock on the end of a carrier string to the dep... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7240736 | Drilling and producing deep water subsea wells Subsea wells are drilled and completed with an offshore floating platform in a manner that allows simultaneous work on more than one well. A first well is drilled and casing. Then a tubing hanger is run through a drilling riser and landed in the wellhead housing. Th... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7237613 | Underbalanced marine drilling riser A riser assembly for offshore drilling has an inner conduit suspended within an outer riser. A seal assembly seals an annular space between the inner conduit and the riser at the lower end of the inner conduit. The seal assembly has a pressure area that is independe... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7237623 | Method for pressurized mud cap and reverse circulation drilling from a floating drilling rig using a sealed marine riser A method for drilling in the floor of an ocean from a floating structure using a rotatable tubular includes a seal housing having a rotatable seal connected above a portion of a marine riser fixed to the floor of the ocean. The seal rotating with the rotating tubula... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7234527 | System and method for fail-safe disconnect from a subsea well A system and method for controllably separating a conduit into an upper portion and a lower portion. The system includes a first valve in the upper portion of the conduit above a point of separation, and a second valve in the lower portion of the conduit below the p... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7234546 | Drilling and cementing casing system A method and associated equipment are disclosed which allow drilling at least a portion of a well and subsequently cementing casing in a single trip. The method is particularly suited for deep-water offshore operations where the drill string can be run through a sec... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7231977 | Continuous monobore liquid lining system A process for drilling a well or a portion of a well capable of providing a generally constant interior wall diameter (monobore) and does not require installation of any liner or steel casing. The process comprises circulating settable material into the borehole whe... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7231981 | Inline compensator for a floating drill rig An apparatus and method for protecting against the problems associated with heave of a floating drilling rig are disclosed. The disclosed invention is a unique inline compensator in which a plurality of cylinders housed within a tubular housing and a plurality of lo... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7225877 | Subsea intervention fluid transfer system A system for subsea transfer of intervention fluids to a subsea intervention apparatus, the system, in certain aspects, including a structure and a frame pivotably mounted thereto, a plurality of frame fluid conduits on the frame for conducting fluid from a connecto... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7219739 | Heave compensation system for hydraulic workover The present invention relates generally to offshore drilling and production operations, and, more particularly, to marine drilling workover/intervention tensioning and compensating devices and methodologies. A heave compensated hydraulic workover device and/or syste... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7213656 | Apparatus and method for facilitating the connection of tubulars using a top drive An apparatus and method for facilitating the connection of tubulars using a top drive and is, more particularly but not exclusively, intended for facilitating the connection of a section or stand of casing to a string of casing. ... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7210530 | Subsea separation system A preferred embodiment of the inventive fluid delivery system comprises a vertical liquid/vapor separator and riser assembly that comprises a multi-phase separator inlet, a vapor outlet and riser, and a liquid outlet port connected to a hydraulically-driven centrifu... | 05/01/2007 |
| 7188677 | Tensioning system for production tubing in a riser at a floating installation for hydrocarbon production A device for tensioning and relieving production tubing (49) extending from a subsea hydrocarbon well (107) up through a riser (63) to a floating installation (87), a continuous production tubing extension (85) passing through a te... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7185719 | Dynamic annular pressure control apparatus and method A drilling system for drilling a bore hole into a subterranean earth formation, wherein at least a portion of the mud flow from the primary mud pump is diverted to the mud discharge outlet, thereby creating a backpressure system to readily increase annular pressure.... | 03/06/2007 |