Did You Know...
...that in 1800 ether was first used by partyers as a fun diversion? Sniffing the gas led to hilarious and raucous laughter as people watched each other become more and more intoxicated and silly. Several doctors independently realized the value ether would have to anesthetize surgery patients. Of those who claimed rights to the "discovery," none had a happy ending. One had a seizure and died defending his rights. Another spent his life in an asylum because he had been denied acclaim. A third became addicted to chloroform and, in a New York City jail, he soaked a cloth in the drug, severed an artery and bled to death.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7328521 | Pressure-actuated gas fill/purge valve An enclosure is provided. The enclosure includes at least one self-actuating valve assembly, incorporated within a wall of the enclosure, including at least one spring member, at least one pivot, attached to the at least one spring member, and at least two seal plug... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7322410 | Controllable production well packer An apparatus and method for operating an electrically powered device in a packer using the piping structure of the well as an electrical conductor for providing power and/or communications. The electrically powered device may comprise an electrically controllable va... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7270178 | Horizontally oriented gas separator A gas restrictor for an intake of a horizontally oriented submersible well pump has a tubular housing and a number of apertures. A sleeve is mounted within the housing for rotation relative to the housing. The sleeve has an axially extending row of slots. At least o... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7259688 | Wireless reservoir production control A reservoir production control system includes a plurality of wells for producing a reservoir linked to a central computer over a downhole communication network and a surface communication network. Both the downhole and the surface communication networks are wireles... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7188670 | Plunger lift system An intermittent lift plunger includes at least one seal mandrel, a bottom sub and an upper valve assembly. The valve assembly is closed by a well bottom stop which inserts into the lift plunger and opened by a lubricator stop at the top of the well. The seal mandrel... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7170424 | Oil well casting electrical power pick-off points A power supply apparatus is provided for supplying power and communications within a first piping structure. An external power transfer device is positioned around the first piping structure and is magnetically coupled to an internal power transfer device. The inter... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7147059 | Use of downhole high pressure gas in a gas-lift well and associated methods A gas-lift petroleum well and method for producing petroleum products using downhole pressurized gas to provide lift. The gas-lift well having a well casing, a production tubing, a packer, and a gas-lift valve. The well casing extends within a wellbore of the well, ... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7121347 | Liquid sampler A method and an apparatus raise samples of liquid such as water from a low level to a higher level, for example for obtaining a sample of groundwater from a borehole. The apparatus comprises a pair of tubes (14 and 16) extending alongside each other, w... | 10/17/2006 |
| 7114561 | Wireless communication using well casing A petroleum well having a borehole extending into a formation is provided. A piping structure is positioned within the borehole, and an induction choke is positioned around the piping structure downhole. A communication system is provided along the piping structure ... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7073594 | Wireless downhole well interval inflow and injection control An apparatus and methods of electrically controlling downhole well interval inflow and/or injection. The downhole controllable well section having a communications and control module, a sensor, an electrically controllable valve and an induction choke. The electrica... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7075454 | Power generation using batteries with reconfigurable discharge A petroleum well for producing petroleum products that incorporates a system adapted to provide power to a downhole device in the well. The system includes a current impedance device and a downhole power storage device. The current impedance device is positioned suc... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7055592 | Toroidal choke inductor for wireless communication and control An induction choke in a petroleum well where a voltage potential is developed across the choke to power and communicate with devices and sensors in the well. Preferably, the induction choke is a ferromagnetic material and acts as an impedance to a time-varying curre... | 06/06/2006 |
| 7040401 | Automated plunger catcher and releaser and chemical launcher for a well tubing method and apparatus An automated plunger catcher and releaser and chemical launcher for a well tubing method and apparatus. In one configuration, arrival of a plunger is sensed as the plunger ascends from the wellbore through the production tubing and a signal is sent to a controller. ... | 05/09/2006 |
| 6935427 | Plunger conveyed plunger retrieving tool and method of use A wellbore plunger retrieving tool including a substantially cylindrical retrieving plunger body having a reduced diameter top end and an opposed bottom end. The body bottom end has a threaded recess. A plunger receiving collet includes a threaded male top end engag... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6830108 | Plunger enhanced chamber lift for well installations Method for operating a well installation utilizing a chamber in operative association with plunger lift to carry out deliquidfication. Injection gas may be employed for plunger lift in a manner wherein the injection channel is isolated from the primary annulus of th... | 12/14/2004 |
| 6767191 | Method of compressing gaseous hydrocarbon-containing medium The invention relates to the field of petrochemistry, in particular to a method of compressing a gaseous hydrocarbon-containing medium, for example, different hydrocarbon gases including flares produced in the oil refining and petrochemical industries. A distillate ... | 07/27/2004 |
| 5785500 | Well pump having a plunger in contact with well and pump fluid A pump apparatus for use in a pump system of a well capable of exerting and releasing pressure on a pump fluid supplied to the pump apparatus. The pump apparatus includes a tubular body having a pump fluid space for communicating with the pump fluid and a... | 07/28/1998 |
| 4986727 | Pressure-operated oil and gas well swabbing device An oil well swabbing device having a pressure activated valve for use in closing a fluid passage therein when the swabbing device is submerged under liquid in a well casing corresponding to a predetermined valve closing pressure; the pressure-activated va... | 01/22/1991 |
| 4984969 | Plunger lift tool A plunger tool is provided having a nose assembly to slow the descent of the tool into the well, a valve assembly, and a piston cylinder assembly. When the tool is dropped into the well, the gas and liquids in the well flow through restrictions in the nos... | 01/15/1991 |
| 4813485 | Gas and oil well pumping or swabbing device and method The pumping or swabbing device and apparatus of the invention utilizes an elongate barrel slidable upwardly and downwardly on an axial rod which carries a valve element for closing on a valve seat provided interiorly of the barrel to close passage through... | 03/21/1989 |
| 4664602 | Controller for plunger lift system for oil and gas wells A controller is disclosed for a plunger lift system for oil and gas wells that monitors the casing pressure, flow line pressure, and battery voltage and overrides the on-time and off-time periods to either shut the well in or open the flow line valve when... | 05/12/1987 |
| 4629004 | Plunger lift for controlling oil and gas production A plunger lift is adapted to be disposed in a well tubing string for slidable movement in relation to the tubing string in response to lift pressure. The plunger lift is an integral, one-piece unit that comprises a generally cylindrical, elongated shaft h... | 12/16/1986 |
| 4596516 | Gas lift apparatus having condition responsive gas inlet valve A novel gas lift apparatus is described which is particularly useful for the dewatering of gas wells in which the gas pressure is low or for the lifting of oil from wells when mixed oil and gas are produced. Water or oil is allowed to collect in the tubin... | 06/24/1986 |
| 4526228 | Apparatus for operating a gas and oil producing well Apparatus is disclosed for automatically operating a gas and oil producing well of the plunger lift type, including a comparator for comparing casing and tubing pressures, a device for opening the gas delivery valve when the difference between casing and ... | 07/02/1985 |
| 4417858 | Plunger lift control A well system includes a free lift plunger, and a gas supply line and associated motor valve for supplying intermittently injection gas to effect the lifting of the plunger and a slug of production liquid to the outflow line. The motor valve is diaphragm ... | 11/29/1983 |
| 4211279 | Plunger lift system A plunger lift system used in wells having a tubing string disposed within casing. An improved plunger catcher and trip assembly is provided within the wellhead to hold the plunger in its upper position while lift gas escapes from the tubing string throug... | 07/08/1980 |
| 3991825 | Secondary recovery system utilizing free plunger air lift system The present invention is a secondary recovery system normally used for retrieving oil from the producing zone after the bottom hole pressure has decreased so that artificial lift is required for production. An accumulator is positioned in the lower portio... | 11/16/1976 |
| 3941511 | Artificial lift for oil wells An apparatus for retrieving oil from a producing zone after the bottom hole pressure has decreased to such an extent that artificial lift is required for production. An accumulator is positioned in the area of the casing where oil accumulates with the upp... | 03/02/1976 |
| 3941510 | Artificial lift for oil wells An apparatus for retrieving oil from a producing zone after the bottom hole pressure has decreased to such an extent that artificial lift is required for production. An accumulator is provided by casing sealed off with a packer, or an accumulation chamber... | 03/02/1976 |
