Did You Know...
...that the video game, Pong, was invented by a guy who graduated at the bottom of his engineering class? Nolan Bushnell spent more time running the games at a local amusement park than he did on his studies at the University of Utah. His dreams of working for Disney's amusement empire were dashed when the company wouldn't hire him. Taking a boring job, Nolan daydreamed about electronic versions of popular games. He invented Pong, the first video game, and went on to found Atari Co.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8167043 | Degradable material assisted diversion or isolation A method for well treatment by forming a temporary plug in a fracture, a perforation, a wellbore, or more than one of these locations, in a well penetrating a subterranean formation is provided, in which the method of well treatment includes: injecting a slurry comp... | 05/01/2012 |
| 8082994 | Methods for enhancing fracture conductivity in subterranean formations Methods of enhancing the conductivity of fractures in subterranean formations comprising: providing a propped fracture in a subterranean formation wherein a plurality of proppant particulates reside in at least a portion of the fracture; providing a displacement flu... | 12/27/2011 |
| 7971643 | Methods and compositions of a storable relatively lightweight proppant slurry for hydraulic fracturing and gravel packing applications Methods and compositions useful for subterranean formation treatments, such as hydraulic fracturing treatments and sand control that utilize relatively lightweight and/or substantially neutrally buoyant particulates. Particles that may be employed include particulat... | 07/05/2011 |
| 7963330 | Resin compositions and methods of using resin compositions to control proppant flow-back Methods and compositions that include a resin composition having from about 5% to about 30% phenol, from about 40% to about 70% phenol formaldehyde, from about 10 to about 40% furfuryl alcohol, from about 0.1% to about 3% of a silane coupling agent, and from about 1... | 06/21/2011 |
| 7938185 | Fracture stimulation of layered reservoirs A hydraulic fracturing process consisting essentially of drilling a wellbore through at least one reservoir formation, installing in said wellbore at least one conduit, ensuring pressure communication between said wellbore and said reservoir formation, at a higher e... | 05/10/2011 |
| 7931084 | Methods for treating a subterranean formation by introducing a treatment fluid containing a proppant and a swellable particulate and subsequently degrading the swellable particulate A method is provided for treating at least a portion of a subterranean formation. The method includes the steps of: (a) introducing a treatment fluid into the subterranean formation, wherein the treatment fluid comprises a proppant and a swellable particulate; (b) s... | 04/26/2011 |
| 7896075 | Subterranean treatment fluids with enhanced particulate transport or suspension capabilities and associated methods Subterranean treatment fluids that exhibit enhanced particulate transport or suspension capabilities, and associated methods of use in certain subterranean treatments are provided. In one embodiment, the methods comprise: providing a linear gelled fluid that compris... | 03/01/2011 |
| 7870901 | Inhibiting formation face failure in oil and gas wells A technique includes running a string into a well bore and inhibiting formation face failure. The well bore extends at least partially through a non-producing layer and a hydrocarbon formation layer. The inhibiting of the formation face failure includes communicatin... | 01/18/2011 |
| 7857051 | Internal breaker for oilfield treatments A composition and method for improving the fluid efficiency of many oilfield treatments is given. The composition is a solid additive, in a viscosified fluid, in a size range small enough that it enters formation pores; it optionally bridges there to form an interna... | 12/28/2010 |
| 7836952 | Proppant for use in a subterranean formation The invention provides a proppant for treating a subterranean formation penetrated by a wellbore, wherein a typical specimen of the proppant has a non-globular and non-fibrous shape. The invention also provides a method for stimulating a subterranean formation penet... | 11/23/2010 |
| 7798224 | Rheology controlled heterogeneous particle placement in hydraulic fracturing A method of treating a subterranean formation penetrated by a wellbore includes preparing a treatment fluid with shear thinning, non-monotonic rheological properties, injecting the treatment fluid into the subterranean formation, and inducing shear rate softening ph... | 09/21/2010 |
| 7784541 | System and method for low damage fracturing A system includes a wellbore in fluid communication with a formation of interest and a fracturing slurry include a carrier fluid with a low amount of a viscosifier, an amount of proppant including a first average particle size between about 200 and 2000 μm, an amou... | 08/31/2010 |
| 7775278 | Degradable material assisted diversion or isolation A method for well treatment by forming a temporary plug in a fracture, a perforation, a wellbore, or more than one of these locations, in a well penetrating a subterranean formation is provided, in which the method of well treatment includes: injecting a slurry comp... | 08/17/2010 |
| 7681644 | Managing lost returns in a wellbore A method of managing lost returns in a wellbore includes contacting a filter cake with a treating fluid to remove metallic weighting agents from the filter cake, wherein the filter cake is disposed on a face of a formation fracture in the wellbore. The method also i... | 03/23/2010 |
| 7677311 | Internal breaker for oilfield treatments A composition and method for improving the fluid efficiency of many oilfield treatments is given. The composition is a solid additive, in a viscosified fluid, in a size range small enough that it enters formation pores; it optionally bridges there to form an interna... | 03/16/2010 |
| 7644761 | Fracturing method for subterranean reservoirs A method of creating multiple fractures in a well traversing a formation is described using pressurized fluids in a highly deviated or horizontal section of the well at a pressure above the fracturing pressure of the formation, wherein for creating a fracture the pr... | 01/12/2010 |
| 7581590 | Heterogeneous proppant placement in a fracture with removable channelant fill A method of heterogeneous proppant placement in a subterranean fracture is disclosed. The method comprises injecting well treatment fluid including proppant (16) and proppant-spacing filler material called a channelant (18) through a wellbore (10 | 09/01/2009 |
| 7578346 | Method of plugging fractured formation A material and method for treating a fractured formation penetrated by a wellbore includes providing a quantity of resin coated particles having a particle size of from about 0.2 mm to about 2.35 mm. A quantity of smaller deformable or non-deformable particles is co... | 08/25/2009 |
| 7571766 | Methods of fracturing a subterranean formation using a jetting tool and a viscoelastic surfactant fluid to minimize formation damage A method of fracturing a production interval of a subterranean formation adjacent a wellbore that is open hole or has an uncemented liner is provided. The method comprises the steps of: (a) perforating a zone of the production interval by injecting a pressurized flu... | 08/11/2009 |
| 7527097 | Methods for using reversible phase oil-based drilling fluid A method of fracturing a subterranean formation, the method including injecting a fracturing fluid into the well, wherein said fracturing fluid includes: an oleaginous fluid; and an amine surfactant having the structure whe... | 05/05/2009 |
| 7472751 | Method of treating subterranean formations using mixed density proppants or sequential proppant stages An increase in effective propped lengths is evidenced in hydraulic fracturing treatments by the use of ultra lightweight (ULW) proppants. The ULW proppants have a density less than or equal to 2.45 g/cc and may be used as a mixture in a first proppant stage wherein ... | 01/06/2009 |
| 7424911 | Method of estimating fracture geometry, compositions and articles used for the same Disclosed herein is a method of determining the fracture geometry of a subterranean fracture comprising introducing into the fracture a target particle and/or proppant; transmitting into the fracture electromagnetic radiation having a frequency of about 300 megahert... | 09/16/2008 |
| 7413017 | Methods and compositions for inducing tip screenouts in frac-packing operations A method of inducing tip screenout during a frac-packing treatment comprising injecting a proppant slurry into a subterranean formation, wherein the proppant slurry comprises a proppant material, a fracturing fluid, and degradable particulates and wherein the degrad... | 08/19/2008 |
| 7398825 | Methods of controlling sand and water production in subterranean zones Methods for stabilizing portions of a subterranean formation and controlling the production of water from those subterranean formations. In one embodiment, the methods of the present invention comprise: providing a consolidating agent; introducing the consolidating ... | 07/15/2008 |
| 7398826 | Well treatment with dissolvable polymer Well treatment is disclosed that includes injecting a well treatment fluid with insoluble polyol polymer such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) dispersed therein, depositing the insoluble polymer in the wellbore or an adjacent formation, and thereafter dissolving the poly... | 07/15/2008 |
| 7398829 | Methods of limiting leak off and damage in hydraulic fractures Methods for treating a formation penetrated by a wellbore which improves fluid loss control during treatment. In some aspects, the treatments include preparing an aqueous fluid including one or more water inert polymers and an optional viscosifier, injecting the aqu... | 07/15/2008 |
| 7392843 | Method of treating subterranean formations to enhance hydrocarbon production using proppants A method of enhancing the flow of hydrocarbon fluids from small flow conduits (12) in a subterranean reservoir rock formation (10) that have traditionally not been propped in association with a fracturing treatment of the formation (10), the met... | 07/01/2008 |
| 7392847 | Aggregating reagents, modified particulate metal-oxides, and methods for making and using same A method for treating solid materials is disclosed, where the treating compositions coats surfaces or portions of surfaces of the solid materials changing an aggregation or agglomeration propensity of the materials. Treated solid materials are also disclosed. The me... | 07/01/2008 |
| 7387161 | Determination of well shut-in time for curing resin-coated proppant particles A laboratory test method employs maximum acoustic wave velocity to determine cure time of a sample of curable resin-coated proppant (CRCP) that are packed in a pressurized chamber to simulate conditions in a reservoir rock formation during fracturing in which the CR... | 06/17/2008 |
| 7380601 | Degradable fiber systems for stimulation A method for minimizing the amount of metal crosslinked viscosifier necessary for treating a wellbore with proppant or gravel is given. The method includes using fibers to aid in transporting, suspending and placing proppant or gravel in viscous carrier fluids other... | 06/03/2008 |
| 7380600 | Degradable material assisted diversion or isolation A method for well treatment by forming a temporary plug in a fracture, a perforation, a wellbore, or more than one of these locations, in a well penetrating a subterranean formation is provided, in which the method of well treatment includes: injecting a slurry comp... | 06/03/2008 |
| 7363978 | Methods of using reactive surfactants in subterranean operations Novel uses of reactive surfactants in treating subterranean formations and/or proppant particulates are provided. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method comprising: providing a treatment fluid that comprises a base fluid and a reactive surfactant... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7353876 | Self-degrading cement compositions and methods of using self-degrading cement compositions in subterranean formations Methods of stimulating subterranean formations are provided. More particularly, methods of fracturing subterranean formations using a fracturing fluid comprising a self-degrading cement composition are provided. An example of a method is a method of treating a subte... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7353879 | Biodegradable downhole tools A disposable downhole tool or a component thereof comprises an effective amount of biodegradable material such that the tool or the component thereof desirably decomposes when exposed to a wellbore environment. In an embodiment, the biodegradable material comprises ... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7350572 | Methods for controlling fluid loss A method of treatment of subterranean formations in which leakoff through natural fractures is controlled through the use of fibers. The method involves pumping a mixture of a formation treatment fluid and a fiber into the formation for matrix stimulation, fracture ... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7350571 | Methods of preparing and using coated particulates The present invention involves methods of preparing coated particulates and using such coated particulates in subterranean applications such as production enhancement and sand control. One embodiment of the present invention provides a method of preparing coated par... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7350579 | Sand aggregating reagents, modified sands, and methods for making and using same A method for treating solid materials is disclosed, where the treating compositions coats surfaces or portions of surfaces of the solid materials changing an aggregation or agglomeration propensity of the materials. Treated solid materials are also disclosed. The me... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7347265 | Method of forming temporary blocking gel containing guar derivative A high temperature blocking gel contains a blend of an aqueous fluid and carboxymethyl guar and a crosslinking agent. The gel exhibits excellent hydration capability in brines and positive viscosity generation and controls fluid loss from an oil well during drilling... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7341980 | Viscoelastic surfactant rheology modification A method for shortening the shear recovery time of zwitterionic viscoelastic surfactant fluids by adding a rheology enhancer having the structure: R-(EO)x(PO)y—R′—OH in which R is an alkyl group that is straight chaine... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7341104 | Methods of using substantially hydrated cement particulates in subterranean applications Fracturing fluids comprising a base fluid and substantially hydrated cement particulates. Methods of fracturing a subterranean formation comprising fracturing the subterranean formation so as to create or enhance one or more fractures in the subterranean formation; ... | 03/11/2008 |
