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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7975767 | Apparatus for controlling a downhole device Apparatus for controlling a downhole device such as a choke, the apparatus comprising a housing, a mandrel connected to the downhole device and moveable within the housing to move the device between different positions, and a detent mechanism to selectively lock the... | 07/12/2011 |
| 7775283 | Valve for equalizer sand screens A series of screens with restrictors to equalize flow through base pipe perforations downstream or upstream of each restrictor features a valve member in the openings so that the screens are closed to flow for run in. Pressure can be developed within the base pipe f... | 08/17/2010 |
| 7748462 | Actuating mechanism An actuating mechanism for use in a tool such as a plug used in oil and gas wells. The mechanism being operable under pressure in the well bore to set the plug in a first natural closed state for a pressure under a predetermined pressure range; a second closed state... | 07/06/2010 |
| 7637324 | Isolation valve for subsurface safety valve line A valve for a line going to a subsurface safety valve can be blocked off with a valve that is initially held in a closed position. An upper spring pushes collets against a shoulder to keep a seal on a support assembly for the collets within an initial bore in a seal... | 12/29/2009 |
| 7510010 | System and method for cementing through a safety valve System and method for cementing through a safety valve. A system includes a flow passage, closure mechanism, opening prong repeatedly displaceable to thereby repeatedly operate the closure mechanism open and closed, and a latching device initially maintaining the op... | 03/31/2009 |
| 7503390 | Lock mechanism for a sliding sleeve A locking device prevents stressing of other components used to hold tool portions against relative movement until a desired location is reached. A locking dog holds a first component, such as a sliding sleeve to a second component, such as a mandrel until pressure ... | 03/17/2009 |
| 7409996 | Control system communication and lock open tool and method for locking open a safety valve and communicating with surface Disclosed herein is a communication and lock open device which includes a lock open portion including a latch configured to engage a shifting profile on a closure member of a safety valve. Further included is a communication portion configured to rotationally align ... | 08/12/2008 |
| 7363980 | Downhole flow control apparatus, operable via surface applied pressure Flow control apparatus, for placement in a downhole location in the tubing string of a well. The apparatus comprises a valve element and a lock element. Application and removal of annulus pressure (on the annulus between the tubing and the casing) permits the appara... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7360600 | Subsurface safety valves and methods of use A subsurface safety valve comprises a tubular body adapted for placement within a wellbore and defining a fluid passageway. A valve closure member, such as a flapper valve, is carried by the tubular body and movable through a closure path between positions opening a... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7347268 | One trip flow tube exercising tool A flow tube exercising tool and method for use are described for actuating the flow tube of a downhole safety valve in order to remove build ups of scale and debris from the safety valve and ensure proper operation. The exercising tool provides an engagement portion... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7347270 | Redundant hydraulic system for safety valve A subsurface safety valve for controlling a fluid flow through a well conduit includes a housing having a bore and disposed within an annulus defined by the space between the well conduit and the housing, a valve closure member movable between an open position and a... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7347269 | Flow tube exercising tool A flow tube exercising tool and method for use are described for actuating the flow tube of a downhole safety valve in order to remove build ups of scale and debris from the safety valve and ensure proper operation. The exercising tool provides a lower engagement po... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7331392 | Pressure range delimited valve A differential pressure valve has a valve body containing a main piston axially moveable therein to open a fluid inlet to a fluid outlet at preset high pressure and to close at a preset lower pressure. A high pressure trigger piston and a low pressure trigger piston... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7314091 | Cement-through, tubing retrievable safety valve A subsurface safety valve is first provided. The safety valve generally comprises a tubular housing, an isolation sleeve disposed within an inner diameter of the tubular housing, with the isolation sleeve and the tubular body forming an annular area there between, a... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7311153 | Flow-biased sequencing valve A technique that is usable with a well includes providing a sequencing valve to in a first state to communicate a first flow through a first port of the valve and in a second state close fluid communication through the first port. The technique includes communicatin... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7303020 | Interventionless oil tool actuator with floating piston and method of use An interventionless actuator for oil well tools is described wherein the actuator comprises at least one floating piston adapted to equalize a pressure differential and lock onto an actuating member. An interventionless actuator is described that is charged to an in... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7281584 | Multi-cycle downhill apparatus A downhole apparatus such as multi-cycle circulating subs used during downhole drilling operations includes a piston (42) slidably mounted in a body (4) between positions in which at least one aperture (40) in the body is opened and closed. Move... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7252153 | Bi-directional fluid loss device and method A fluid loss device including a flapper and seat assembly that provide a seal on a lower flapper surface when the flapper is closed and resists pressure in either direction. The flapper and seat assembly is spring biased to contact a flapper support above the flappe... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7252149 | Safety valve lock out system and method A safety valve lock out system and method. In a described embodiment, a method of locking out a safety valve in a subterranean well includes the steps of: flowing a hardenable fluid into the safety valve; and preventing a closure device of the safety valve from clos... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7234529 | Flow switchable check valve and method According to one embodiment of the invention, a flow switchable check valve includes a housing, a guide member having a bore extending therethrough disposed within the housing, and a poppet having a head and a stem. The head has an upstream surface engaged with a se... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7219742 | Method and apparatus to complete a well having tubing inserted through a valve A method and apparatus for inserting a small diameter continuous hydraulic conduit or capillary tube down a well bore is presented. The methods and apparatus allow either the injection of chemicals to enhance production of oil and gas, or to provide a conduit for pr... | 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 |
| 7204313 | Equalizing flapper for high slam rate applications A flapper valve assembly is described having an equalizing port assembly with a bleed valve member that is moveable between an open position and a closed position. The equalizing port assembly features a structural support member in the form of a retainer key that i... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7201232 | Washpipeless isolation strings and methods for isolation with object holding service tool An isolation string having an upper packer and an isolation pipe in mechanical communication with the upper packer, the isolation pipe comprises an operable valve and an object activated valve. An object holding service tool is adapted to release an object to activa... | 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 |
| 7178599 | Subsurface safety valve A subsurface safety valve assembly for controlling fluid flow in a wellbore. In one embodiment, the subsurface safety valve assembly includes a tubular member having a longitudinal bore extending therethrough, a flapper removably connected to the tubular member. The... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7168492 | Wellbore annulus flushing valve The invention relates to downhole wellbore apparatus and particularly, but not exclusively, to apparatus for use in wellbore cleaning operations. A downhole tool (2) comprises a body (4) having a bore extending longitudinally therethrough, wherein the ... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7152688 | Positioning tool with valved fluid diversion path and method A positioning tool for moving an element in a flow path of a down hole system without actuating a pressure actuated device in the system. The positioning device includes a choke for restricting flow of fluid between the positioning device and the down hole system, a... | 12/26/2006 |
| 7137452 | Method of disabling and locking open a safety valve with releasable flow tube for flapper lockout A safety valve has a lock open feature that is actuated by expanding or penetrating the flow tube to disconnect the link between the piston in the hydraulic control system and the flow tube. In normal operation, downward movement of the piston moves the flow tube ag... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7128160 | Method and apparatus to selectively reduce wellbore pressure during pumping operations A downhole tool has at least one diverter valve. The at least one diverter valve is used to reduce pressure in a wellbore caused by frictional resistance to fluid flow during a gravel pack operation. The increased pressure tends to be created as the beta wave of the... | 10/31/2006 |
| 7124824 | Washpipeless isolation strings and methods for isolation An isolation string having: an upper packer; and an isolation pipe in mechanical communication with the upper packer, wherein the isolation pipe comprises a pressure activated valve and an object activated valve. A method having: running-in an isolation string on a ... | 10/24/2006 |
| 7111677 | Sand control for blanking plug and method of use A blanking plug device, system and method of use, wherein the plug device has an anchoring portion for securing the blanking plug device within a tubing string or other well conduit. In preferred embodiments, the anchoring portion comprises a locking device such as ... | 09/26/2006 |
| 7108071 | Automatic tubing filler Methods and apparatus for filling a tubing string as it is lowered into a subterranean hydrocarbon well. In one embodiment, an apparatus to fill a tubular with fluid in a wellbore comprises a housing defining a central bore. An aperture formed in the housing provide... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7086463 | Methods of downhole testing subterranean formations and associated apparatus therefor Methods and apparatus are provided which permit well testing operations to be performed downhole in a subterranean well. In various described methods, fluids flowed from a formation during a test may be disposed of downhole by injecting the fluids into the formation... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7086471 | Method and apparatus for controlling downhole flow The invention relates to apparatus for controlling the flow rate of a fluid in tubing (4), said apparatus (5) comprising at least one hole (7) passing through the wall of said tubing and a moving shutterjacket (8) mounted to engage said h... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7073579 | Methods of downhole testing subterranean formations and associated apparatus therefor Methods and apparatus are provided which permit well testing operations to be performed downhole in a subterranean well. In various described methods, fluids flowed from a formation during a test may be disposed of downhole by injecting the fluids into the formation... | 07/11/2006 |
| 6991040 | Method and apparatus for locking out a subsurface safety valve A lockout tool dimensioned to be received within a housing of a subsurface safety valve (SSV). The lockout tool generally comprises an elongated housing, and an expander mandrel slidably received within the housing. Together, the elongated housing and expander mandr... | 01/31/2006 |
| 6945331 | Multiple interventionless actuated downhole valve and method The multiple interventionless actuated downhole valve includes a valve movable between an open and a closed position to control communication between an annular region surrounding the valve and an internal bore and more specifically controlling communication between... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6904975 | Interventionless bi-directional barrier An interventionless bi-directional barrier device of a downhole tool for use in a wellbore and a method of utilizing the barrier device to control the flow of production fluids in the wellbore are described herein. The barrier device includes a flapper mechanism hav... | 06/14/2005 |
| 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 |
