...that one person who claimed to be the inventor of the television is Russian emigre Vladimir Zworykin? In 1929 David Sarnoff, founder of RCA, asked Zworykin what it would take to develop TV for commercial use. He said: a year and a half and $100,000. In reality, it took 20 years and $50 million! Before his death in 1982 at the age of 92, Zworykin said of his invention: "The technique is wonderful. It is beyond my expectations. But the programs! I would never let my children even come close to this thing."
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8091647 | Means of preventing marine fouling of subsea connectors The present embodiment of the invention relates to an apparatus and method for using components in a subsea assembly formed from a raw polymer material combined with a marine growth inhibitor material. ... | 01/10/2012 |
| 8033336 | Undersea well product transport An apparatus and corresponding method of use extracts, cools, and transports effluents from subterranean, sub-sea oil formations to distant shore based processing facilities. The effluents, mostly crude oil, are conveyed rapidly to a cold flow generator near the oil... | 10/11/2011 |
| 7934562 | Hybrid control system and method A hybrid process control system including electrical transmission of power to a sub-sea hydraulic power unit, which in turn provides hydraulic power for control of hydraulic actuators. A circulation system using small bore tubing in the umbilical cord in combination... | 05/03/2011 |
| 7882896 | Gas eduction tube for seabed caisson pump assembly A seafloor pump assembly is installed within a caisson that has an upper end for receiving a flow of fluid containing gas and liquid. The pump assembly is enclosed within a shroud that has an upper end that seals around the pump assembly and a lower end that is belo... | 02/08/2011 |
| 7845412 | Pressure control with compliant guide A technique for subsea intervention operations enables pressure control to be accomplished at the surface while borehole fluid control is exercised at the seabed. A compliant guide extends between a subsea well installation and a surface location, such as a surface ... | 12/07/2010 |
| 7703535 | Undersea well product transport An apparatus and corresponding method of use extracts, cools, and transports effluents from subterranean, sub-sea oil formations to distant shore based processing facilities. The effluents, mostly crude oil, are conveyed rapidly to a cold flow generator near the oil... | 04/27/2010 |
| 7699110 | Flow diverter tool assembly and methods of using same A flow diverter tool assembly is employed for flushing debris from a portion of the bore of a subsea production tree. The flow diverter tool assembly has a housing having a passageway there-through and a seal disposed on an exterior surface of the housing. The seal ... | 04/20/2010 |
| 7694743 | ROV-deployable subsea wellhead gas hydrate diverter A ROV-deployable gas hydrate diverter comprising a body having a circular disc shape with a center hole, and a handle attached to and protruding from a surface of the body, wherein the handle is adapted to be grasped by the grasping arm of an ROV to facilitate insta... | 04/13/2010 |
| 7677320 | Subsea well with electrical submersible pump above downhole safety valve A subsea well production system has a natural drive mode and a lift-assist mode using a submersible pump. The submersible pump can be installed while the well is live. The well system has a downhole safety valve in the production tubing. The operator closes the down... | 03/16/2010 |
| 7654329 | Dual-type plug for wellhead The invention concerns a dual-type plug to be used in a wellhead. The plug has a separate retrievable inner plug (50). Retrieving only the inner plug allows the use of lighter workover equipment than if the whole plug (10) must be pulled. ... | 02/02/2010 |
| 7647974 | Large bore modular production tree for subsea well A subsea wellhead assembly has separable tree modules that interconnect together. The lower tree module has a lower tree member having a bore with a valve for controlling production fluid flow. The upper tree module has an upper tree member with a bore and interface... | 01/19/2010 |
| 7637325 | Subsea trees and caps for them A cap for a subsea tree having a re-entry hub (1) and for use with a tubing hanger (25) deployed within the tree comprises an outer sleeve (3) for fitment over the hub and an inner sleeve (19) adapted to extend within the hub. The sleeve ... | 12/29/2009 |
| 7607485 | Tubing hanger and wellhead housing with mating tubing annulus passages A subsea wellhead assembly has a tubing annulus path that extends partly through the tubing hanger and partly through the wellhead housing. A tubing hanger tubing annulus passage extends through part of the tubing hanger from a lower port on the lower end of the tub... | 10/27/2009 |
| 7578350 | Gas minimization in riser for well control event A system for controlling gas in a subsea drilling operation is disclosed in one embodiment. The system includes a subsea blow-out preventer, riser coupled to the blow-out preventer, a gas sensor, a controller, and a signal pathway. The gas sensor is configured for p... | 08/25/2009 |
| 7490673 | Universal connection interface for subsea completion systems A subsea completion system includes a first component which comprises a first connection interface, a second component which comprises a second connection interface, and a third component which comprises a third connection interface that is complimentary to both the... | 02/17/2009 |
| 7441594 | Full bore wellhead load shoulder and support ring A full bore support system for a hanger or other equipment in a wellhead features a support groove in the wellhead that can be integrally made or on an insert. A support ring can have a variety of configuration and features an energizing surface and a limit surface ... | 10/28/2008 |
| 7434624 | Hybrid tension-leg riser This invention provides a production riser system that enables fluid communication in a deepwater drilling environment through the use of a variable buoyancy device supporting both a hybrid riser tower and an steel catenary riser (SCR) system. Fluid communication is... | 10/14/2008 |
| 7426963 | Piggable flowline-riser system This invention relates to a flowline-riser production system for the recovery of hydrocarbons from offshore wells, and a method for pigging the interior surfaces of the riser and flowlines. More particularly, this invention is a piggable flowline-riser system in whi... | 09/23/2008 |
| 7422066 | System for direct vertical connection between contiguous subsea equipment and method of installation of said connection A system for the direct vertical connection between contiguous sub sea equipment is described, having one or more hydrocarbon flow and/or control interconnection between same, so as to dispense with the use of connecting jumpers. One mode of said system comprises a ... | 09/09/2008 |
| 7407011 | Tubing annulus plug valve A tubing hanger lands in a tubular outer wellhead member and supports a string of production tubing. The tubing hanger has a production passage for communicating with the interior of the production tubing and an annulus passage for communicating with a tubing annulu... | 08/05/2008 |
| 7395864 | Method and apparatus for preventing slug flow in pipelines Disclosed is a method and system for controlling the formation of liquid or gas slugs along a pipeline. In embodiments, an injection unit injects a liquid surface tension reducing agent, such as a foamant, into the pipeline upstream of the high point. A control unit... | 07/08/2008 |
| 7380607 | Casing hanger with integral load ring A subsea wellhead assembly includes a housing with a bore containing at least one conical generally upward facing load shoulder that inclines relative to an axis of the bore. A hanger is lowered into the housing, the hanger having at least one conical downward facin... | 06/03/2008 |
| 7360601 | Submersible well pump installation procedure A method of installing an electrical pump assembly in a subsea wellhead member avoids having to run the pump assembly through the wellhead member after removing the wear bushing. The operator first lowers the pump assembly on a string of tubing at least through the ... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7350562 | Drilling flange and independent screwed wellhead with metal-to-metal seal and method of use A drilling flange and an independent screwed wellhead provides a metal-to-metal seal that supplements the traditional elastomeric O-rings for providing a fluid seal between the drilling flange and the wellhead. The metal-to-metal seal may be achieved using a metal r... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7350580 | Subsea pass thru switching system A coupling switches control fluid from a tubing hanger to a downhole completion of a subsea well. The coupling, located between a tubing hanging running tool and a downhole completion, includes a coupling body and a tubing hanger. A hydraulic poppet switches control... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7350583 | One trip string tensioning and hanger securing method A running tool delivers a string through a wellhead in the same trip as a hanger with a seal and locking assembly. The string is secured downhole and the running tool is manipulated to release a lock to hold the hanger in a sealed position in the wellhead prior to a... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7337848 | Preloaded riser coupling system An offshore riser system has riser joints, each having a pin and a box. The pin has an external grooved profile that is engaged by a locking element carried by the box of another riser joint. An actuating ring engages with the locking element to move it into the loc... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7331395 | Riser make-up tool An offshore riser system has riser joints, each having a pin and a box. The pin has an external grooved profile that is engaged by a locking element carried by the box of another riser joint. An actuating ring engages with the locking element to move it into the loc... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7331396 | Subsea production systems A subsea production system is disclosed. The subsea production system may comprise a well head, a tubing spool, a tubing hanger, an annulus, a production tree, and a bypass flow path. ... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7331393 | Subsea lubricator device and methods of circulating fluids in a subsea lubricator Subsea lubricator device, comprising a blowout preventer assembly, a tool housing assembly and a stuffing box, intended to be located at a subsea Christmas tree, and methods of circulating fluids in a subsea lubricator. The device comprises a blowout preventer (4... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7325598 | Vacuum assisted seal engagement for ROV deployed equipment A method and apparatus for attaching a first component which comprises a depending portion to a second component which comprises a bore that is sized and configured to receive the depending portion, wherein the first and second components are exposed to a fluid whic... | 02/05/2008 |
| 7318480 | Tubing running equipment for offshore rig with surface blowout preventer A method performing an operation in a subsea wellhead assembly through a riser extending between the wellhead assembly and a surface platform includes the step of connecting a surface blowout preventer to an upper portion of the riser. Then a tool is connected to a ... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7314086 | 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... | 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 |
| 7314085 | Well operations system A wellhead has, instead of a conventional Christmas tree, a spool tree (34) in which a tubing hanger (54) is landed at a predetermined angular orientation. As the tubing string can be pulled without disturbing the tree, many advantages follow, includin... | 01/01/2008 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 7308934 | Fracturing isolation sleeve An apparatus operatively coupled to a well having a production casing positioned therein, the apparatus including a first device having and internal bore, a second device having an internal bore, and a fracture isolation sleeve disposed at least partially within the... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7284615 | Method and system for installing and maintaining a pipeline while minimizing associated ground disturbance A pipeline installation and maintenance method and system is disclosed in which a number of interconnectible platform modules are assembled into drilling platforms from which a segmented pipeline route is flexibly installed. Using modified push/pull rigs to carry ou... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7275591 | Tubing hanger with ball valve in production string The invention provides a wellhead assembly including a wellhead housing supporting a tubing hanger within its central bore and forming a housing stem port through its outer wall to the central bore. The tubing hanger has a side stem port formed through its body inte... | 10/02/2007 |