Dow Global Technolgoies LLC

Stepan Company

Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

The University of Texas System

Aaron W Sanders

Sayeed Abbas

Gregory Paul Dado

David A Babb

Zenon Lysenko

Alan K Schrock

Xue Min Dong

E Carolina Rojas

Keith P Johnston

Quoc P Nguyen

Jeffrey Scott Kanel

Donald L Bunning

Brian Michael Roesch

Pulikkottil Jacob Thomas

Donald Lee Morrison

Brian Holland

Wei-Jun Peng

Troy E Knight

Joe D Phillips

Oscar David Redwine

Kurt D Olson

David A Wilson

Christopher John Tucker

Cynthia L Rand

Binh T Truong

Thomas Carl Eisenschmid

Michael K Poindexter

Matthew D Miller

Myrna Serrano

Christopher W Derstine

Brian W Kolthammer

Larry DeLynn Chambers

Paul R Elowe

Pierre Thomas Varineau

Debashis Chakraborty

Pramod D Patil

P J Thomas

Xi Chen

Stephanie Adkins

Ed G Rightor

James H Gilchrist

H Ray Jouett

John Tsavalas

Shawn J Maynard

John Walter Sherman

Kara S Weber

Brian Seymour-Loya

Susan K Falcone-Potts

Martha P Hernandez

Nermeen W Aboelella

Yongling Ginger Ren

Jonathan Mohandessi

Carolina E Rojas

David L Frattarelli

Caroline Woelfle-Gupta

Kirk R Thompson

Robert Kirk Thompson

Fabio Aguirre

Yonglin Ren

William Scott Gregory

Scott N McCammon

John Burr

Eugene Paul Wiltz, Jr

Brenna White

Dawn Friesen

Charles Keillor

Terry A Mann

Alhad Phatak

Donald L Morrison

Charles M Keillor

Eugene Paul Wiltz

Christopher J Tucker

Matthew Miller

Quoc Nguyen

Ray H Jouett

A hydraulic fracturing method is disclosed. A small proportion of a nonionic surfactant is used in combination with an acrylamide polymer emulsion friction reducer, the proppant, and the base water to boost the viscosity of the fracturing fluid. The nonionic surfactant has a calculated HLB within the range of 10 to 17. The nonionic surfactants include selected aralkylated phenol ethoxylates, amine or amidoamine ethoxylates, mixed EO/PO alcohol alkoxylates, ethoxylated alcohols, ethoxylated amides, and alkylphenol ethoxylates. The nonionic surfactant boosts the viscosity of the fracturing fluid, promotes proppant transfer, and enables more-efficient hydrocarbon production.

Method for boosting viscosity of a fracturing fluid

The example computing device includes a universal serial bus (USB) port to provide a data connection and power to a connected device. The example computing device also includes a controller to control a power state of the USB port during a reboot process of the computing device. The example computing device further includes a basic input/output system (BIOS) to send a port reboot setting to the controller. The port reboot setting defines a power-off time period that the USB port is to be powered off during the reboot process.

USB port reboot controls

A method of selectively securing a computing device at a docking station may include creating a security key between a security application programming interface (API) and an application executed on the computing device; upon logging into and execution of a basic input/output system (BIOS) of the computing device by a user, registering the application with the security API using the security key; and, upon receipt of a request to remove the computing device from the docking station, validating the user is authorized to remove the computing device from the docking station based on settings associated with the application.

Selective securing of computing devices with docking stations

A demulsified composition comprising a clear oil phase comprising hydrocarbons, a clear brine phase comprising up to 5 wt. % of a diethanolamine-based C-Calkanolamide demulsifying agent, and a water-wetted solid phase.

Demulsified composition

A method for demulsifying a recovered drilling fluid is disclosed. A recovered drilling fluid is first combined with dilution water and a diethanolamine-based C-Calkanolamide demulsifying agent. The recovered drilling fluid comprises hydrocarbons, a brine having at least 25% total dissolved solids, an emulsifier, and undissolved oil-wetted solids. In a second step, the mixture is separated, or is allowed to separate, into three distinct phases, including a clear oil phase comprising the hydrocarbons, a clear brine phase, and a water-wetted solid phase. Compositions suitable for use as demulsifiers and demulsified compositions are also disclosed. The alkanolamide demulsifying agents enable rapid, clean separation of phases and efficient recovery of 80% or more of the oil phase from the recovered drilling fluid.

Demulsifying method for drilling fluids

A request to access a display unit may be received via an interface. The interface may comprise a line display interface for a point of sale system. A glyph to be displayed by the display unit may be received via the interface. The glyph may be converted to an image for display by the display unit and sent to the display unit.

Conversion of glyphs to images

In at least some examples, a system comprises a first kiosk computer to display first content and to broadcast a first beacon signal, and a second kiosk computer to display second content and to broadcast a second beacon signal. A mobile device is to establish communications with the more proximate of the first and second kiosk computers as determined based on the first and second beacon signals and to cause new content to be provided to the more proximate kiosk computer. The more proximate kiosk computer is to display the new content.

Providing content from mobile devices to proximate kiosk computers

Examples disclosed herein provide an adapter. One example adapter includes first and second conductive contacts, and an insulative layer separating the first conductive contact from the second conductive contact. A first side of the adapter is to couple to a reader, and a second side opposite to the first side is to accommodate different sizes of data carriers that store information to be read by the reader via the first and second conductive contacts.

Data carrier adapters

Compositions comprising an acrylamide polymer emulsion and a nonionic surfactant suitable for use as friction reducers for hydraulic fracturing are disclosed. The nonionic surfactants include aralkylated phenol ethoxylates, amine ethoxylates, amidoamine ethoxylates, linear or branched alcohol EO/PO alkoxylates, ethoxylated alcohols, alkylphenol ethoxylates, and EO-capped poly(oxypropylene) block copolymers. Improved hydraulic fracturing processes in which an acrylamide polymer emulsion is used as a friction reducer are also described. In these processes, the surfactant is included in the composition with the acrylamide polymer friction reducer, or it is introduced separately into the process. The performance of low-cost polyacrylamide friction reducers can be boosted with a small proportion of certain readily available nonionic surfactants. The inventive compositions are effective in high-salinity environments, and their performance can sometimes exceed that of more-expensive salt-tolerant friction reducers, thereby reducing fresh water demand and enabling greater utilization of produced water.

Friction reducer for hydraulic fracturing

Methods for making efficient use of steam in a steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process for recovering heavy oils from tar sands and similar petroleum deposits are disclosed. The methods utilize a surfactant to generate steam foam in ways that maximize efficient use of steam. In some aspects, steam foam is used in water layers or gas caps that reside above steam chambers to prevent loss of steam from the steam chamber. The predominant use of relatively dry steam in SAGD processes makes it challenging to find ways to introduce surfactants and generate steam foam. However, decreasing the mobility of the steam by converting at least some of it to foam allows the wellbore and steam chambers above the injection site to be more fully developed, provides for more effective heat transfer to the heavy oil and rock, improves production, and allows recovery of the heavy oil with a minimum amount of steam usage.

Steam foam methods for steam-assisted gravity drainage

Mixed dimer and mixed oligomer compositions are disclosed. The mixed dimer compositions comprise a monosulfonated cross-dimer or a salt thereof. The monosulfonated cross-dimer is a reaction product of (a) an alpha-olefin sulfonic acid (AOS acid); and (b) an unsulfonated olefin, an unsulfonated olefin precursor, or a functionalized olefin. The mixed oligomer compositions comprise a mono- or polysulfonated cross-oligomer or a salt thereof. The mono- or polysulfonated cross-oligomer is a reaction product of (a) an AOS acid; and (b) an unsulfonated diolefin or an unsulfonated diolefin precursor. Various methods for making the mixed dimer or oligomer compositions are described. Salts of the mixed dimer and oligomer compositions are useful surfactants for foams used in oilfield and other applications. The foams have improved high-temperature stability when compared with foams from AOS dimer acid salts.

Mixed dimers from alpha-olefin sulfonic acids

Embodiments of the present disclosure include modified nonionic surfactant formulations having a nonionic surfactant and a pour point depressant, where the modified nonionic surfactant formulations have a pour point of &#x2212;54&#xb0; C. to &#x2212;75&#xb0; C. In one or more embodiments, the modified nonionic surfactant formulations can be introduced into a flow of carbon dioxide, where the flow of carbon dioxide and the modified nonionic surfactant formulation are injected into an oil containing reservoir. In one or more embodiments, an emulsion of the carbon dioxide and the nonionic surfactant form in the oil containing reservoir, where the use of the pour point depressant provides minimal interference in forming the emulsion.

Modified nonionic surfactant formulations for enhanced oil recovery

This invention relates to a foam-forming composition having good low temperature stability and method of use thereof for enhanced oil recovery. Said foam-forming composition comprises an anionic sulfonate surfactant, preferably an alpha-olefin sulfonate, a alkyl ether solvent, and water and is preferably stable to at least &#x2212;5 C. A preferred alkyl ether solvent has the formula C8H18O3, C8H16O3, or mixtures thereof. Preferred alpha-olefin sulfonate have 10 to 18 carbons, preferably 12 carbons. A preferred method for recovering oil from a reservoir comprises the periodic injection of gas and said foam-forming composition into the reservoir and contacting the oil in the reservoir with the foam so as to assist in the recovery of oil from the reservoir.

Low temperature stabilized foam-forming composition for enhanced oil recovery

Methods of making an alpha-olefin sulfonic dimer acid (AOS dimer acid) are disclosed. In one method, an alpha-olefin is sulfonated, preferably with sulfur trioxide, to produce a mixture comprising an alpha-olefin sulfonic acid (AOS acid) and sulfur dioxide. This mixture is then heated while purging sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide from the reactor to produce an AOS dimer acid composition. In another method, the AOS acid mixture is treated to remove sulfur dioxide and is then heated to produce an AOS dimer acid composition. With either method, the resulting AOS dimer acid composition has at least a 30% decrease in the level of elemental sulfur when compared with that of an AOS dimer acid composition prepared by a similar process in the absence of any active removal of sulfur dioxide or hydrogen sulfide. AOS dimer acid compositions and salts of the AOS dimer acids, which are useful surfactants for oilfield and other applications, are also disclosed.

Alpha-olefin sulfonic dimer acid process

Growing community of inventors

Missouri City, TX, United States of America

Aaron W Sanders