Texaco Inc.

Albert P Richter

Harold E Peelman

Ronald L Campsey

Dan M Arnold

Hans J Paap

Donald J Dowling

Jackie R Boyles

Joseph L Porter

Jackie C Sims

Wayne F Warren

Hubert D Scott

Obie M Langford

Frank L Lankford, Jr

Alfred E Bussian

Ralph H Clinard, Jr

Ray Tuggle

A rotary actuated valve choke or the like is remotely controlled by motor means fixedly mounted with respect to said valve to rotationally drive a stem thereof. Monitoring means measure the rotation of the motor and/or its associated drive train. The monitoring means convert the rotary motion to a more easily measurable linear motion to measure the valve setting and appropriately control the energization of the motor in response thereto.

Method and apparatus for remotely controlling a rotary valve or the like

A rotary actuated valve choke or the like is remotely controlled by motor means fixedly mounted with respect to said valve to rotationally drive a stem thereof. Means are included to measure the rotation of said stem. Means are provided to measure valve output and appropriately control the energization of the motor in response thereto.

The control system and method of the present invention controls a heat treater receiving wet gas from a pipeline. The heat treater reduces the water content of the gas to provide dry gas to the pipeline. A sensor monitors the wet gas and provides a signal corresponding to the water content of the wet gas. A second sensor monitors the dry gas and provides a signal corresponding to the water content of the dry gas. A difference signal corresponding to the difference between the two water content signals. Apparatus controls the flow of fuel to the heat treater, so as to control the drying process, in accordance with the water content signal of the wet gas and the difference signal.

Means and methods for controlling the drying of wet gas

A system, which controls the content of an impurity in a crude oil stream, includes an injector which injects a demulsifier into a stream of produced wet crude oil in response to a control signal. A three-phase separator receives the produced crude oil with demulsifier and partially separates produced water and gas from the crude oil to provide a separated wet crude oil stream. Apparatus mixes wash water in with the separated crude oil stream in accordance with a control signal to provide a crude oil/wash water stream. A dehydrator removes substantial amount of water from the crude oil/wash water stream to provide a dehydrated crude oil stream. A monitor monitors the content of a predetermined type of impurity in the dry crude oil stream and provides a corresponding impurity content signal to control apparatus. The control apparatus provides the first and second control signals in accordance with the signal from the monitor so as to control the impurity's content of the dry crude oil stream.

Crude oil dehydrator/desalter control system

A temperature stabilization system for a radiation detector in a well logging tool includes a temperature sensor which senses the temperature and provides a corresponding signal. Apparatus located within the logging tool and containing the radiation detector provides a controllable temperature environment for the radiation detector. A heat exchanger transfers heat from the apparatus in accordance with the temperature signal so as to stabilize the temperature in the apparatus for the radiation detector. A heat disposing device is arranged with the heat exchanger to dispose of the transferred heat.

Temperature stabilization system for a radiation detector in a well

A petroleum stream analyzer includes a test cell having a petroleum stream, or portion thereof, flowing through it. A neutron source bombards the petroleum stream in the test cell with fast neutrons, which are slowed down and thereafter engaged in thermal neutron capture reaction with materials in the petroleum stream. Gamma ray apparatus including a gamma ray detector provides an energy spectra of gamma rays from the materials in response to the capture of the thermal neutrons by the materials in the petroleum stream. Shielding material separates the neutron source from the gamma ray detector and a housing located within the test cell houses the neutron source, the gamma ray detector and the shielding material in a manner so that a longitudinal axis of the housing, which is substantially aligned with the axial flow of the petroleum stream in the test cell, passes through the neutron source, the shielding material and the gamma ray detector. The anaylzer also includes apparatus which derive a measure of a characteristic of the petroleum stream in accordance with the obtained gamma ray energy spectra of the materials in the petroleum stream.

Petroleum stream analyzer

A method of determining the permeability of a particular stratum in an earth formation traversed by a borehole includes injecting a liquid into the borehole at a first pressure thereby causing liquid flow into the stratum. A first flow rate of the liquid is determined at the first pressure. The pressure of the liquid being injected into the borehole is then changed to a second pressure level and a second flow rate of the liquid flowing into the stratum is determined at the second pressure. An indication of the permeability of the stratum is then derived in accordance with the two pressures, the two flow rates and known characteristics of the stratum.

In-situ permeability determining method

A chamber structure for use in making gamma ray emission measurements of a fluid that is subjected to bombardment from a neutron source. It has cross pipes for permitting insertion of measuring instruments into the chamber. And, there are liner sleeves inside the chamber and outside the cross pipes to hold in place and protect a layer of boron for reducing background noise from the iron in the chamber and the cross pipes.

Chamber for measuring gamma ray emissions

A Cockcroft-Walton voltage multiplying circuit constructed for use in a slim hole well logging tool includes a plurality of capacitor packages having a first capacitor package, adapted to receive an input voltage, and a last capacitor package. A plurality of high voltage rectifier packages of which each rectifier package, except for a last rectifier package, are physically as well as electrically interconnected with two capacitor packages. The last rectifier package is connected to the last capacitor package so that all of the capacitor packages and all of the rectifier packages form an inline rigid body. Output terminals are connected to the last rectifier package for providing the high voltage developed by the capacitor packages and the rectifier packages in response to a received input voltage.

Cockcroft-Walton voltage multiplying circuit for slim hole well logging

A radiation detector assembly is enclosed in a heat pipe which is positioned in a dewar flask. A thermo-electric cooler is joined to one end of the heat pipe. The heat exhaust of the thermo-electric cooler is communicated to a heat dissipation device in the form of a fin assembly. A thermistor senses the temperature at the heat pipe. When the thermistor indicates a temperature in excess of that corresponding to a reference signal, a control signal is produced by a control device to cause a power source to operate the thermo-electric cooler to remove heat from the heat pipe to the fin assembly. The vacuum within the dewar flask effectively limits the environmental heat passing to the heat pipe to radiant heat. The detector assembly and temperature stabilization system may extend to the interior of a conduit or other housing containing material whose radiation is to be detected, while the fin assembly is exposed to the atmosphere. In particular, the temperature stabilization system may be used in conjunction with a detector comprising a scintillation crystal optically coupled to a photomultiplier tube in an environment which would otherwise diminish the performance of such a detector by raising its temperature.

Temperature stabilization method

An underground logging tool is equipped with a gamma ray detector encircled by a rotatable shield featuring a collimator slot. After the fluid in a formation is activated by a neutron source, the detector is used to obtain radiation count information as a function of horizontal direction as the shield is rotated. Comparison of count rate data as a function of the shield slot orientation gives information concerning the direction of the formation fluid flow. Measurements at different time intervals following the activation of the fluid, made with the shield retracted from the detector, may also be interpreted in terms of speed of horizontal fluid flow past the tool.

Method and apparatus for measuring underground fluid flow characteristics

A radiation detector assembly is enclosed in a heat pipe which is positioned in a dewar flask. A thermo-electric cooler is joined to one end of the heat pipe. The heat exhaust of the thermo-electric cooler is communicated to a heat dissipation device in the form of a fin assembly. A thermistor senses the temperature at the heat pipe. When the thermistor indicates a temperature in excess of that corresponding to a reference signal, a control singal is produced by a control device to cause a power source to operate the thermo-electric cooler to remove heat from the heat pipe to the fin assembly. The vacuum within the dewar flask effectively limits the environmental heat passing to the heat pipe to radiant heat. The detector assembly and temperature stabilization system may extend to the interior of a conduit or other housing containing material whose radiation is to be detected, while the fin assembly is exposed to the atmosphere. In particular, the temperature stabilization system may be used in conjunction with a detector comprising a scintillation crystal optically coupled to a photomultiplier tube in an environment which would otherwise diminish the performance of such a detector by raising its temperature.

Temperature stabilization system

A method for forming a long-life gas trap comprises basically (a) machining an elongated solid element in a cruciform cross-sectional shape from mill stock for forming a housing with four arms, (b) machining each arm to a square cross-section with four flat surfaces thereon, (c) boring a hole centrally and longitudinally of the housing for forming an elongated chamber having a longitudinal axis, (d) boring a hole parallel to the elongated chamber in each of the four arms of the cruciform shaped housing contiguous to the elongated chamber for forming four tubes contiguous with the four sides of the elongated chamber, and (e) bending the ends of at least four of the tubes with a bending fixture having a roller to a position normal to the longitudinal axis for forming a gas trap that has longer life because of the high resistance to cracking due to continuously alternating between thermal expansion and contraction.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Albert P Richter