Conoco Inc.

Continental Oil Company

E.i. Dupont De Nemours and Company

Donald L Whitfill

Nobuo Morita

David A Strah

Giin-Fa Fuh

Harold E Bellis

Edward Francis McBride

Gifford G McClaflin

Charles R Clark

Matthew C Sooter

Lee E Whitebay

Henry A Bourne, Jr

John N Dew

Terry S Cantu

D Philip Cords

Jerry D Purkaple

Edwin Kubena, Jr

Robert E Crumb

Nick O Wolf

Fracture initiation and propagation during drilling or running casing in a well are prevented or inhibited by including an effective amount of a specially sized solid particulate loss prevention material in the well fluid prior to encountering formation breakdown in a susceptible zone.

Method for inhibiting the initiation and propagation of formation

Fracture initiation and propagation during drilling are prevented or inhibited by including an effective amount of a specially sized solid particulate loss prevention material in the drilling fluid prior to encountering formation breakdown in a susceptible zone.

A method of forming a flow-restricting layer on a wellbore surface prior to cementing a casing string in the wellbore. The flow-restricting layer is formed by reaction of an injected fluid with divalent ions at and near the wellbore surface. The injected fluid is a composition containing a water-soluble polymer and one or more potassium salts.

Method for restricting gas influx during well cementing

Oil field chemicals are incorporated in polymeric particles of the condensation product of hydroxyacetic acid or the co-condensation product of hydroxyacetic acid and other compounds containing hydroxy-, carboxylic acid-, or hydroxycarboxylic acid moieties. The particles are introduced into an oil well bore and/or subterranean oil formation where the polymeric particles dissolve over a period of time and release the oil field chemicals.

Placement process for oil field chemicals

Loss of drilling fluid into a subterranean formation penetrated in the drilling of a well is controlled by addition to the drilling fluid of a lost circulation material comprising petroleum coke.

Method of controlling lost circulation in well drilling

Permeability of a highly permeable zone in a subterranean formation is reduced by injecting an oil external emulsion of an aqueous solution of alkali metal silicate. Emulsion adjacent the well bore is broken by the application of microwave. Released alkali metal silicate then forms a plug of gel at this point, through contact with formation brines, which holds the rest of the emulsion in place until it breaks down and gels. In one aspect a second internal phase containing a gelation agent is provided to accelerate gelling.

Reducing the permeability of a rock formation

Disclosed is a process whereby heavy, viscous crude oil may be produced from a hydrocarbon-bearing formation utilizing a jet pump without the problems associated with cavitation damage of the jet pump found in the prior art. The jet pump is operated with a power fluid comprising water and surfactant, the power fluid forming an emulsion with the heavy, viscous crude oil in the jet stream of the jet pump.

Method for producing heavy, viscous crude oil

A method of determining the amount of chromate ion in drilling and mud filtrates containing lignosulfonates is disclosed. Briefly, the method comprises: (a) treating the filtrate with an effective amount of hydrogen peroxide to destroy any color bodies contributed by the lignosulfonate, and (b) measuring the amount of chromate ion in the filtrate by means of a spectrophotometer.

Determination of chromate ion in drilling mud filtrates

Molten elemental sulfur is used as an insulating packer fluid in injection wells for steam drive secondary recovery of petroleum from petroliferous formations.

Method of treating oil-bearing formations using molten sulfur insulating

An improved water base drilling mud composition wherein calcium ions are controlled and converted to water-insoluble plant nutrient compounds by the use of monocalcium phosphate compounds, said composition comprising an aqueous suspension containing from about 5 to 35 pounds per barrel of a clay material, from about 1 to 5 pounds per barrel of an alkaline earth metal hydroxide selected from the group consisting of calcium hydroxide and mixtures of calcium hydroxide and barium hydroxide, and at least a stoichiometric amount, based on the weight of said alkaline earth metal hydroxide of said monocalcium phosphate containing compound.

Growing community of inventors

Ponca City, OK, United States of America

Donald L Whitfill