Other

Texas Dynamatics, Inc.

Exploration Logging, Inc.

Premiere, Inc.

Schlumberger Canada Limited

Eastman-whipstock, Inc.

The Bob Fournet Company

Oil-well Drilling Control, Inc.

John D Jeter

James J Fournet

Henry S More

Tommy A Hebert

Edward S Mumby

Lee J Matherne, Jr

Lee Matherne

Leon M Earl

Robert E Croom, Jr

Merlin P Landry

The poppet portion of a signal valve is driven rotationally by a mud motor and the rotation is used, in conjunction with a rotary-to-linear motion converter, to cause the poppet to move axially relative to a cooperating orifice in response to initiating action from the related down hole instrument. The rotation of the poppet is optionally used to power an alternator to provide electric power for use in the apparatus.

Well bore communication pulser

The preferred pulser is a mud powered oscillator powered by the pressure variation produced across the signal valve by the unstable action. The signal valve comprises a poppet and cooperating orifice. The pressure drop across the orifice is used to urge the poppet away from the orifice and an opposing spring drives it toward the orifice. The preferred poppet control is a permanent magnet that secures the poppet in at least the signal valve open position. To generate a pulse, the permanent magnet is opposed by a magnetizing coil arranged and powered by the associated MWD instrument to oppose the permanent magnet, to release the poppet to close the signal valve. The pulser is arranged to provide a generally central axially extending bore to accept a conductor extending axially through the pulser. Optional features include an acceleration compensator, and a mud powered electric energy generator. Optional features include hydraulic actuation and control of the poppet. The poppet can be fitted with an automatic pulse pressure amplitude control. The poppet can use overtravel to produce the on-pulse dwell time required to build pulse signal energy rather than the use of energy to hold the signal valve closed. Various mounting options are provided.

The human breast is enhanced by enlargement by inserting body compatible fluids into the natural lactatous containments within the breast by flowing the liquid into the lactatous duct openings at the nipples. Flow is induced, from a source of pressurized fluid, by directing a jet of liquid into the duct opening, by pressing the fluid conductor against the opening or by penetrating the opening with a blunt needle or equivalent catheter. To ease penetration of the opening, suction apparatus is offered that distends the nipple to straighten the duct. Plugs are offered to enhance the fluid retention ability. The plug may be solid or valved to allow fluid flow only when a handling tool is inserted to manipulate the plug. Fluid emulsification apparatus is provided to condition fluids which may include saline aqueous liquid, compressible fluid, and autogenous materials individually or in combinations.

Breast enhancement apparatus and procedure

Improved welding method and padeye processing speeds up the connection of individual joints by peripheral fusion welding while the joint to be added stands vertically atop an existing pipe string also standing vertical in the rig floor. A plurality of welders can operate to speed up completion of the weld by removing heat from the pipe during the welding process. Heat is removed by the use of fluid cuffs near the weld area and, optionally, by using a spool within the pipe string to dispense expansion cooled air against the inner pipe wall in the vicinity of the weld. A special improved padeye is provided for welding near the pipe ends for handling. The padeye has a divided profile, a hole for a lifting shackle, and it will be accepted within the skirt of the lead system of the driving hammer. The upper end of the padeye can be cut from the pipe while the pipe is resting, on rig related structure, on the lower surface of the padeye.

Method for joining driven pipe

Breast enhancement apparatus and method

An improved pile driving drop hammer of the free piston internal combustion engine type preferably has integral pistons on each end of a ram that reciprocates, usually vertically, in an enclosing bore. There is a combustion chamber on each end of the bore and exhaust ports situated near each combustion chamber such that the ports are opened, two cycle engine fashion, by the associated piston, after some movement of the piston, after combustion takes place to vent the active combustion chamber and then serve as intake ports when the piston moves some distance farther along the bore. At each end of the bore an anvil extends from the bore, axially movable some amount, to serve as an end to each combustion chamber. The lower anvil delivers ram impact energy to the driven piling and the upper anvil delivers impact energy from the ram to a free rising mass that is the essential element of this invention as an improvement to existing hammer designs. The mass allows impact and combustion energy to be delivered to the downward movement of the ram without delivering lifting energy to the body. The mass rises and falls by gravity influence. Alternatively, a limited force means such as an air cylinder may apply a pull down force between the body and the mass to add some body weight to the ram energy. The down force is limited to an amount that will never lift the body off the driven piling. Controls are provided to time the fall of the mass to achieve advantageous cadence with the reciprocating ram.

Pile driving hammer improvement

Pipe section having padeye attachments

A well communication pulser is solenoid controlled but energized by an actuator responsive to the pressure drop across the signal valve. The signal valve is spring biased toward a closed state but the actuator urges it toward an open state with a force proportional to the pressure drop. When in the off-pulse state the spring is sized to yield an operating pressure for the pulser. A servo valve controls pressure admitted to the actuator to cause it to move to the on-pulse state to develop signal pressure. The servo valve is spring biased open to cause a pressure signal to be generated but it has a second actuator responsive to the pressure drop which will overcome the servo opening spring and move the servo to the off-pulse, or closed, state. The pulser would oscillate continually between the two states but a solenoid controlled latch automatically secures the servo when it arrives at either state. The latch will release the servo valve in response to signals from the down hole instrument allowing the instrument to encode time distributed changes of state detectable at the surface to decode the information from the instrument.

A downhole mud pressure change signal generator has a signal valve to variably resist the flow of mud down the drill string bore. The valve is powered by a bias driver and controlled by a holding magnet that is in turn controlled by a downhole instrument. The bias driver has a spring opposed fluid powered piston that moves in response to changes in fluid pressure drop across the signal valve. The valve in normally biased closed. The bias driver is resiliently connected to the valve such that when the piston moves the bias driver in response to fluid pressure that overcomes the spring, the valve is urged toward an open position. When the valve is open and signal pressure across the valve is low the spring exerts more force than the piston and the driver urges the valve toward a closed position. The valve is urged to move but not compelled and is subject to latching in desired positions without losing the power needed to move later. The bias driver is used to power a latch that holds the valve open or closed. The energy is invested in springs that move the latch when holding magnets permit the latch to respond to the bias. The holding magnets never depend upon a flux gap because they hold positions the springs have provided.

Well communication pulser

A downhole signal generating mud pulser has a poppet and orifice signal valve to variably resist the drilling fluid stream. The poppet is upstream of the orifice and is moved by a piston in fluid communication with opposite flow related sides of the signal valve such that more pressure drop across the valve applies more piston force to open the valve. The poppet is spring biased toward the orifice and the piston force and spring balance when a preselected operating pressure exists. A servo valve controls flow in a by-pass loop to apply additional pressure to the piston to create a signal pulse when open. The servo valve is urged closed by flow in the servo loop and the closing is retarded by a dashpot to determine signal duration. The servo valve is spring biased to open and is automatically latched closed by a latch that responds to a solenoid actuated to release the servo valve. Options include replacement of the dashpot timer with a second latch position which latches the servo valve open to cause a signal pulse, the duration of which is determined by the controlling instrument which acts to release the latch from both positions.

Mud pulse pressure signal generator

A mechanical oscillator driven by drilling fluid flow pumped down a drill string bore is combined with sensors and controls to produce a downhole drilling fluid pressure pulse generator for use in drill strings for Measurement While Drilling (MWD) pipe bore telemetry. A fluid flow responsive valve designed to be put in continual motion by fluid flow is associated with a motion stop lock so that, on release, a discrete digital fluid pressure change is generated. A downhole instrument package controls the lock release in a timed sequence, so that a series of pressure changes represent information to be decoded at the earth surface to determine downhole parameters sensed by the instrument package. The active elements of the downhole system may be installed in the drill string or lowered as a shuttle package down the drill bore. The fluid pressure pulse generating apparatus can be classified as a fluid flow excited oscillator or an auto-cycling pulse generator. Controls are provided to enable the auto-cycling valve to respond to electric signals from downhole instruments to generate code messages by digital pulse, change-of-state in valved flow resistance and frequency change in standing wave pressure pulses.

Signal pressure pulse generator

In the preferred application, an acceleration compensation mass is supported in a downhole drilling related housing for independent movement along an axis in response to acceleration of the housing. A control member that moves relative to the housing in a direction parallel the axis to carry out the function of the housed apparatus is connected to a piston in a cooperating bore in the housing to displace fluid when the member moves. A second piston and cooperating bore in the housing is arranged to displace fluid when the mass moves. Fluid plumbing is arranged to connect the two hydraulic cylinders such that the mass and the member, if they move, must move in unison in opposite directions. When the housing is accelerated in the direction along the axis, both member and mass tend to move in the opposite direction relative to the housing but each piston opposes the other and no movement occurs if the pistons have effective areas proportional to the weights of the related member and mass. The member, however, can move irrespective of acceleration reaction forces in response to force applied to it relative to the housing, with the mass moving a proportional amount in the opposite direction. Alternate embodiments include linear compensators with the mass and member connected by racks and pinions to compel the opposite direction movements and a rotary compensator includes a rotating compenator mass rotationally connected to the member by gearing to compel rotation in opposite directions relative to the housing.

Acceleration compensating system

A drilling fluid pulse generator for use above a drill bit to produce pulsations in drilling fluid flow. An autocycling valve briefly interrupts the flow of fluid to bit jets to reduce the effective hydrostatic pressure at the drilling face and to hydraulic energy in the drill string to thoroughly scour the hole face when the briefly closed valve reopens. An alternate configuration provides a bypass route for fluid diverted from the bit, and the bypass includes jet nozzles to add energy to the return fluid stream to further reduce the effective hydrostatic pressure at the drilling face.

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St. Martinville, LA, United States of America

John D Jeter