Saudi Arabian Oil Company

Richard Mark Pye

Rae Andrew Younger

Amjad Alshaarawi

Chinthaka Pasan Gooneratne

Bodong Li

Timothy Eric Moellendick

Ossama R Sehsah

Rafael Adolfo Lastra

Rafael Adolfo Lastra Melo

Mohammed Alsheikh

Faris Hasan Tulbah

Graham Richard Hitchcock

Atef Shoman

A test fixture includes a cylindrical main body extending in a longitudinal direction that receives a test piece. The main body includes a cylindrical screen filter with a mesh surface that extends in along a longitudinal axis coincident with an axis of the main body. The mesh surface generates a filter cake when particle-entrained fluid is supplied through the mesh surface and the particulate is retained on the mesh surface. The main body also includes an offset shaft that extends in the longitudinal direction along an offset axis that is offset from the axis of the main body, and the test piece extends through the offset shaft and the interior of the screen filter. The main body further includes a bearing that decouples rotational motion of the offset shaft from the end cap. Additionally, the test fixture includes an actuator that dislodges the test piece from the filter cake, a computer that determines the dislodging force, and a reservoir pump that pumps the particle-entrained fluid into the screen filter. When the alignment wheel is actuated, the offset shaft forces the test piece to move from a first position where a longitudinal axis of the test piece is coincident to the longitudinal axis of the screen filter to a second position in which the axes are offset.

Differential sticking test fixture

A system including a plug with a first end connected to a lower drill string and a second end connected to an upper drill string. The plug further includes a sealing element configured to seal against a reservoir pressure that is downhole from the plug, and an anchoring element configured to releasably couple the plug to a wellbore to disallow an axial movement of the plug in the wellbore. The plug is configured to couple to a retrieving tool. The retrieving tool includes a first engagement element configured to release the anchoring element, thereby allowing axial movement of the plug and retrieval of the upper drill string in order to shut in the wellbore.

Method and system for suspending a drill string and isolating a wellbore

An evaporative cooler for cooling drilling fluid includes a flow pipe having an inner surface in contact with drilling fluid and an outer surface in contact with an evaporative medium. The flow pipe has a serpentine configuration within a transportation frame. A system for cooling a drilling fluid includes a mud circulation system connecting the drilling fluid between a well and a surface where an evaporative cooler is coupled to the mud circulation system and has a serpentine flow pipe in a transportation frame. A method includes pumping heated drilling fluid from a wellbore to an evaporative cooling system, with an evaporative cooler to cool the heated drilling fluid, and sending the cooled drilling fluid back to the wellbore. Another method includes using an intermediate cooler, wherein the intermediate cooler comprises a heat exchanger and an intermediate fluid.

Mud returns evaporative cooling

A drilling tractor tool in a drill string includes a rotating mandrel having an engagement part configured to rotate with the drill string; and a static sleeve disposed on the rotating mandrel configured to remain stationary during rotation of the rotating mandrel. The static sleeve includes a plurality of pockets that form a pathway from an interior of the static sleeve to an exterior of the static sleeve. The drilling tractor tool includes a plurality of force applicators each disposed in a respective pocket of the plurality of pockets of the static sleeve. The plurality of force applicators configured to extend through the respective pocket and apply a forward thrust to the drill string when extended. The engagement part of the rotating mandrel is configured to contact and cause to extend each of the plurality of force applicators respectively as the rotating mandrel rotates.

Drilling tractor tool

A mechanical autonomous pipe cutting system for cutting a pipe in a wellbore includes a locking unit that prevents the system from moving within the pipe when engaged to an inner surface of the pipe, a punching unit that moves a plurality of punching elements radially relative to an axis of the system, and a cutting unit that is designed to sever the pipe. The locking unit, the punching unit, and the cutting unit are attached to a body of the mechanical autonomous pipe cutting system. The body includes a motor that rotates the cutting unit. The mechanical autonomous pipe cutting system further includes a sensor module that detects interactions between the pipe and walls of the wellbore and a control unit in electronic communication with the sensor module, the locking unit, and the punching unit. The control unit actuates the locking unit and operates the punching unit subsequent to identifying a location where interaction between the pipe and the walls of the wellbore limits a downhole movement of the pipe based on an output of the sensor module.

Mechanical autonomous punch and cut system

A system for a spark plume generator system for igniting flammable gases at a drilling rig includes a support disposed within a fireproof housing proximate to the drilling rig. A grinder is mounted on the support. The grinder includes a rotatable grinder axle with an abrasive grinder surface and an igniter mounted on the support so as to cooperatively contact the grinder. The igniter includes an igniter surface that creates sparks when abraded. The fireproof housing includes an opening. Upon rotation of the grinder axle, the grinder surface abrades the igniter surface to create sparks. The support is positioned within the fireproof housing so that sparks created by the igniter surface exit the fireproof housing through the opening. The fireproof housing is positioned such that the opening is facing the drilling rig and sparks exiting the opening will ignite any flammable gases at the drilling rig.

On demand spark plume generator to ignite flammable gasses

A downhole liner delivery tool includes a housing with a flow path; a detachable nose assembly coupled to the housing and fluidly coupled to the flow path and including one or more retractable grips; a flexible wellbore liner including a first end coupled to the detachable nose assembly and a second end coupled within the housing and stored within the flow path of the housing; a seat formed in the flow path and configured to receive a member dropped in a wellbore to increase a fluid pressure of a fluid resin pumped through the flow path to anchor the one or more retractable grips to a wellbore wall and detach the detachable nose assembly from the housing, the fluid resin further pumped through the flow path to deploy the flexible wellbore liner from the housing and seal the flexible wellbore liner against the wellbore wall.

Deploying a liner in a wellbore

A pump down device is deployed at an anchor point in a pipe to perform a pipe severing operation. The pump down device includes: a cutting head positioned at one end of the pump down device that severs the pipe; one or more centralizers that are positioned adjacent to the cutting head and configured to provide friction for deployment of the pump down device at the anchor point and centralize the cutting head; a seal that is positioned near an end opposite to the one end of the pump down device; and an electronics housing that includes a plurality of electronic sensors. The pump down device releases an anchor mechanism upon reaching the anchor point as determined by the plurality of electronic sensors based on preprogrammed inputs. The seal prevents fluid from moving past the pump down device when in operation.

Pump down pipe severing tool

A system includes an upper connection having a ring shape with an external surface, where upper splines are formed on the external surface and the upper connection is fixed to the upper section. The system also includes a lower connection having a ring shape with an internal surface, where lower splines are formed on the internal surface and the lower splines are configured to mate with the upper splines of the upper connection. Further, the system includes a fishing sub having a first lateral end and a second lateral end, where the first lateral end is fixed to the lower connection by shear pins configured to shear when a pre-determined tension is applied to the system, and the second lateral end is fixed to the lower section. The upper connection is inserted into the lower connection to form an engagement between the upper section and the lower section.

Quick connection interface for electrical submersible pump components

A downhole tool includes a bore isolation valve, a sensor configured to receive to a downlink signal, an annular pressure sensor, a valve actuation mechanism coupled to the bore isolation valve and responsive to the downlink signal, a pressure relief mechanism configured to provide a negative pressure pulse signal indicative of the annular pressure by venting fluid from a bore of the tool body, and a battery. A method includes drilling a well with a drill bit coupled to an on demand annular pressure tool initially in a deactivated mode, and activating the tool by a downlink signal when fluid flow out of the annulus drops below the fluid flow into the well to close a bore of the tool, pressurizing the drill string, holding pressure in the drill string, measuring annular pressure with the tool, and sending a negative pressure pulse signal indicative of the annular pressure.

On demand annular pressure tool

A retrievable whipstock assembly for a wellbore includes a whipstock including a longitudinal body and an anchor connection, a deflection surface provided on the longitudinal body with a first engagement element, and a drilling assembly including a drill housing and a second engagement element. The second engagement element is selectively extendible between a recessed position and an extended position. In the extended position the second engagement element is engageable with the first engagement element.

Whipstock retrieving bit

A self-retaining shear pin tool and methods for connecting downhole tubulars in a wellbore are disclosed. The self-retaining shear pin tool includes a cap having an inner side and an outer side opposite the inner side, the cap defining a first recess formed in the inner side of the cap, the first recess of the cap having a cylindrical portion and a frustoconical portion extending from the cylindrical portion towards the outer side of the cap, and a shear pin disposed partially in the first recess of the cap and extending out of the first recess of the cap. The shear pin includes a body, a first recess extending inward from a first end of the body, a second recess extending inward from a second end of the body, a first swage, and a second swage die.

Connecting tubulars in a wellbore

A method of deploying a flexible cable in a wellbore includes carrying, by a tubular assembly, a cable spool cartridge into the wellbore. The cable spool cartridge is attached to an exterior of the tubular assembly and contains the flexible cable. A first end of the flexible cable is attached to a buoyancy device, and the buoyancy device is releasably attached to the cable spool cartridge. A fluid is flowed by the tubular assembly in a downhole direction through an interior of the tubular assembly and in an uphole direction within an annulus at least partially defined by the exterior of the tubular assembly. The fluid has a greater density than the buoyancy device. The buoyancy device is released by the cable spool cartridge, and the buoyancy device is configured to travel after release in the uphole direction with the fluid and thereby pull the flexible cable from the cable spool cartridge and into the annulus.

Growing community of inventors

Aberdeen, United Kingdom

Richard Mark Pye