Baker Hughes Corporation

Other

Robert R Green

John W Harrell

William D Myers, Jr

Kelly D Ireland

Harold A Spencer, Iii

Thomas W Graves

A one-piece shield for temporarily covering the upper inlet of a downspout. The shield includes a single sheet of resilient material, with a pair of tabs that cooperate with a slot in the sheet. The sheet is rolled up to create a tubular portion. One of the tabs is turned into the tubular portion to block the passage into the tubular portion, and the other tab cooperates with the slot to keep the device rolled up, so that the tubular portion blocks entry of debris into the downspout. The device is unrolled after use, and stored flat.

Collapsible plug for downspouts

An axial piston fluid engine having single-acting cylinders incorporating swivel-joint attachment of the cylinders to rotary control valves wherein straight-line piston movement is established for the elimination of side forces on the pistons. The pistons and the control valves are operatively connected to a common wobble drive member and arranged in geometry of lever positions to coactively time the drive fluid into and out of the cylinders intermittently.

Straight-line piston fluid engine with wobble drive valve actuation

A method and apparatus for acoustically actuating wellbore tools using two-way acoustic communication is disclosed.

Method and apparatus for improved communication in a wellbore utilizing acoustic signals

A drive mechanism for converting rotary movement to an oscillatory movement for operating switches, valves, pumps and light implements wherein the oscillating member is a flexible rod having a curved profile from which to attach output levers positioned in a simple manner to vary the amplitude, phase timing, and duration of stroke of individual output levers; whereby numerous output functions may be performed from a single rotary input source.

Flexible rod transmission

A strong, durable, easy-to-use, and relatively low in cost installation system and method that allow soccer nets to be quickly installed and removed from a soccer goal frame. The system can be easily incorporated into new soccer goal frames during manufacture, or retrofitted to existing frames. The system and method use one or more support cords attached to the top and side edges of the soccer net, in addition to a small number of anchoring devices permanently attached to the soccer goal frame in places that minimize player contact but which are easily accessible to those installing or removing the net. Eight anchoring sites are typically used, with four of the anchoring sites being in elevated positions near the top of the soccer goal frame, and the remaining four in positions near to the frame's front and back lower corners. Non-stretchable cords or cables are used where the soccer net is to be permanently attached to a soccer goal frame, while stretchable cords are used where the soccer net remains readily detachable. The support cords stiffen the net to allow for easier handling and enhanced installation speed, as well as rapid net separation from the soccer goal frame, particularly where the net is intended to be readily detachable between uses for off-site storage to protect it from theft, vandalism, and premature deterioration due to weathering elements. The support cords can be woven through holes in the net, or bound to the soccer net with filament.

System and method for soccer net installation

A connector is presented for tubing conveyed perforating guns which facilitates connection or disconnection between guns without the need for rotation. A latching mechanism is disclosed which latches by setting down weight and unlatches by an actuating ram camming the latch out of a window. The connectors are configured so that they are sealed internally and have an external profile for interengagement with a seal ram for support and sealing around the outer periphery. Accordingly, a live well can be isolated using a seal ram around a fired gun because the internal passages through the gun are sealed off by virtue of seals around a hammer piston. The connectors are configured so that an upper gun creates the pressure required to set off the gun below. The connectors are also configured such that when a lower gun is supported by a seal ram, an emergency shear zone is presented opposite a shear ram to ensure that if an emergency well shutdown is required that the shear ram does not have to cut through a section of the gun which contains explosives.

Downhole tool connection for live well deployment

A method and apparatus is provided for communicating a control signal in a wellbore between a transmission node and a reception node through an acoustic transmission pathway which extends between the transmission node and the reception node. A transmission apparatus is provided at the transmission node which is in communication with the acoustic transmission pathway. The transmission apparatus generates a serial acoustic transmission which includes a control signal. A reception apparatus is provided at the reception node. The reception apparatus includes a sensor assembly which detects the serial acoustic transmission. Furthermore, the reception apparatus includes a means for decoding the control signal from the series acoustic transmission. The reception apparatus also includes a clock for generating a synchronizing clock signal and a demodulator which maps a predefined plurality of available control signals to a predefined output at a particular one of a plurality of available output pins in the reception apparatus. An electrically actuable wellbore tool is electrically coupled to a particular one of the plurality of available output pins, and may be actuated by the predefined output.

Method and apparatus for improved communication in a wellbore utilizing

A vertical axis wind turbine of the type having collapsible fabric sails (10) that reside on the rim of a horizontally disposed square rotor wheel (12,14) supported on a pivotally operated vertical mast (30). Four sails (10) are joined in oppositely disposed pairs and communicate by cables (16) through guides (18) that are positioned on a square rotor hub (14) and control the shape of the linked sails. When acted upon by wind, the sails reciprocally open and close to form two shapes. The two shapes are a scoop and a wing. The scoop holds the wind when receding from the wind. The advancing sail forms a wing that rides the wind promoting stability and reducing friction in the rotor wheel. The action of the advancing sail dampens the sail action of the opening sail and limits the opening sail to a preferred scoop shape.

Vertical-axis wind turbine with two-phase sails

Perforating gun connection and method of connecting for live well

An apparatus for actuating a firing head is disclosed. The apparatus contains a firing head that is operatively connected to a detonating cord of a perforating gun containing a series of shaped charges. The perforating gun will be connected to a work string in a wellbore filled with a fluid. The apparatus generally comprises a housing member having an inner portion and an outer portion; a blocking member for blocking passage of a hydrostatic pressure; a mechanical activation piston, adapted to be received within the housing member, for mechanically opening the blocking member. The apparatus further contains a hydraulic activation piston, adapted to be received within the housing member, for activating a percussion initiator firing member; and a transfer charge booster that transfers the detonation to a detonation cord.

Apparatus and method for perforating wellbores

A reliable tubing conveyed perforating operation may be coupled with methods and equipment for substantially minimizing the loss of completion fluids, thereby allowing recovery of the expensive completion fluids and preventing damage to the formation. A one-way valve is biased for closing the interior of the tubing string, but is normally held open by a stop member structurally interconnected to the perforating gun. Upon the firing of the perforating gun, an automatic gun release mechanism allows the gun to drop in the wellbore, thereby axially dropping the stop member from a position which prevents the closure of the one-way valve. According to the method of the present invention, the tubing string above a set packer may be disconnected and picked up to isolate the tubing string from the perforating gun. The perforating gun may then be fired and, the one-way valve is automatically closed so that completion fluids above the one-way valve will not be lost in the perforations below the one-way valve.

Tubing conveyed perforating system with fluid loss control

An automatic, continuous self-draining, self-cleaning and self-replenishing method and apparatus for watering stock including a bowl with siphon and a source of water for continuous drip.

Automatic continuous self-draining, self-cleaning and self-replenishing

A method and apparatus for operating a ball valve in a test tool string for a subterranean well, including a tubular actuator for the ball valve which is movable from a closing position of the ball valve to an opening position and beyond the opening position to a lock setting position, preventing the return of the tubular actuator to the ball valve closing position until the cycle of additional movements of the tubular actuator is accomplished. A metal-to-metal seal is provided for the ball valve and a larger than normal biasing force derived from a spring and a trapped pressurized gas is applied to the tubular actuator in its valve position to insure the integrity of the metal-to-metal seal.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Robert R Green