Alberta Research Council Incorporated

Syncrude Canada Ltd.

Lifteck International Inc.

Hydroscope Cananda Inc.

Pica Pipeline Inspection and Condition Analysis Corporation

Rodney K Ridley

Mario DeRocco

Barry Bara

Darcy Daugela

Varagur S Rajan

Yuwu Yu

Mark Polak

Robert William Skwarok

Peter Toma

Bernard Tremblay

Lawrence B Staples

Varagur S V Rajan

Mario De Rocco

Surindar Pal Singh

Pat Dougan

John Harry Woolley

Tadeusz Kazmierczak

Guy William Farebrother

Linsong Cai

Paul Charles Johnston

Jens Winslow

Serge Gilbert Bonnet

Helen Pinto

Varagur Srinivasa V Rajan

Jun Sun

Marc Provencher

Kerry Scott

Garry Cardinal

Jens Cb Winslow

Varagur Sv Rajan

An apparatus including a sealing device for sealing a wellbore, a first pump for pumping fluids from a lower wellbore section, a pump drive powered using wellbore gas, a gas inlet for supplying the pump drive with wellbore gas, and a gas outlet for exhausting wellbore gas to an upper wellbore section from the pump drive. The apparatus may further include a second pump for pumping fluids from the upper wellbore section into the lower wellbore section, a vent for venting wellbore gas to the upper wellbore section, and a switch for controlling the pump drive. A method for moving fluids in a wellbore including sealing the wellbore, supplying wellbore gas to a pump drive and driving a first pump with the pump drive. The method may further include driving a second pump with the pump drive and venting the wellbore gas to an upper wellbore section.

Downhole pumping apparatus and method

A system for characterizing a slurry in a slurry process includes a flow tube, a camera, and a computer. The system is suitable for use with an oil sands extraction slurry processed or treated by an oil sands extraction slurry process. The slurry is diverted from the slurry process into the flow tube. The camera images the slurry as it flows through a transparent portion of the flow tube to produce a digital image of the slurry. The computer analyzes the digital image to determine a slurry characteristic. Based on the determined slurry characteristic, the computer may predict a performance metric of the slurry process and adjust an operating parameter of the slurry process to optimize the slurry process towards a target performance metric. Multiple systems may be used to continuously monitor slurry characteristics at upstream and downstream steps of the slurry process, and determine correlations between those characteristics.

System and method for image-based analysis of a slurry and control of a slurry process

A system and a method for detecting a damaged or missing machine part. The system includes an image capturing device for capturing images of the machine and a processor for processing the captured images. The system may further include a sensible output for providing an indication of a damaged or missing machine part. The method includes capturing images of the machine against a background which moves relative to the machine over time, selecting a pair of time-separated images from the captured images, generating a displacement image from the pair of images, comparing the machine from the displacement image with a machine model, and identifying a damaged or missing machine part from the comparison of the displacement image with the machine model. The method may further include providing a sensible output which indicates a damaged or missing machine part.

System and a method for detecting a damaged or missing machine part

In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a method is provided for analyzing RFT data from a data file. The method includes parsing the data file into pipe lengths, calculating a phase profile for the data points within each pipe length, locating potential defects in the pipe length using the phase profiles, determining for each defect a total equivalent phase shift as a combination of a circumferential equivalent phase shift and a non-circumferential equivalent phase shift, and using the total equivalent phase shift to analyze the defect.

Method and system for determining pipeline circumferential and non-circumferential wall loss defects in a water pipeline

The invention is an apparatus and a method for characterizing the flow of a multi-phase fluid. The fluid is first mixed continuously as it flows from a first to a second end of a first section, such that the fluid is substantially homogeneous at a first point and such that the substantial homogeneity of the fluid is maintained between the first point and a second point in the first section, and a first pressure drop is measured at a first location in the first section between the first and second points. The fluid is second mixed continuously as it flows from a first to a second end of a second section, such that the fluid is substantially homogeneous at a first point and such that the substantial homogeneity of the fluid is maintained between the first point and a second point in the second section, and a second pressure drop is measured at a second location in the second section between the first and second points. Using the first and second pressure drops, a value is determined for a first characteristic and a second characteristic of the fluid. Optionally, the fluid may also be third mixed continuously as it flows from a first to a second end of a third section, such that the fluid is substantially homogeneous at a first point and such that the substantial homogeneity of the fluid is maintained between the first point and a second point in the third section, and a third pressure drop may then be measured at a third location in the third section between the first and second points. A value for a third characteristic of the fluid may be determined by using the third pressure drop.

Multi-phase fluid flow measurement apparatus and method

The invention is an apparatus for moving reservoir fluids from an underground reservoir using a wellbore extending from the surface to an end beneath the surface, wherein the wellbore communicates with the reservoir such that reservoir fluids enter the wellbore and separate into a liquid phase and a gas phase at a gas pressure. The apparatus includes a first pump, for containing within the wellbore in communication with the liquid, for pumping the liquid phase. The apparatus further includes a pump drive, for containing within the wellbore, operably connected to the first pump for driving the first pump. The pump drive is powered using the gas pressure of the gas phase in the wellbore. An intake communicates with the gas phase in the wellbore and directs the gas phase to the pump drive in order to power the pump drive, while an exhaust directs the gas phase from the pump drive. Further, the invention is a method for moving reservoir fluids from an underground reservoir using a wellbore. The method includes the steps of intaking the gas phase from the wellbore into the pump drive, powering the pump drive using the gas pressure of the gas phase in the wellbore, pumping the liquid phase from the wellbore by the first pump and exhausting the gas phase from the pump drive.

Reservoir fluids production apparatus and method

A method and an apparatus for determining at least one property of a multiphase fluid. The method includes the steps of directing the multiphase fluid through a first flow passage, monitoring the multiphase fluid as it passes through the first flow passage to obtain a first signal representing a first flow characteristic of the multiphase fluid as a function of time, directing the multiphase fluid through a second flow passage, monitoring the multiphase fluid as it passes through the second flow passage to obtain a second signal representing a second flow characteristic of the multiphase fluid as a function of time, and then determining the property of the multiphase fluid by comparing the first signal and the second signal with a set of calibration maps. The second flow passage has a geometry different from the first flow passage which relates either to the cross section of the two flow passages or to the direction in which the multiphase fluid passes through the flow passages relative to gravity.

Method and apparatus for use in determining a property of a multiphase

A method for evaluating rheological properties of certain non-Newtonian liquids employs the principle of a multiple forced flow of a single sample of the liquid through an orifice, thus effecting a significant elongation of the sample. The liquid is forced through the orifice by means of a piston. Preferably, the orifice is built into the piston so that the liquid remains stationary during the piston advance. The timing and rate of the sequential strokes of the piston are controlled and the differential pressure across the orifice is measured. A function between the timing of the piston strokes, the stroke rate and the differential pressure can be determined. The function has been found to represent a relatively reliable rheological 'signature' of the tested liquid.

Device and method for determining rheological quality of non-newtonian

The invention is an apparatus and a method for characterizing the flow of a multi-phase fluid. The apparatus is comprised of: a conduit having a first end and a second end, for flowing the fluid from the first to the second ends, and a first point and a second point located between the first and second ends; a mixer for mixing the fluid as it flows from the first to the second ends such that the fluid is substantially homogeneous at the first point and such that the substantial homogeneity of the fluid is maintained between the first and second points; and means for determining at least one of a volumetric flow rate of the substantially homogeneous fluid at a first location in the conduit between the first and second points and a density of the substantially homogeneous fluid at a second location between the first and second points. The method is comprised of the steps of: mixing the fluid as it flows from the first to the second ends of the conduit such that the fluid is substantially homogeneous at the first point and such that the substantial homogeneity of the fluid is maintained between the first and second points; and determining at least one of the volumetric flow rate of the substantially homogeneous fluid at the first location and the density of the substantially homogeneous fluid at the second location.

The invention is a method for producing reservoir fluids from an underground reservoir through the wellbore. The method includes the steps of intaking the gas phase from the wellbore into the wellbore-contained pump drive, powering the pump drive using the gas pressure of the gas phase in the wellbore, pumping the liquid phase from the wellbore towards the surface by a first pump and exhausting the gas phase from the pump drive towards the surface.

Method for underground-reservoir fluids production with pump drive

Growing community of inventors

Edmonton, Canada

Rodney K Ridley