Attorney Jeffrey Lee Wendt's Legal Cases

Oil and gas

Combination mud motor flow diverter and tiled bearing, and bearing assemblies including same

Mar 08, 2016

OUTCOME: US Patent 9,279,289

A mud motor radial bearing, a combination flow diverter and integral radial mud motor bearing, and a mud motor bearing assembly including the combination. The flow diverter includes a body defining thr ... eaded box ends, a concentric longitudinal bore, a generally cylindrical outer surface, and a longitudinal axis. The longitudinal bore fluidly connects the first and second threaded box ends. The first threaded box end connects to a pin of a transmission of a mud motor rotor, and the second threaded box end connects to a pin of a mandrel. A portion of the generally cylindrical outer surface of the body in a region of the second threaded box end has bonded thereto a bearing material. The bearing material includes a plurality of tungsten carbide portions surrounded by a hard metal alloy matrix binder.

Oil and gas

Methods and systems for assembly of fiberglass reinforced sucker rods

Nov 24, 2015

OUTCOME: US Patent 9,193,013

Methods for assembling fiberglass reinforced plastic sucker rods include transporting fiberglass reinforced plastic sucker rod sections from an off-site location to an assembly facility at or near a po ... int of use, and providing a sufficient number of metallic end fittings to connect respective ends of the plurality of sucker rod sections in series at the assembly facility. Systems for assembly of sucker rods from sucker rod sections transported from off-site location to or near a point of use are also described.

Oil and gas

Method for fracturing a formation using a fracturing fluid mixture

May 19, 2015

OUTCOME: US Patent 9,033,035

A method for fracturing a formation in a reservoir uses a fracturing fluid mixture comprising natural gas and a base fluid. The method comprises: determining certain reservoir conditions of the reservo ... ir comprising the formation; selecting at least one desired behavior of the fracturing fluid mixture during a fracturing operation in the formation under the determined reservoir conditions; determining properties of the fracturing fluid mixture required to achieve the selected at least one behavior, preparing the fracturing fluid mixture having the determined properties; and injecting the fracturing fluid mixture into the reservoir under the determined reservoir conditions, such that the mixture exhibits the desired behavior during the fracturing operation. The determined properties include a mole fraction of natural gas in the mixture.

Oil and gas

Marine subsea free-standing riser systems and methods

Feb 24, 2015

OUTCOME: US Patent 8,960,302

A free-standing riser system connects a subsea source to a surface structure. The system includes a concentric free-standing riser comprising inner and outer risers defining an annulus there between. A ... lower end of the riser is fluidly coupled to the subsea source through a lower riser assembly (LRA) and one or more subsea flexible conduits. An upper end of the riser is connected to a buoyancy assembly and the surface structure through an upper riser assembly (URA) and one or more upper flexible conduits, the riser also mechanically connected to a buoyancy assembly that applies upward tension to the riser. The riser may be insulated for flow assurance, either by a flow assurance fluid in the annulus, insulation of the outside of the outer riser, or both. The system may include a hydrate inhibition system and/or a subsea dispersant system. The surface structure may be dynamically positioned.

Oil and gas

Method of sorting used tubular goods prior to reclaiming or reconditioning

Jul 26, 2011

OUTCOME: US Patent 7,985,938

Methods for reclaiming or reconditioning used tubulars are disclosed. One method includes performing non-visual, non-destructive inspection of used tubulars at a site of a reconditioning or reclaiming ... plant prior to the used tubulars being cleaned in preparation for reclaiming or reconditioning, followed by sorting the used tubulars based principally on the inspection. The non-visual, non-destructive inspection may be selected from magnetic flux leakage inspection, ultrasonic inspection, Eddy current inspection, acoustic emission inspection, and combinations thereof.

Oil and gas

Annulus mud flow rate measurement while drilling and use thereof to detect well dysfunction

May 31, 2011

OUTCOME: US Patent 7,950,451

Methods and apparatus are described that combine a measurement of the physical velocity of material within the annulus of a well between the drill pipe and the wall of the well with a measurement of th ... e area of the flow as determined from a measurement of distance between the drill pipe and the wall of the hole to determine the actual material volumetric flow rate. Changes in volumetric flow rate at one or more points along the well can be used to determine the occurrence and location of well dysfunctions. This knowledge can then be used to make decisions about treating well dysfunctions which will lead to more efficient use of drilling rig time.

Oil and gas

Methods for controlling marine seismic equipment orientation during acquisition of marine seismic data

Jul 13, 2010

OUTCOME: US Patent 7,755,970

Methods are described for actively steering a towed marine seismic component using one or more actively controllable control members; reducing the actively steering of the control members during durati ... on of a time window of recording seismic reflections from a sub-surface geological feature of interest; and resuming the actively steering of the control members after the time window. The marine seismic component may be a streamer, a source, or both. Other methods allow measuring initial orientation of a streamer based on measuring static control surface angle of a control surface of an inline steerable bird.

Oil and gas

Compositions and methods of using same in producing heavy oil and bitumen

Apr 06, 2010

OUTCOME: US Patent 7,691,788

Compositions and methods of using same are described for negating asphaltene deposition in a formation, wellbore, near wellbore region, and production tubing. Compositions of the invention comprise an ... asphaltene solvent and a viscosity reducing agent, the asphaltene solvent and viscosity reducing agent present in a ratio so as to substantially reduce viscosity of an asphaltene-containing material while substantially negating deposition of asphaltenes either in a reservoir, in production tubing, or both when mixed or otherwise contacting the asphaltene-containing material. Methods of the invention comprise forcing a composition comprising an asphaltene solvent and a viscosity reducing agent to contact an asphaltene-containing hydrocarbon in an underground geologic formation, and producing from the formation a production composition comprising at least some of the treatment composition and at least some of the asphaltene-containing hydrocarbon under conditions sufficient to substantially negate deposition of asphaltenes in the formation.

Patent application

Methods and apparatus for treating wastewater employing a high rate clarifier and a membrane

Aug 12, 2008

OUTCOME: US Patent 7,410,584

Methods and apparatus for treating wastewater are described, one method embodiment including the steps of flowing a stream comprising mixed liquor suspended solids and fixed growth solids to a high rat ... e clarification stage, forming a clarifier effluent, a first waste activated sludge stream, and a return waste activated sludge stream. The high rate clarifier effluent stream then flows to a membrane stage that includes a membrane media, producing a membrane reject (retentate) stream and a treated effluent (permeate) stream. Optionally, the methods include routing a screened raw wastewater to an anaerobic and/or aerated anoxic stage and introducing a gas comprising oxygen to the wastewater during the aerated anoxic stage, and optionally allowing the product of this stage to flow to an aeration stage prior to the high rate clarification stage.

Jeffrey Lee Wendt's Legal Cases (19)

Combination mud motor flow diverter and tiled bearing, and bearing assemblies including same

Methods and systems for assembly of fiberglass reinforced sucker rods

Method for fracturing a formation using a fracturing fluid mixture

Marine subsea free-standing riser systems and methods

Method of sorting used tubular goods prior to reclaiming or reconditioning

Annulus mud flow rate measurement while drilling and use thereof to detect well dysfunction

Methods for controlling marine seismic equipment orientation during acquisition of marine seismic data

Compositions and methods of using same in producing heavy oil and bitumen

Methods and apparatus for treating wastewater employing a high rate clarifier and a membrane