US Patent Issued to Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations on Nov. 11 for "Method of altering the wettability of a subterranean surface to enhance protection of hydrocarbons" (Texas Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 11 -- United States Patent no. 12,466,986, issued on Nov. 11, was assigned to Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC (Houston).

"Method of altering the wettability of a subterranean surface to enhance protection of hydrocarbons" was invented by Radhika Suresh (Sugar Land, Texas), Naima Bestaoui-Spurr (The Woodlands, Texas) and Kimberly Spurlock-Lant (Conroe, Texas).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A method of imparting hydrophobicity and/or oleophobicity to a surface of a subterranean formation penetrated by a well during production of hydrocarbons from the well consists of pumping a surface modifying wettability agent into the well, the surface modifying wettability agent ha...