US Patent Issued to Halliburton Energy Services on July 1 for "Fast-acting swellable downhole seal" (Singaporean, American Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 3 -- United States Patent no. 12,345,120, issued on July 1, was assigned to Halliburton Energy Services Inc. (Houston).

"Fast-acting swellable downhole seal" was invented by Stephen Michael Greci (Little Elm, Texas), Michael Linley Fripp (Singapore) and Brandon T. Least (Carrollton, Texas).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A downhole sealing tool and method use a swellable material (e.g., a swellable rubber or a swellable metallic material) with increased surface area for faster reaction with an activation fluid. In one example, a swellable metallic sealing element and actuator are carried on a tool mandrel for lowering into a wellbore on a conveyance. The sealing element in...