Bellaire man receives patent for tool that could improve oil and gas production

An invention that could solve a problem in the production of oil and natural gas has earned a U.S. patent for a Bellaire man.

As described in the patent, the invention is a new way of "breaking" (or reducing the viscosity of) fluids used in the making of oil and gas wells. The inventors write that the new type of breaker will make it easier to do this for certain types of fluids in the pores of subterranean formations. This can be accomplished without the use of an external mechanical or chemical agent, the inventors write.

The inventors credited in the patent are Lijun Lin of Stafford, Yiyan Chen of Richmond, Philip F. Sullivan of Bellaire, Belgin Baser of Houston, Carlos Abad of Richmond and Jesse C. Lee of Paris, France.

The patent was originally filed on September 18, 2006, and was approved on Feb. 1 of this year. Its official number is 7,879,770. The patent is owned by the Sugar Land offices of Schlumberger Technology Corp.

Schlumberger is an oilfield services company with operations in approximately 80 countries. Though incorporated in the Dutch Antilles, its principal offices are located in Houston, Paris and The Hague in the Netherlands.