Patent · US Expired

Phased array approach to retrieve gases, liquids, or solids from subaqueous geologic or man-made formations

US5826653A · kind A · utility

72Cited by
10References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 2, 1996
Grant dateOct 27, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 2, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
  • CPC primaryB09C1/00
  • WIPO fieldEnvironmental technology
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

A method of enhancing the remediation of contaminated soils and ground water, production of oil and gas, and production of any solid, gas, and/or liquid from subsurface geologic and man-made formations including the steps of estimating the geometric boundaries of the region containing the material to be recovered, drilling a recovery well(s) into subsurface in a strategic location to recover the material of interest, establishing multiple sources of acoustical power in an array about and spaced-apart from the surface or at various depths below the surface in a borehole(s) and/or well(s), directing a volume of acoustical excitation from the sources into the region containing the material to be recovered, the excitation in the form of either controllable sinusoidal, square, pulsed, or various combinations of these three waveforms, and controlling the phasing, frequency, power, duration, and direction of these waveforms from the sources to increase and control the intensity of acoustical excitation in the region of the material to be recovered to enhance. the recovery of said material from the recovery well(s). The invention will augment any technology affecting the removal of materia…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.