ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 24 -- United States Patent no. 12,584,383, issued on March 24, was assigned to ConocoPhillips Co. (Houston).
"Metal seal for liner drilling" was invented by John Gibb (Houston).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Systems and methods of forming a seal employ a robust metal sealing unit for tubulars used in rotary drilling. Specifically, eutectic alloy is used to seal a tubular to a wellbore after drilling. A downhole heater melts the alloy, allowing the alloy to expand drain before it cools and solidifies between the wellbore and tubular, forming a gas tight seal."
The patent was filed on March 13, 2024, under Application No. 18/603,485.
*For further information, including i...