ROBERT A GARDES
Pilots at Smith Reed Rd, Lafayette, LA

6745855, Jun 8, 2004

Sep 30, 2002

10/262557

Robert Gardes - Lafayette LA

Innovative Drilling Technologies, LLC - Lafayette LA

E21B 704

175 62, 166 50, 175 70

A method and system of drilling straight directional and multilateral wells utilizing hydraulic frictional controlled drilling, by providing concentric casing strings to define a plurality of annuli therebetween; injecting fluid down some of the annuli; returning the fluid up at least one annulus so that the return flow creates adequate hydraulic friction within the return annulus to control the return flow within the well. The hydraulic friction should be minimized on the injection side to require less hydraulic horsepower and be maximized on the return side to create the desired subsurface friction to control the well.

6065550, May 23, 2000

Feb 19, 1998

9/026270

Robert Gardes - Lafayette LA

E21B 704, E21B 4312

175 62

A method and system of drilling multiple radial wells using underbalanced drilling, by first drilling a principal wellbore; then providing a first carrier string having a deflection member on its lowermost end to a certain depth within the principal wellbore; orienting the deflection member into a predetermined direction; lowering a second drill string, such as coiled tubing or segmented drill pipe, down the bore of the carrier string, so that the drill bit on the end of the second string is deflected by the deflection member in the predetermined direction from the principal wellbore and a first multilateral well is drilled. When coiled tubing is used, fluid is pumped downhole through the annulus of the coiled tubing, and into an annular space between the coiled tubing and the carrier string so that it co-mingles with produced hydrocarbons; and the co-mingled fluids and any hydrocarbons are returned to the rig through the annular space between the borehole and the carrier string. When segmented drill pipe is used, fluid is pumped down the bore of the drill pipe and down the annular space between the carrier string and the borehole, and fluid and any hydrocarbons are returned up the annular space between the drill pipe and the carrier string; in either method, maintaining an underbalanced borehole, so that addtional multilateral wells may be completed while the well is alive and producing.

5720356, Feb 24, 1998

Feb 1, 1996

8/595594

Robert Gardes - Lafayette LA

E21B 704, E21B 4312

175 62

A method and system of drilling multiple radial wells using underbalanced drilling, by first drilling a principal wellbore. There would then be provided a first carrier string having a deflection member on its lowermost end to a certain depth within the principal wellbore. There is then lowered a second drill string, such as coiled tubing, down the bore of the carrier string, so that the drill bit on the end of the second string is deflected by the deflection member in a predetermined direction from the principal wellbore. A second fluid is then pumped into an annular space between the coiled tubing and the carrier string to a position that it co-mingles with the first fluid. The co-mingled fluids and any hydrocarbons are then returned upward to the rig through the annular space between the borehole and the carrier string. There is then provided a volume of fluid to establish an equilibrium within the carrier string. The drill bit at the end of the coil tubing is retrieved from the bore hole.

7243738, Jul 17, 2007

Jul 27, 2005

11/190166

Robert Gardes - Lafayette LA, US

E21B 7/04, E21B 43/12

175 61, 175 70, 166 50, 1661175, 166313

A process for underbalanced drilling into multiple coal and shale formations, and dewatering the drilled formations, which includes drilling a first borehole through several coal seams to a certain depth; lowering an upstock on the end of a carrier string to the depth of the upper coal seam; lowering a drill string in the carrier string, and angling off of the upstock, to drill a lateral or horizontal borehole within the coal seam; repeating the process for the second coal seam; setting a packer in place above the first coal seam in the annulus between the cased borehole and the carrier string; forming perforations in the wall of the carrier string below the packer; retrieving the upstock from the carrier string; lowering an electrical submersible pump to the bottom of the principal borehole; pumping water from the sump portion to the surface within the annulus of the second drill string.

4599172, Jul 8, 1986

Dec 24, 1984

6/686072

Robert A. Gardes - Lafayette LA

B01D 2302

210314

An apparatus for filtering drilling mud that is being recirculated out of the drill hole. A flow conveying tubular section has at its first lower end a flanged base portion sealably attachable to the well casing or blow out preventer and is open-ended at its second end for allowing fluid flow therethrough. Also provided is an outer tank portion encapsulating substantially the upper half portion of the tubular section. The tank portion has an open-ended top for receiving flow out the upper end of the flow conveying tubular section and is integrally attached at its bottom portion to the outer surface of the tubular section to define a container for receiving fluid flow from the tubular section. An adjustable primary filter is provided on that portion of the tubular section enclosed by the tank portion for filtering and conveying fluid out of the tubular section into the tank portion. There is provided a secondary filter having a plurality of angulated vanes defining an angulated mud filtering surface.

7185718, Mar 6, 2007

Jan 8, 2004

10/754022

Robert Gardes - Lafayette LA, US

E21B 7/04, E21B 43/12

175 62, 175 70, 166 50

A method and system of drilling straight directional and multilateral wells utilizing hydraulic frictional controlled drilling, by providing concentric casing strings to define a plurality of annuli therebetween; injecting fluid down some of the annuli; returning the fluid up at least one annulus so that the return flow creates adequate hydraulic friction within the return annulus to control the return flow within the well. The hydraulic friction should be minimized on the injection side to require less hydraulic horsepower and be maximized on the return side to create the desired subsurface friction to control the well.

4410425, Oct 18, 1983

Aug 5, 1981

6/290376

Robert A. Gardes - Lafayette LA

B01D 2302

210167

An apparatus for filtering drilling mud that is being recirculated out of the drill hole, which substantially comprises the flow conveying tubular section having at its first end a flanged base portion sealably attachable to the top portion of the hydril and open-ended at its second end for allowing fluid flow therethrough. Also provided is an outer tank portion encapsulating substantially the upper half portion of said tubular section, the tank portion having an open-ended top portion for receiving flow out of the end portion of the flow conveying tubular section and integrally attached at its bottom portion to the outer surface of the flow conveying tubular section, the outer tank portion defining a container for receiving the flow from the tubular section. There is a first filter means interconnecting the top portion of the tubular section and the top portion of the tank section, the filter means comprising a plurality of angulated vanes equally and circumferentially mounted between the tank section and the tube section and defining an angulated filtering surface therebetween, and secondary filter means comprising a plurality of slots through the wall of that portion of the tubular section within the tank portion, for conveying fluid out of the tubular member into the tank portion, and a fluid conveying means for conveying fluid out of the tank section to be recirculated down the drill hole.

6923275, Aug 2, 2005

Feb 21, 2003

10/372522

Robert Gardes - Lafayette LA, US

E21B007/04, E21B043/12

175 61, 175 70, 166 50, 1661175

A process for underbalanced drilling into multiple coal and shale formations, and dewatering the drilled formations, which includes drilling a first borehole through several coal seams to a certain depth, defined as a cased borehole; lowering an upstock on the end of a carrier string to the depth of the upper coal seam; lowering a drill string in the carrier string, and angling off of the upstock, to drill a lateral or horizontal borehole within the coal seam; repeating the process for the second coal seam; setting a packer in place above the first coal seam in the annulus between the cased borehole and the carrier string; forming perforations in the wall of the carrier string below the packer; retrieving the upstock from the carrier string; lowering an electrical submersible pump to the bottom of the principal borehole, defined as a sump portion of the borehole; collecting methane gas from the two coal seams through the annulus between the second drill string and the carrier string to the surface; pumping water from the sump portion to the surface within the annulus of the second drill string, while gas within the annulus between the carrier string and the outer casing enters the plurality of perforations in the carrier string to be carried up to the surface.

5394950, Mar 7, 1995

May 21, 1993

8/065674

Robert A. Gardes - Lafayette LA

E21B 706

175 45

A method of drilling radial boreholes from a first borehole without withdrawing the drill string from the hole, by providing a first carrier string, a drill string within the carrier string, and a method for orienting the position of the carrier string relative to the position of the inner string, so that the strings are co-oriented, without the need to retrieve either the carrier string or the inner drill string from the bore hole for drilling consecutive radial wells.