Electric or Natural Gas Blending and Pumping for Oil Wells
This patent describes a compact, modular system for mixing and pumping fluids used in oil and gas wells, powered by electricity or natural gas, using gravity to feed materials into a main blender.
Original patent title: “USRE49155E1 - Electric or natural gas fired small footprint fracturing fluid blending and pumping equipment”
This patent describes a compact, modular system for mixing and pumping fluids used in oil and gas wells, powered by electricity or natural gas, using gravity to feed materials into a main blender. Granted to Halliburton Energy Services Inc in 2022 with 68 claims and 34 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This system integrates the storage and blending of materials, like those used in hydraulic fracturing, into a compact setup. It uses separate modules for main dry storage, liquid additives, and a pre-gel blender. A key design is that gravity pulls materials from these storage units down into a main blender (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1). After blending, two powerful pumps move the mixed fluid "down hole" into a well. These pumps are specifically designed to run on natural gas or electricity (Claim 1), offering an alternative to traditional diesel power. For instance, a system could store gel powder, water, and other chemicals, blend them into a fracturing fluid, and then pump it into an oil well using an electric motor, with the pre-gel blender hydrating the gel powder in an annular space before mixing.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Systems where materials are not gravity-fed from storage units into the main blender (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1 explicitly states "gravity directs the contents").
- Blending systems where the main pumps are exclusively powered by diesel or other combustion engines not fueled by natural gas (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1 specifies "natural gas and electricity").
- Systems that do not include a dedicated pre-gel blender with a central core and an annular space for hydrating materials (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1).
- Blending systems that are not modular, meaning they are not composed of distinct, separable storage and blending units (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 20).
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The noveltynoveltyThe requirement that an invention be different from anything publicly known before its priority date.Read more → lies in integrating multiple material storage and pre-blending units into a compact, modular system that uses gravity for efficient material flow to a main blender, and then powering the high-pressure pumps with natural gas or electricity, offering an alternative to traditional diesel engines.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Halliburton's electric fracturing fleets
Natural gas-powered well stimulation equipment
Modular blending units for hydraulic fracturing
Integrated fluid delivery systems for oil and gas
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This technology aims to make oilfield operations, especially hydraulic fracturing, more efficient and potentially less impactful environmentally by using cleaner or more readily available power sources like natural gas or electricity. By integrating storage and blending into a smaller, modular footprint, it can reduce setup time and transportation costs at remote well sites. This approach can help reduce emissions and noise compared to traditional diesel-powered equipment, which is a significant concern in the industry.
Filed
August 9, 2019
Granted
August 2, 2022
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Halliburton Energy Services Inc., the assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →, is a major global oilfield services company that continues to develop and deploy electric and natural gas-powered fracturing and blending equipment. Other large oilfield service providers like Schlumberger and Baker Hughes are also investing in similar technologies to reduce emissions and improve efficiency in well completion operations. This patent helps define a segment of that ongoing innovation.
Market impact
This patent reflects and contributes to a significant shift in the oil and gas industry towards more sustainable and efficient well completion practices. The move away from diesel-powered equipment to natural gas or electric alternatives has led to reduced fuel costs, lower emissions, and quieter operations, influencing how new fracturing fleets are designed and deployed by major service providers. It supports the trend of electrifying oilfield operations to meet environmental and operational goals.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This system integrates the storage and blending of materials, like those used in hydraulic fracturing, into a compact setup. It uses separate modules for main dry storage, liquid additives, and a pre-gel blender. A key design is that gravity pulls materials from these storage units down into a main blender (Claim 1). After blending, two powerful pumps move the mixed fluid "down hole" into a well. These pumps are specifically designed to run on natural gas or electricity (Claim 1), offering an alternative to traditional diesel power. For instance, a system could store gel powder, water, and other chemicals, blend them into a fracturing fluid, and then pump it into an oil well using an electric motor, with the pre-gel blender hydrating the gel powder in an annular space before mixing.
The clever bit
The novelty lies in integrating multiple material storage and pre-blending units into a compact, modular system that uses gravity for efficient material flow to a main blender, and then powering the high-pressure pumps with natural gas or electricity, offering an alternative to traditional diesel engines.
What it does not cover
- Systems where materials are not gravity-fed from storage units into the main blender (Claim 1 explicitly states "gravity directs the contents").
- Blending systems where the main pumps are exclusively powered by diesel or other combustion engines not fueled by natural gas (Claim 1 specifies "natural gas and electricity").
- Systems that do not include a dedicated pre-gel blender with a central core and an annular space for hydrating materials (Claim 1).
- Blending systems that are not modular, meaning they are not composed of distinct, separable storage and blending units (Claim 20).
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Strong
Citation count
31/40
Moderately cited
Claim breadth
20/20
Very broad protection
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$151K – $484K
Midpoint $302K · 13.1 yr remaining · industry ×0.7
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
68 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Hyden, R., Stegemoeller, C. L., Case, L. R., & Hagan, E. B. (2022). Electric or Natural Gas Blending and Pumping for Oil Wells (U.S. Patent No. RE49,155). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/RE49155/connected-exercise-bike
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Electric or Natural Gas Blending and Pumping for Oil Wells cover?
This patent describes a compact, modular system for mixing and pumping fluids used in oil and gas wells, powered by electricity or natural gas, using gravity to feed materials into a main blender.
Who owns patent US RE49155?
Halliburton Energy Services Inc owns this patent, granted in 2022.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on August 2, 2042, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US RE49155 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 34 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This technology aims to make oilfield operations, especially hydraulic fracturing, more efficient and potentially less impactful environmentally by using cleaner or more readily available power sources like natural gas or electricity. By integrating storage and blending into a smaller, modular footprint, it can reduce setup time and transportation costs at remote well sites. This approach can help reduce emissions and noise compared to traditional diesel-powered equipment, which is a significant concern in the industry.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Systems where materials are not gravity-fed from storage units into the main blender (Claim 1 explicitly states "gravity directs the contents").
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