Methods of swabbing liquid loaded wells, and killing wells, with the use of compression pumps, regulators and filtration techniques
AssigneeZenrg Services, LLC
InventorsRonald Williams, Sam Edwards, Joe Chandler, Cameron Brasier
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method to unload a fluid mixture from an underground production tubing, in order to reduce the hydrostatic pressure within the fluid mixture. A method to kill an oil or gas well by equalizing pressure between the production tubing, the casing annulus, and a surface tank battery, by de-pressurizing the fluid within the production tubing and the casing annulus, and by pumping a kill fluid. One goal of the methods may be to avoid discharging unwanted liquid phase or gas phase to the atmosphere, therefore reducing unnecessary emissions, and valuing the recovered products.
Claims13
A method of unloading a fluid mixture from underground production tubing comprising:
- pulling, via a compression pump provided downstream of a well head, the fluid mixture from a vertical section of the underground tubing such that a hydrostatic pressure of the fluid mixture within the underground production tubing is reduced, wherein
- the fluid mixture comprises a gas phase, a liquid phase, and a solid phase;
- flowing the fluid mixture into a separation vessel to separate the gas phase, the liquid phase, and the solid phase;
- flowing, via the compression pump, the gas phase and the liquid phase into a tank battery to be stored for future use, such that no portion of the gas phase or the liquid phase is vented to the atmosphere;
- and
- continuing to pull the fluid mixture from the vertical section of the underground tubing until the reduction in hydrostatic pressure of the fluid mixture inside the underground production tubing is sufficient to re-establish a production flow out of the underground production tubing, wherein the production flow had previously been limited.
A method of killing an oil or gas well that includes a fluid mixture present within an underground production tubing and present within an underground casing annulus, the method comprising:
- coupling the underground production tubing and the underground casing annulus with a surface tank battery via a well head of the oil or gas well, wherein the well head includes fluid valve connections linking the underground production tubing, the underground casing annulus and the surface tank battery;
- equalizing a fluid pressure of the fluid mixture present within the underground production tubing and present within the underground casing annulus, with a fluid pressure of the fluid mixture present within the surface tank battery by adjusting positions of the fluid valve connections;
- pumping, via a cross-compression pump provided downstream of the well head, the fluid mixture present within the underground production tubing and the fluid mixture present within the underground casing annulus
- towards the surface tank battery;
- and
- pumping, via the cross-compression pump, a kill fluid towards the underground casing annulus, and towards the underground production tubing,
- wherein pressure gauges or sensors are provided to monitor the fluid pressure in the underground production tubing, the underground casing annulus, and the surface tank battery.
A system comprising:
- a compression pump configured to pull a fluid mixture from a vertical section of underground tubing, via a well head, such that a hydrostatic pressure of the fluid mixture within the underground production tubing is reduced, wherein the fluid mixture comprises a gas phase, a liquid phase, and a solid phase;
- a separation vessel configured to receive the fluid mixture from the vertical section of underground tubing and separate the gas phase, the liquid phase, and the solid phase;
- and
- a tank battery configured to receive and store the gas phase and the liquid phase of the fluid mixture for future use, wherein the gas phase and the liquid phase of the fluid mixture are conveyed from the separator to the tank battery by the compression pump such that no portion of the gas phase or the liquid phase is vented to the atmosphere.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.