US 12,760,621 B2Granted

Cooling well fluids using hydro-motor driven air coolers

AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company

InventorsMustafa Karakaya, Abdullah Mahdi Al Shehab, Ibrahim Alanazi, Reem Alsadoun, Almolham Saleh

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Abstract

A method of cooling wellbore fluids using hydromotor driven air cooler includes flowing wellbore fluid received from a wellhead of a wellbore through a hydromotor to generate torque and rotation. The wellbore fluid exiting the hydromotor is flowed through a heat exchanger network that includes multiple pipes arranged to exchange heat of the wellbore fluid with air flowed past an outer surface of the heat exchanger network. Using the torque and rotation generated by flowing the wellbore fluid through the hydromotor, an air blowing system is operated to generate air. The generated air is directed to flow past the outer surface of the heat exchanger network.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A method of cooling wellbore fluids, the method comprising:

flowing, wellbore fluid received from a wellhead of a wellbore, through a hydromotor to generate torque and rotation;
flowing the wellbore fluid exiting the hydromotor through a heat exchanger network comprising a plurality of pipes arranged to exchange heat of the wellbore fluid with air flowed past an outer surface of the heat exchanger network;
operating, using the torque and rotation generated by flowing the wellbore fluid through the hydromotor, an air blowing system to generate air;
increasing, using a hydropump included in the air blowing system, a flow rate of the air;
and
directing the generated air with increased flow rate to flow past the outer surface of the heat exchanger network;
wherein operating, using the torque and rotation generated by flowing the wellbore fluid through the hydromotor, the air blowing system comprises:
coupling a shaft to the hydromotor;
coupling the shaft to the hydropump to increase the flow rate of the air;
and
rotating the shaft with the generated torque and rotation.

8 more elements

A wellbore fluid cooling system comprising:

a hydromotor fluidically coupled to a wellhead to receive wellbore fluid from a wellbore at which the wellhead is installed, the hydromotor configured to generate torque in response to receiving the wellbore fluid;
a heat exchanger network comprising a plurality of pipes, the heat exchanger network fluidically coupled to the hydromotor to receive the wellbore fluid exiting the hydromotor, the heat exchanger network configured to exchange heat of the wellbore fluid with air flowed past an outer surface of the heat exchanger network;
and
an air blowing system coupled to the hydromotor and spatially arranged with respect to the heat exchanger network, the air blowing system comprising a hydropump configured to generate air, the air blowing system configured to direct the generated air to flow past the outer surface of the heat exchanger network;
wherein the air blowing system comprises a shaft coupled to the hydromotor, the shaft configured to rotate in response to the torque generated by the hydromotor;
and
wherein the hydropump is coupled to the shaft to generate air blowing in response to a rotation of the shaft.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.