Advanced gas injection method and apparatus liquid hydrocarbon recovery complex

A method of increasing liquid hydrocarbon recovery from a downhole formation through an injection tubing string, comprising:

• a vertical wellbore annulus with horizontal borehole(s) and/or perforations indirect communication with the liquid hydrocarbon zone(s);
• positioning the injection tubing string from its connection to the surface compressor down the vertical wellbore open ended by the opened liquid hydrocarbon zone;
• positioning a packer above the liquid hydrocarbon zone for sealing the well annulus outward from injection tubing string;
• setting a bridge plug at an optimum level(s) below the selected liquid hydrocarbon zone(s), isolating the chosen injection area;
• injecting high pressure gas from surface compressor through injection tubing string below packer out the vertical tubing's open end directly into the open horizontal borehole(s) and/or perforations compressing gas deep into the liquid hydrocarbon zone(s) to enter solution with the liquid hydrocarbon;
• establishing increased pressure and viscosity reduction, increasing liquid hydrocarbon mobility through high pressure gas going into solution with liquid hydrocarbon to be recovered under a maintained high pressure level;
• and
• maintaining gas cap(s) and liquid hydrocarbon zone(s) under high pressure forward to the production and recovery process of this invention.

A system for enhancing liquid hydrocarbon recovery from a downhole formation through an injection tubing string, comprising:

• a vertical wellbore opened both into the gas cap and the liquid hydrocarbon zone(s) with horizontal borehole(s) and/or perforations;
• a packer positioned between the liquid hydrocarbon zone(s) and the gas cap on the injection tubing string for sealing the well annulus outward from the tubing string, thereby isolating the gaseous hydrocarbon zone(s) from the liquid hydrocarbon zone(s);
• previously having set a bridge plug at an optimum level below selected liquid hydrocarbon zone(s) for isolating chosen injection area;
• the flowing of natural gas from the formation's opened gas cap(s) through the annulus above the top packer directly into a surface compressor;
• the surface compressor compressing the flowing gas cap(s') gas under high pressure into the injection tubing string;
• the injection tubing string, open-ended at the lower part of the vertical wellbore near the horizontal borehole(s) and/or perforations, injecting high pressure compressed natural gas directly into the open liquid hydrocarbon zone(s);
• and
• injected high pressure natural gas entering liquid hydrocarbon zone and going into solution with the liquid hydrocarbon, adding pressure and solution gas energy to the liquid hydrocarbon, thereby increasing its mobility and decreasing its viscosity with its own compatible gas cap(s') natural gas.

A method of enhancing liquid hydrocarbon recovery from a downhole formation through an injection tubing string, comprising:

• a vertical wellbore annulus with horizontal borehole(s) and/or perforations in direct communication with both the liquid hydrocarbon zone(s) and the gas cap(s);
• positioning the injection tubing string from its connection to the surface compressor down into the vertical wellbore, where injection tubing string is open-ended by the open liquid hydrocarbon zone(s);
• positioning a packer above the selected liquid hydrocarbon zone(s) for sealing a wellbore annulus outward from the injection tubing string;
• previously having set a bridge plug at an optimum level below a selected hydrocarbon zone, isolating the chosen injection area;
• flowing natural gas off the formation's gas cap through the well annulus above the top packer directly into the surface compressor;
• the surface compressor injecting high pressure gas into the injection tubing string past the optimally set top packer, compressing gas out of the open-ended tubing directly into the opened horizontal borehole and/or perforated selected liquid hydrocarbon zone(s);
• establishing increased pressure and viscosity reduction, increasing the liquid hydrocarbon's mobility through high pressure miscible natural gas going into solution with its own compatible liquid hydrocarbon;
• and
• maintaining high gas pressure on the entire selected hydrocarbon formation's liquid hydrocarbon zone(s) and gas cap(s) through on to production and recovery process.

An improved downhole injector for positioning downhole within or below a liquid hydrocarbon recovery zone in a vertical wellbore to permit all liquids, under all conditions, to freely pass from a downhole formation through the injector, first through a sand screen filter, then through an opened double shutoff valve, then through a check valve, and on into a production tubing string, while positively, under all conditions, preventing any free gases from passing through the injector into the production tubing string, the injector comprising:

• an injector housing having an double shutoff valve, having a main tip and port seat with a small, {fraction (3/16)}∴, being of a 0.0276″ cross-sectional area, pilot tip and port seat, affixed thereto;
• a liquid responsive float, open at the top and closed at the bottom, connected to the double shutoff valve by means of the pilot valve working stem, movable within the injector housing, subject to buoyancy created by permanent liquid surrounding the float in the injector housing;
• a double shutoff valve member movably responsive to the up and down movement of the float, thereby opening and closing the double shutoff valve as float fills or empties with liquids;
• a liquid discharge 1″ pipe leading from double shutoff valve through the float with fin-like guides extending from it to help center float without friction contact, discharge 1″ pipe making into injector's head at production tubing connection;
• a vertical slotted filter screen on the liquid and gas inflow entry on the upper injector housing, the vertical slots having increments of 0.001″, the vertical slotted filter screen preventing selectively-sized sand and/or debris particles from entering the injector housing;
• and
• a check valve directly above injector head tubing outlet fro preventing liquids from returning to injector.