Submersible pump with surfactant injection
AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorsDonn J. Brown, Brown Lyle Wilson, David H. Neuroth
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A submersible pumping system for use downhole that includes a housing, a pump and gas separator within the housing, a motor for driving the pump and separator, and a foaming agent injection system. The foaming agent injection system injects a foaming agent upstream of the pump and optionally upstream of the separator. The foaming agent injection system comprises a foaming agent supply, an injection pump, and foaming agent injection line.
Claims19
A submersible pumping system for pumping produced well fluid, the system comprising:
- an electrical submersible pump assembly for submersion within the well fluid, the pump assembly having a well fluid intake and a well fluid discharge;
- and
- a foaming agent injection system having an injection line leading to the pump assembly for injecting a foaming agent into the well fluid as it flows through the pump assembly.
A submersible well pump for pumping a wellbore fluid, comprising:
- an electrical submersible pump assembly suspended on production tubing within a wellbore, the pump assembly comprising a centrifugal pump, a rotary gas separator and an electrical motor that drives the separator and the pump, the gas separator having a well fluid intake, a heavier fluid passage leading to the pump and a lighter fluid outlet leading to the wellbore;
- an injection pump remotely located from the wellbore and having an intake coupled to a source of a foaming agent;
- and
- an injection line extending from the injection pump downward alongside the production tubing to the gas separator upstream of the gas outlet.
A method of pumping a well fluid with a submersible pump assembly comprising a centrifugal pump and a motor, the method comprising:
- (a) submersing an intake of the pump assembly in a well fluid;
- (b) extending an injection line from a remotely located injection pump to the pump assembly;
- (c) flowing the well fluid into a fluid inlet of the pump assembly and operating the pump assembly with the motor;
- and
- (d) with the injection pump, injecting a foaming agent through the injection line into the pump assembly to mix with the well fluid as it flows through the pump assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.