Method and Apparatus for Selective Acid Diversion in Matrix Acidizing Operations
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorMohamed Nabil Noui-Mehidi
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for selectively delivering a fluid to a targeted area through the use of vortices that are experiencing Taylor-Couette flow. Rotation of the outer surface of a body of the apparatus causes fluid within the annular area between a wellbore and the outer surface to form opposing vortices, which can then be used to selectively deliver the fluid to the targeted area, such as areas of low permeability of a reservoir, in order to improve flow characteristics of a producing area.
Claims22
A standing vortex apparatus for selective fluid diversion in operations in a wellbore having a wellbore inner diameter, the wellbore being disposed in a hydrocarbon producing strata, the standing vortex apparatus comprising:
- a body operable to be disposed within the wellbore, the body having an outer surface, the outer surface capable of rotation about a longitudinal axis of the body, the body having an outer diameter that is less than the wellbore inner diameter, such that when the body is disposed within the wellbore, an annular area is created between the outer surface of the body and the wellbore inner diameter;
- a fluid delivery injection system in fluid communication with the body, the fluid delivery injection system operable to deliver a fluid to the annular area;
- and
- a means for rotating the outer surface about its longitudinal axis at a predetermined speed, such that circulation of the fluid in the annular area is controlled.
A method for selectively delivering a fluid to a targeted area, the method comprising the steps of:
- creating counter-rotating pairs of Taylor vortices within a fluid;
- and
- delivering the fluid to the targeted area through the Taylor vortices.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.