Recovery of natural gas from deep brines
OwnerGuy R. B. Elliott, Nicholas E. Vanderborgh +1inventors
InventorsGuy R. B. Elliott, Nicholas E. Vanderborgh, Milton W. McDaniel
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Abstract
A method is described for circulating hydrostatically pressured or geopressured brines so that dissolved methane in the brines can be recovered within the wellpipe. All processes take place downhole or in the surrounding briny formations, and the circulation is powered wholly or in large part by the pressure on the brine and natural compressive forces in the formation.
Claims7
A method of recovering natural gas from solution in hot brines in which circulation of the brine and recovery of the dissolved natural gas is powered by the expansion of natural gas released from solution in the brine comprising:
- (a) injecting a gas into a wellpipe to displace brine, (b) releasing the injected gas, (c) allowing methane-containing brine to flow into a pumping system thereby releasing the natural gas, (d) maintaining a pressure of natural gas greater than the vapor pressure of saturated steam over the brine at formation temperature, and (e) injecting the spent brine back into a formation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.