Separation of oil-well fluid mixtures
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsRogerio Tadeu Ramos, Bernard Elie Theron, Andrew J. Reischer, William F. Murphy, Ian David Bryant, David J. Wilkinson
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for the separation of the water from the oil/gas in the well itself, down-hole, in which gravity is allowed to work on the mixture in a non-vertical section of the well, and then, using separated flow paths, the gravity-separated components pumped to the surface or into a subterranean discharge zone. Detectors are used to control the pumping so as to keep the unsettled/unseparated mixture away from the flow paths. Preferably the discharge zone is chosen to have a formation pressure which is lower than the pressure of the producing zone.
Claims30
A method of producing fluid containing hydrocarbons and water from a subterranean formation, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing at least two separate flow paths each having an opening to the flow of the fluid within a non-vertical section of a well having an angle of 40 to 90 degrees to the vertical and forming a gravity separator, said openings being vertically separated;
- placing at least one detector in the vicinity of at least one of said openings;
- allowing gravity to separate the fluid flow through said gravity separator into an hydrocarbon enriched part and a water enriched part;
- controlling the flow of said hydrocarbon enriched part through the upper of said vertically separated openings using flow controlling equipment;
- and
- using measurements of said at least one detector to control said flow controlling equipment.
An apparatus for producing fluid containing hydrocarbons and water from a subterranean formation, said apparatus comprising:
- at least two separate flow paths each having an opening to the flow of the fluid within a non-vertical section of a well having an angle of 40 to 90 degrees to the vertical and forming a gravity separator, said openings being vertically separated with a first of said openings being placed in a hydrocarbon enriched part of said fluid and a second of said openings being placed in a water enriched part of said fluid;
- at least one detector in the vicinity of at least one of said openings;
- a flow control device being operationally controlled by said at least one detector, said flow control device being positioned in flow direction after said gravity separator.
A method of producing fluid containing hydrocarbons and water from a subterranean formation, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing at least two separate flow paths each having an opening to the flow of the fluid within a non-vertical section of a well having an angle of 40 to 90 degrees to the vertical and forming a gravity separator, said openings being vertically separated;
- placing at least one detector in the vicinity of at least one of said openings;
- allowing gravity to separate the fluid flow through said gravity separator into an hydrocarbon enriched part and a water enriched part;
- pumping said hydrocarbon enriched part through the upper of said vertically separated openings and said water enriched part through the lower of said vertically separated openings using pumping equipment positioned in flow direction after said gravity separator;
- and
- using measurements of said at least one detector to control said pumping equipment.
An apparatus for producing fluid containing hydrocarbons and water from a subterranean formation, said apparatus comprising:
- at least two separate flow paths having openings to the flow of the fluid within a non-vertical section of a well having an angle of 40 to 90 degrees to the vertical and forming a gravity separator, said openings being vertically separated with a first of said openings being placed in a hydrocarbon enriched part of said fluid and a second of said openings being placed in a water enriched part of said fluid;
- at least one detector in the vicinity of said openings;
- at least one pump being operationally controlled by said at least one detector, said pump being positioned in flow direction after said gravity separator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.