Direct electrical steam generation for downhole heavy oil stimulation
AssigneeDonaldson Engineering, Inc.
InventorA. Burl Donaldson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of downhole steam generation comprising determining a desired level of electrical conductivity for water to be converted to steam in a downhole location, acquiring a main feedwater supply, wherein water of the main feedwater supply has an electrical conductivity lower or higher than the desired level, mixing water of the main feedwater supply with water from one or more sidestreams to generate a resultant stream with an electrical conductivity of about the desired level, pumping the resultant stream to the downhole location, and passing an electrical current through the resultant stream in the downhole location to generate steam.
Claims23
A method of downhole steam generation, the method comprising the steps of:
- determining a desired level of electrical conductivity for water to be converted to steam in a downhole location;
- acquiring a main feedwater supply, wherein water of the main feedwater supply has an electrical conductivity lower than the desired level;
- mixing water of the main feedwater supply with water from one or more sidestreams having an electrical conductivity higher than the desired level to generate a resultant stream with an electrical conductivity of about the desired level;
- pumping the resultant stream to the downhole location;
- and
- passing an electrical current through the resultant stream in the downhole location to generate steam.
A method of downhole steam generation, the method comprising the steps of:
- determining a desired level of electrical conductivity for water to be converted to steam in a downhole location, the desired level comprising a conductivity that results in a target power level being maintained in the downhole location;
- acquiring a main feedwater supply, wherein water of the main feedwater supply has an electrical conductivity higher than the desired level;
- mixing water of the main feedwater supply with water from one or more sidestreams having an electrical conductivity lower than the desired level and adjusting a flow of the one or more sidestreams based on conductivity of a flow of feedwater to generate a resultant stream with an electrical conductivity of about the desired level;
- pumping the resultant stream to the downhole location;
- and
- passing an electrical current through the resultant stream in the downhole location to generate steam.
A method of downhole steam generation, the method comprising the steps of:
- determining a desired level of electrical conductivity for water to be converted to steam in a downhole location, the desired level comprising a conductivity that results in a target power level being maintained in the downhole location;
- acquiring a main feedwater supply, wherein water of the main feedwater supply has an electrical conductivity lower or higher than the desired level;
- adjusting a flow of one or more sidestreams based on conductivity of a flow of feedwater;
- mixing water of the main feedwater supply with water from the one or more sidestreams to generate a resultant stream with an electrical conductivity of about the desired level;
- pumping the resultant stream to the downhole location;
- and
- passing an electrical current through the resultant stream in the downhole location to generate steam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.