EP1103698A1 - Downhole gas/liquid separation system - Google Patents

Downhole gas/liquid separation system Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1103698A1
EP1103698A1 EP99309533A EP99309533A EP1103698A1 EP 1103698 A1 EP1103698 A1 EP 1103698A1 EP 99309533 A EP99309533 A EP 99309533A EP 99309533 A EP99309533 A EP 99309533A EP 1103698 A1 EP1103698 A1 EP 1103698A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
liquid
gas
outlet
fluid communication
separator
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP99309533A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
Pieter Karel Anton Kapteijn
Wilhelmus Hubertus Paulus Maria Heijnen
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV
Original Assignee
Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV filed Critical Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV
Priority to EP99309533A priority Critical patent/EP1103698A1/en
Publication of EP1103698A1 publication Critical patent/EP1103698A1/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
    • E21B43/34—Arrangements for separating materials produced by the well
    • E21B43/38—Arrangements for separating materials produced by the well in the well
    • E21B43/385—Arrangements for separating materials produced by the well in the well by reinjecting the separated materials into an earth formation in the same well

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a downhole gas/liquid separation system arranged in a production well.
  • the downhole gas/liquid separation system arranged in a production well comprises a gas/liquid separator having an inlet in fluid communication with a production reservoir, which separator has an outlet for liquid and an outlet for gas, and a pump that has an inlet in fluid communication with either to outlet for liquid or the outlet for gas of the separator and an outlet that is in fluid communication with a receptacle for fluid, wherein the other outlet of the separator is in fluid communication with a receptacle at surface.
  • the outlet for liquid of the separator is in fluid communication with the inlet of the pump, and the outlet for gas is in fluid communication with a receptacle for gas at surface.
  • the gas is produced and the liquid can be disposed.
  • Figure 1 showing a partial longitudinal section of a production well 1 in an underground formation 2 that contains a production reservoir 3.
  • the production well 1 comprises a borehole lined with a casing or a liner 5.
  • the wall of the casing 5 is provided with perforations 6, allowing during normal operation the reservoir fluids to enter into a separation chamber 7 defined in the production well 1 and sealed off at its upper end by means of a packer 8, into which the lower end of a production tubing 9 is secured.
  • the upper end of the tubing 9 is connected to a receptacle at surface (not shown).
  • the downhole gas/liquid separation system 10 is arranged in the separation chamber 7. It comprises a gas/liquid separator 15 having an inlet 16.
  • the inlet 16 of the gas/liquid separator is in fluid communication with the production reservoir 3 via the separation chamber 7.
  • the gas/liquid separator has an outlet 18 for gas and an outlet 19 for liquid.
  • the outlet 18 for gas is in fluid communication with the lower end of the production tubing 9.
  • the downhole gas/liquid separation system 10 further comprises a pump 20 for pumping liquids.
  • the inlet (not shown) of the pump 20 is in fluid communication with the outlet 19 for liquid of the separator 15.
  • the pump 20 has an outlet 21, which outlet 21 is suitably provided with a backflow valve, which valve prevents fluids from flowing backwards into the pump 20.
  • the outlet 21 of the pump 20 is in fluid communication with a receptacle for liquid.
  • the pump 20 is driven by means of a motor, for example an electric motor powered through an electric cable 25 that extends through the packer 8 to surface.
  • this receptacle for liquid is the annulus 26 between the casing 5 and the production tubing 9, to which the outlet 21 of the pump 20 is connected by means of conduit 26 extending through the packer 8.
  • the upper end of the annulus 25 is in fluid communication with a means for storing the liquid (not shown).
  • gas and liquid are separately produced to surface.
  • the receptacle for liquid is a disposal reservoir 30 other than the production reservoir 3.
  • the lower end of the well 1 comprises a separation chamber 7 as well as a disposal chamber 33, separated from the separation chamber by an additional packer 35.
  • the lower end of the pump 20 extends through the additional packer 35 so that the outlet 21 provided with a backflow valve (not shown) debouches into the disposal chamber 33.
  • the wall of the casing 5 is perforated with perforations 37, to allow liquid to enter into the disposal reservoir 30.
  • a disposal chamber 43 is defined by an additional packer 45, which additional packer 45 is provided with a passage so that the electric cable 25 can extend through the additional packer 45.
  • the disposal chamber 43 is in fluid communication with the disposal reservoir 30 by means of perforations 47 in the wall of the casing 5.
  • the receptacle is the production reservoir 3, and in order to bring the separated liquid to the production reservoir 3, and additional well is provided (schematically shown by dashed line 50) which forms a fluid communication between the disposal chamber 43 and the production reservoir 3.
  • the liquid injection enables maintaining the gas production of the production reservoir 3 at a substantial constant level.
  • the separator 15 can be a cyclonic separator.
  • the pump 20 can be any suitable pump.
  • the motor driving the compressor can be an electric motor or a hydraulic motor or turbine, in which case the electric cable is replaced by a suitable conduit providing the fluid for driving the hydraulic motor or turbine.
  • the hole below the lowermost packing (8 in Figures 1 and 3 and 35 in Figure 2) can be cased as shown, wherein the casing is perforated, or it can be an open hole.
  • the present invention provides a simple downhole gas/liquid separation system, which has the advantage that no separation units at surface are required.
  • a further advantage is that the liquid is disposed downhole, and that if a surface handling system is available, the disposed liquid can be retrieved. Moreover, the disposed liquid can be used in driving the gas out of the production reservoir.
  • the invention has been described with reference to a system wherein gas is separated from liquid, and wherein the liquid is separately produced or disposed.
  • the invention also relates to a downhole gas/liquid separation system in which the gas is separately produced or disposed.
  • the outlet for gas is connected to a pump (which is then a compressor) and the outlet for liquid is connected to a receptacle at surface.

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  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Degasification And Air Bubble Elimination (AREA)

Abstract

A downhole gas/liquid separation system (10) arranged in a production well (1), comprising a gas/liquid separator (15) having an inlet (16) in fluid communication with a production reservoir (3), which separator (15) has an outlet (18) for gas and an outlet (19) for liquid, and a pump (20) that has an inlet in fluid communication with the outlet (19) for liquid of the separator and an outlet (21) that is in fluid communication with a receptacle (25) for liquid.

Description

  • The present invention relates to a downhole gas/liquid separation system arranged in a production well.
  • In general a hydrocarbon-bearing formation contains hydrocarbon oil, gas and water. Till now much attention has been paid to downhole oil/water separation, whereas gas/liquid separation is done in a separation unit at surface. In the specification and in the claims the word 'liquid' will be used to refer to oil, water or mixtures of oil and water.
  • It is an object of the present invention to provide a downhole gas/liquid separation system.
  • To this end the downhole gas/liquid separation system arranged in a production well according to the present invention comprises a gas/liquid separator having an inlet in fluid communication with a production reservoir, which separator has an outlet for liquid and an outlet for gas, and a pump that has an inlet in fluid communication with either to outlet for liquid or the outlet for gas of the separator and an outlet that is in fluid communication with a receptacle for fluid, wherein the other outlet of the separator is in fluid communication with a receptacle at surface.
  • Suitably the outlet for liquid of the separator is in fluid communication with the inlet of the pump, and the outlet for gas is in fluid communication with a receptacle for gas at surface. In this embodiment the gas is produced and the liquid can be disposed.
  • The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein
  • Figure 1 shows schematically a first embodiment of the present invention;
  • Figure 2 shows schematically a second embodiment of the present invention; and
  • Figure 3 shows schematically two further embodiments of the present invention.
  • Reference is first made to Figure 1, showing a partial longitudinal section of a production well 1 in an underground formation 2 that contains a production reservoir 3.
  • The production well 1 comprises a borehole lined with a casing or a liner 5. At the location of the production reservoir 3, the wall of the casing 5 is provided with perforations 6, allowing during normal operation the reservoir fluids to enter into a separation chamber 7 defined in the production well 1 and sealed off at its upper end by means of a packer 8, into which the lower end of a production tubing 9 is secured. The upper end of the tubing 9 is connected to a receptacle at surface (not shown).
  • The downhole gas/liquid separation system 10 according to the present invention is arranged in the separation chamber 7. It comprises a gas/liquid separator 15 having an inlet 16. The inlet 16 of the gas/liquid separator is in fluid communication with the production reservoir 3 via the separation chamber 7. The gas/liquid separator has an outlet 18 for gas and an outlet 19 for liquid. The outlet 18 for gas is in fluid communication with the lower end of the production tubing 9.
  • The downhole gas/liquid separation system 10 further comprises a pump 20 for pumping liquids. The inlet (not shown) of the pump 20 is in fluid communication with the outlet 19 for liquid of the separator 15. The pump 20 has an outlet 21, which outlet 21 is suitably provided with a backflow valve, which valve prevents fluids from flowing backwards into the pump 20. The outlet 21 of the pump 20 is in fluid communication with a receptacle for liquid.
  • The pump 20 is driven by means of a motor, for example an electric motor powered through an electric cable 25 that extends through the packer 8 to surface.
  • In the embodiment of Figure 1 this receptacle for liquid is the annulus 26 between the casing 5 and the production tubing 9, to which the outlet 21 of the pump 20 is connected by means of conduit 26 extending through the packer 8. At surface (not shown) the upper end of the annulus 25 is in fluid communication with a means for storing the liquid (not shown). In this embodiment gas and liquid are separately produced to surface.
  • An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure 2, wherein the elements discussed with reference to Figure 1 have got the same reference numerals as in Figure 1.
  • In the embodiment of Figure 2 the receptacle for liquid is a disposal reservoir 30 other than the production reservoir 3. The lower end of the well 1 comprises a separation chamber 7 as well as a disposal chamber 33, separated from the separation chamber by an additional packer 35.
  • The lower end of the pump 20 extends through the additional packer 35 so that the outlet 21 provided with a backflow valve (not shown) debouches into the disposal chamber 33. At the level of the reservoir 30, the wall of the casing 5 is perforated with perforations 37, to allow liquid to enter into the disposal reservoir 30.
  • Reference is now made to Figure 3. In this case the disposal reservoir 30 is above the production reservoir 3. Therefore, above the packer 8 a disposal chamber 43 is defined by an additional packer 45, which additional packer 45 is provided with a passage so that the electric cable 25 can extend through the additional packer 45. The disposal chamber 43 is in fluid communication with the disposal reservoir 30 by means of perforations 47 in the wall of the casing 5.
  • In a further embodiment of the present invention the receptacle is the production reservoir 3, and in order to bring the separated liquid to the production reservoir 3, and additional well is provided (schematically shown by dashed line 50) which forms a fluid communication between the disposal chamber 43 and the production reservoir 3. The liquid injection enables maintaining the gas production of the production reservoir 3 at a substantial constant level.
  • The separator 15 can be a cyclonic separator. The pump 20 can be any suitable pump. The motor driving the compressor can be an electric motor or a hydraulic motor or turbine, in which case the electric cable is replaced by a suitable conduit providing the fluid for driving the hydraulic motor or turbine.
  • The hole below the lowermost packing (8 in Figures 1 and 3 and 35 in Figure 2) can be cased as shown, wherein the casing is perforated, or it can be an open hole.
  • Thus the present invention provides a simple downhole gas/liquid separation system, which has the advantage that no separation units at surface are required. A further advantage is that the liquid is disposed downhole, and that if a surface handling system is available, the disposed liquid can be retrieved. Moreover, the disposed liquid can be used in driving the gas out of the production reservoir.
  • The invention has been described with reference to a system wherein gas is separated from liquid, and wherein the liquid is separately produced or disposed. The invention also relates to a downhole gas/liquid separation system in which the gas is separately produced or disposed. In that case, the outlet for gas is connected to a pump (which is then a compressor) and the outlet for liquid is connected to a receptacle at surface.

Claims (4)

  1. A downhole gas/liquid separation system arranged in a production well, comprising a gas/liquid separator having an inlet in fluid communication with a production reservoir, which separator has an outlet for liquid and an outlet for gas, and a pump that has an inlet in fluid communication with either to outlet for liquid or the outlet for gas of the separator and an outlet that is in fluid communication with a receptacle for fluid, wherein the other outlet of the separator is in fluid communication with a receptacle at surface.
  2. Downhole gas/liquid separation system according to claim 1, wherein the outlet for liquid of the separator is in fluid communication with the inlet of the pump, and wherein the outlet for gas is in fluid communication with a receptacle for gas at surface.
  3. Downhole gas/liquid separation system according to claim 2, wherein the outlet for gas is connected to a tubing extending to surface, and wherein the receptacle for liquid is an annulus extending to surface.
  4. Downhole gas/liquid separation system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the receptacle for liquid is a part of the well that communicates with an underground reservoir that can receive the liquid.
EP99309533A 1999-11-29 1999-11-29 Downhole gas/liquid separation system Withdrawn EP1103698A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP99309533A EP1103698A1 (en) 1999-11-29 1999-11-29 Downhole gas/liquid separation system

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP99309533A EP1103698A1 (en) 1999-11-29 1999-11-29 Downhole gas/liquid separation system

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1103698A1 true EP1103698A1 (en) 2001-05-30

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EP99309533A Withdrawn EP1103698A1 (en) 1999-11-29 1999-11-29 Downhole gas/liquid separation system

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Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8136600B2 (en) 2005-08-09 2012-03-20 Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company Vertical annular separation and pumping system with integrated pump shroud and baffle
US8322434B2 (en) 2005-08-09 2012-12-04 Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company Vertical annular separation and pumping system with outer annulus liquid discharge arrangement
WO2022263909A1 (en) * 2021-06-17 2022-12-22 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Systems and methods for processing downhole fluids

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5389128A (en) * 1992-06-24 1995-02-14 Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras Multiple, self-adjusting downhole gas separator
US5431228A (en) * 1993-04-27 1995-07-11 Atlantic Richfield Company Downhole gas-liquid separator for wells
WO1998013579A2 (en) * 1996-09-27 1998-04-02 Baker Hughes Limited Oil separation and pumping systems
WO1998025005A1 (en) * 1996-12-02 1998-06-11 Kelley & Sons Group International, Inc. Method and apparatus for increasing fluid recovery from a subterranean formation
US5794697A (en) * 1996-11-27 1998-08-18 Atlantic Richfield Company Method for increasing oil production from an oil well producing a mixture of oil and gas
WO1999042701A1 (en) * 1998-02-24 1999-08-26 Bj Services Company, U.S.A. Apparatus and method for downhole fluid phase separation

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5389128A (en) * 1992-06-24 1995-02-14 Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras Multiple, self-adjusting downhole gas separator
US5431228A (en) * 1993-04-27 1995-07-11 Atlantic Richfield Company Downhole gas-liquid separator for wells
WO1998013579A2 (en) * 1996-09-27 1998-04-02 Baker Hughes Limited Oil separation and pumping systems
US5794697A (en) * 1996-11-27 1998-08-18 Atlantic Richfield Company Method for increasing oil production from an oil well producing a mixture of oil and gas
WO1998025005A1 (en) * 1996-12-02 1998-06-11 Kelley & Sons Group International, Inc. Method and apparatus for increasing fluid recovery from a subterranean formation
WO1999042701A1 (en) * 1998-02-24 1999-08-26 Bj Services Company, U.S.A. Apparatus and method for downhole fluid phase separation

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8136600B2 (en) 2005-08-09 2012-03-20 Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company Vertical annular separation and pumping system with integrated pump shroud and baffle
US8322434B2 (en) 2005-08-09 2012-12-04 Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company Vertical annular separation and pumping system with outer annulus liquid discharge arrangement
WO2022263909A1 (en) * 2021-06-17 2022-12-22 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Systems and methods for processing downhole fluids
US11692427B2 (en) 2021-06-17 2023-07-04 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Systems and methods for processing downhole fluids

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