KR102594835B1 - System and method for optimizing oil sands production process through monitoring of physical properties - Google Patents

Abstract

An oil sand production process optimization system through real-time monitoring, comprising: a conduit having a uniform cross-sectional area through which the oil sand flows; It includes one or more measuring units disposed at each point of the conduit, and the primary physical properties measured at the measuring units can be monitored in real time.

Description

Oil sands production process optimization system and method through real-time monitoring {SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPTIMIZING OIL SANDS PRODUCTION PROCESS THROUGH MONITORING OF PHYSICAL PROPERTIES}

The following embodiments relate to a system and method for optimizing the oil sand production process through real-time monitoring.

Oil sand is a material that usually contains about 10 to 20% by weight of bitumen, a type of extra-heavy oil, in sand, and is usually made into useful oil by removing sand from the oil sand and extracting only the bitumen component. You can obtain synthetic crude, a resource. Methods for extracting these oil sands include open-air mining, SAGD (Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage), and CSS (Cyclic Steam Stimulation). In particular, the oil produced from the production well is by injecting high temperature and high pressure steam into the injection well. The SAGD method, which extracts bitumen by reducing its viscosity, is mainly used. In the bitumen extraction process using the SAGD method, identifying the current state and physical properties of the fluid is a very important process, but currently, the physical properties of the fluid are measured directly through sampling (removing a fluid sample directly from the pipe) or through the experience of an engineer. The current situation is that understanding the physical properties of a fluid is only dependent on it.

The purpose of one embodiment is to provide an oil sand production process optimization system and method that can easily determine the physical properties of the fluid through real-time monitoring of pressure drop according to flow rate in the bitumen extraction process using the SAGD method.

The purpose according to one embodiment is to improve the operation and maintenance performance and efficiency of the oil sands production plant by using data obtained by measuring units placed before and after the main equipment in the bitumen extraction process using the SAGD method. To provide a system and method for optimizing the oil sands production process.

An oil sand production process optimization system through real-time monitoring according to various embodiments, comprising: a conduit having a uniform cross-sectional area through which the oil sand flows; It includes one or more measuring units disposed at each point of the conduit, and the primary physical properties measured at the measuring units can be monitored in real time.

In one embodiment, it further includes a calculation unit, and the calculation unit may calculate a secondary physical property value using the primary physical property value measured by the measurement unit.

In one embodiment, the one or more measuring units include: a flow meter disposed at a first point of the conduit and measuring the flow rate and flow rate of the first point; a thermometer disposed at a second point of the conduit and measuring the temperature inside the conduit at the second point; and a pressure gauge system disposed in a first region of the conduit and measuring pressure changes in the first region, and capable of monitoring the primary physical properties measured by the flow meter, thermometer, and pressure gauge system in real time.

In one embodiment, the pressure gauge system includes: a first pressure gauge disposed at a third point within the first area; and a second pressure gauge disposed at a fourth point spaced apart from the third point within the first area, and may measure a pressure difference between the first pressure gauge and the second pressure gauge.

In one embodiment, the viscosity of the fluid flowing inside the conduit is determined through the pressure change and flow rate measured by the pressure gauge and flow meter, and the viscosity is, It is calculated by where μ is the viscosity of the oil sand flowing inside the conduit, ΔP is the degree of pressure drop measured by the manometer system, R is the radius of the cross-section of the conduit, and L is the distance between the first pressure gauge and the second pressure gauge, and Q may be the flow rate of the oil sand measured by the flow meter.

In one embodiment, the shear rate inside the conduit is determined through the flow rate measured by the flow meter, and the shear rate is, It is calculated by, where: is the shear rate inside the conduit, Q is the flow rate of the oil sand measured by the flow meter, and R may be the radius of the cross section of the conduit.

In one embodiment, the behavior of the fluid flowing inside the conduit is: It can be predicted by, where μ is the viscosity of the oil sand flowing inside the conduit, is the shear rate inside the conduit, T is the temperature of the fluid flowing inside the conduit measured by the thermometer, E is the activation energy, and R is the gas constant (Universal gas constant) It can be.

In one embodiment, the amount and concentration of additives introduced into the conduit can be adjusted through the production process optimization system.

In one embodiment, the additive may include a diluent.

A method for optimizing an oil sands production process through real-time monitoring according to various embodiments, comprising: securing pressure drop (ΔP) and flow rate (Q) data of a fluid flowing through a conduit; Viscosity (μ) and shear rate ( ) securing data; Comparing the viscosity and shear rate data with the viscosity and shear rate at a reference temperature to determine the suitability of the separation performance of the fluid; Adjusting the input amount and concentration of additives according to the separation performance suitability; Adding the additive; It may include determining the production suitability of the fluid flowing through the conduit.

In one embodiment, in the step of determining the production suitability, if the production suitability is not satisfied, it returns to the step of adjusting the input amount and concentration of the additive, and if the production suitability is satisfied, the final material can be obtained. there is.

The oil sand production process optimization system and method according to an embodiment can easily determine the physical properties of the fluid through real-time monitoring of pressure drop according to flow rate in the bitumen extraction process using the SAGD method.

The oil sands production process optimization system and method according to an embodiment is a system and method for optimizing the operation and maintenance of an oil sands production plant using data obtained by measuring units placed before and after the main equipment in the bitumen extraction process using the SAGD method. and efficiency can be improved.

The effects of the oil sand production process optimization system and method according to one embodiment are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic oil sand production process according to an embodiment.
Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an oil sand production process optimization system according to one embodiment.
Figure 3 is a graph showing the change characteristics of the viscosity behavior of the fluid inside the conduit according to changes in temperature and pressure drop according to an embodiment.
Figure 4 is a block diagram schematically showing a method for optimizing an oil sand production process according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, since various changes can be made to the embodiments, the scope of the patent application is not limited or limited by these embodiments. It should be understood that all changes, equivalents, or substitutes for the embodiments are included in the scope of rights.

The terms used in the examples are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as limiting. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but are not intended to indicate the presence of one or more other features. It should be understood that this does not exclude in advance the possibility of the existence or addition of elements, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by a person of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the embodiments belong. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and unless explicitly defined in the present application, should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal sense. No.

In addition, when describing with reference to the accompanying drawings, identical components will be assigned the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions thereof will be omitted. In describing the embodiments, if it is determined that detailed descriptions of related known technologies may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the embodiments, the detailed descriptions are omitted.

Additionally, in describing the components of the embodiment, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components, and the essence, order, or order of the component is not limited by the term. When a component is described as being "connected," "coupled," or "connected" to another component, that component may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but there is no need for another component between each component. It should be understood that may be “connected,” “combined,” or “connected.”

Components included in one embodiment and components including common functions will be described using the same names in other embodiments. Unless stated to the contrary, the description given in one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments, and detailed description will be omitted to the extent of overlap.

Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic oil sand production process 10 according to one embodiment.

In one embodiment, the oil sands production process 10 may include a production well 11, a solvent separator 12, a FWKO 13, a DRU 14, and a diluent tank 15. In one embodiment, the oil sands production process 10 may include only some, but not necessarily all, of the components described above. In one embodiment, the oil sands production process 10 may include additional components in addition to those described above.

In one embodiment, production well 11 may correspond to a reservoir containing large quantities of drilled oil sands. The oil sand included in the production well 11 may contain foreign substances such as sand, gravel, and dust in addition to bitumen.

In one embodiment, the solvent separator 12 may filter out used solvent (wasted solvent) from the solvent (solvent) contained in the oil sands delivered through the conduit from the production well (11).

In one embodiment, FWKO (13) is an oil-water separation process (Free Water Knock Out), which means a gravity separation process for separating a mixture of water and oil, and the water is separated by the density difference between water and oil and gravity sedimentation. This corresponds to a process of separating water and oil using the height difference between water and oil as it goes down to the bottom of the oil-water separator and floats to the top of the relatively light oil.

In one embodiment, the DRU 14 is a diluent recovery unit and corresponds to a process of removing the diluent contained within the oil sands. The behavior of the oil sand moving inside the conduit can be controlled by adding a diluent according to the physical properties such as viscosity and shear rate of the oil sand moving through the conduit. The diluent added at this time is added to ensure smooth flow of the oil sand and an effective separation process, and must be filtered out before the final product is derived. This process can be performed in the DRU (14). Additionally, the DRU (14) can purify the used diluent to produce a diluent that is input into the process before the FWKO (13). According to one embodiment, the diluent (wasted diluent) used in the DRU (14) process is discharged outside the process, and the diluent (recovered diluent) purified or recovered in the DRU (14) process is discharged outside the process before FWKO (13). It can be introduced in stages.

In one embodiment, the diluent tank 15 corresponds to a reservoir for storing a large amount of diluent to supply the diluent to the DRU 14. The diluent according to one embodiment may include, for example, an organic solvent such as naphtha or a C5-C6 mixture.

In one embodiment, the oil sand passes through the production well 11, the solvent separator 12, the FWKO 13, and the DRU 14 and is purified to reach the final target product, bitumen.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an oil sands production process optimization system 100 according to one embodiment.

In one embodiment, the oil sand production process optimization system 100 may include a conduit 200 through which a fluid F flows. In one embodiment, the fluid flowing within the conduit 200 may include oil sands. Referring to FIG. 2, the flow of fluid F inside the conduit 200 is indicated by an arrow.

In one embodiment, the oil sands production process optimization system 100 may include one or more measuring units 300 disposed at each point of the conduit 200. The measuring unit 300 can measure the flow rate and velocity of the fluid F flowing inside the conduit 200, the temperature of the fluid F, and the internal pressure of the conduit 200. Physical properties (e.g., flow rate, flow rate, temperature, pressure, etc.) measured by the measuring unit 300 according to one embodiment may be defined as primary physical properties. By the measuring unit 300 placed at each point of the conduit 200, the physical properties of the fluid F can be monitored in real time without directly sampling the fluid F, for example, oil sand. there is.

In one embodiment, the measuring unit 300 may include a flow meter 310, a thermometer 320, and a pressure gauge system 330.

The flow meter 310 according to one embodiment may be placed at the first point 210 of the conduit 200. The flow meter 310 according to one embodiment may measure the flow rate (Q) and flow rate (Q') of the fluid inside the conduit 200 passing through the first point 210.

The thermometer 320 according to one embodiment may be placed at the second point 220 of the conduit 200. The thermometer 320 according to one embodiment may measure the temperature inside the conduit 200 passing through the second point 220.

The pressure gauge system 330 according to one embodiment may be disposed in the first region 230 of the conduit 200. The pressure gauge system 330 according to one embodiment may measure the pressure change in the first area 230. In one embodiment, the pressure gauge system 330 may include a first pressure gauge 332 and a second pressure gauge 334. The first pressure gauge 332 may be placed at the third point 232 of the conduit 200 through which the fluid F flows. The second pressure gauge 334 may be disposed at the fourth point 234 of the conduit 200 through which the fluid F flows. The fourth point 234 may be disposed on the downstream side of the conduit 200 compared to the third point 232. Through the pressure difference measured in the first pressure gauge 332 and the second pressure gauge 334, the pressure between the first area 230 of the conduit 200, specifically the third point 232 and the fourth point 234, is measured. The pressure drop (ΔP) can be derived.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 2, the measuring unit 300 according to one embodiment includes a flow meter 310, a thermometer 320, and a pressure gauge system 330 in order along the direction from the upstream side to the downstream side of the conduit 200. can be placed. However, the measuring unit 300 is not limited to the arrangement order as shown in FIG. 2 and may be arranged in various orders. For example, the measuring unit 300 may include a thermometer 320, a flow meter 310, and a pressure gauge system 330 arranged along a direction from the upstream side to the downstream side of the conduit 200.

In one embodiment, physical properties (e.g., primary physical properties) measured by the flow meter 310, thermometer 320, and pressure gauge system 330 may be monitored in real time.

In one embodiment, the oil sand production process optimization system 100 may further include a calculation unit (not shown). The calculation unit according to one embodiment can use the primary physical properties measured in the measuring unit 300 to calculate secondary physical properties (e.g., viscosity of the fluid, shear rate inside the conduit, etc.) through a calculation mechanism pre-stored in the calculating unit. there is.

In one embodiment, the secondary physical property may include, for example, the viscosity flowing inside the conduit 200. Viscosity is a measure of resistance to the flow of fluid, and the flow characteristics inside the conduit 200 in the oil sand production process can be inferred depending on the viscosity of the oil sand. In one embodiment, the viscosity of the oil sand flowing inside the conduit 200 can be derived through Equation 1 below.

...(Equation 1)

In Equation 1 above, μ is the viscosity of the oil sand flowing inside the conduit 200, ΔP is the degree of pressure drop measured by the manometer system 330, R is the radius of the cross section of the conduit 200, L is the distance between the first pressure gauge 332 and the second pressure gauge 334, and Q corresponds to the flow rate of the oil sand measured by the flow meter 310. According to one embodiment, the cross-sectional radius of the conduit 200 and the distance between the pressure gauge system 330 are already determined constants, so the flow rate (Q) and pressure drop (ΔP) measured by the flow meter 310 and the pressure gauge system 330 Accordingly, the viscosity of the oil sand flowing inside the conduit 200 may be determined. In one embodiment, the calculation according to Equation 1 is calculated by an on-site worker directly monitoring the flow meter 310 and the pressure gauge system 330, or the values measured by the flow meter 310 and the pressure gauge system 330 are calculated by the calculation unit. It can be automatically calculated by being transmitted to (not shown).

In one embodiment, the secondary physical property may include, for example, a shear rate inside the conduit 200. The shear rate is the velocity gradient of the fluid that appears when shear stress is applied to any object, that is, the rate of increase in shear deformation according to the flow. The oil flowing inside the conduit 200 according to the internal shear rate of the conduit 200 The flow characteristics of sand can be inferred. In one embodiment, the shear rate inside the conduit 200 can be derived through Equation 2 below.

...(Equation 2)

In equation 2 above, is the shear rate inside the conduit 200, Q is the flow rate of the oil sand measured by the flow meter 310, and R corresponds to the radius of the cross section of the conduit 200. Since the cross-sectional radius of the conduit 200 according to one embodiment is a predetermined constant, the internal shear rate of the conduit 200 may be determined according to the flow rate (Q) measured by the flow meter 310. In one embodiment, the calculation according to Equation 2 above can be calculated by a worker in the field directly monitoring the flow meter 310, or the value measured by the flow meter 310 can be calculated automatically by transmitting it to a calculation unit (not shown). there is.

In one embodiment, according to Equations 1 and 2, under the condition that the oil sand flowing inside the conduit 200 flows while maintaining the same flow rate (Q), at a constant viscosity (μ), a constant shear rate ( ) can be derived.

In one embodiment, the internal temperature of the conduit 200 may be further included as a variable when determining the relationship between the viscosity and shear rate inside the conduit 200. The temperature of the oil sand inside the conduit 200 cannot always be constant, and as the temperature increases, the viscosity and shear rate decrease, and as the temperature decreases, the viscosity and shear rate increase. Changes in the behavior of the fluid inside the conduit 200 according to temperature can be predicted through Equation 3 (Arrhenius Equation) below.

...(Equation 3)

In Equation 3 above, μ is the viscosity of the oil sand flowing inside the conduit 200, is the shear rate inside the conduit, T is the temperature of the fluid flowing inside the conduit measured by the thermometer, E is activation energy, and R corresponds to the gas constant (Universal gas constant). In Equation 3, " The " term serves as a simple shift factor in the viscosity behavior of the internal fluid of the conduit 200 when a temperature change exists. The viscosity behavior of the internal fluid of the conduit 200 according to Equation 3 is shown in the graph of FIG. 3 It can be easily understood through .

Figure 3 is a graph showing the viscosity behavior change characteristics of the fluid inside the conduit 200, for example, oil sand, according to changes in temperature and pressure drop according to an embodiment. According to Equation 3 according to one embodiment, when the pressure drop (ΔP) increases or the temperature (T) decreases based on the standard behavior graph (GS), the viscosity behavior moves in the direction of increasing to form a graph (G1) It can be. When the pressure drop (ΔP) decreases or the temperature (T) increases based on the standard behavior graph (GS), the viscosity behavior moves in the direction of decrease and a graph (G2) may be formed.

In one embodiment, the viscosity and/or shear rate of the fluid or oil sand flowing inside the conduit 200 can be easily adjusted through an oil sands production process optimization system (e.g., oil sands production process optimization system 100 of FIG. 2). It can be monitored, and the amount and concentration of additives introduced into the conduit 200 can be easily adjusted according to these physical properties. The additive according to one embodiment may include, for example, a diluent.

Figure 4 is a block diagram schematically showing a method for optimizing an oil sand production process according to an embodiment.

In one embodiment, the method for optimizing the oil sands production process includes producing oil sands in a production well (e.g., production well 110 of FIG. 1) (S1), and a conduit (e.g., conduit 200 of FIG. 2). A step (S2) of transporting the produced fluid (e.g., oil sand), a step of securing pressure drop (ΔP) and flow rate (Q) data of the fluid flowing through the conduit 200 (S3), pressure drop and Viscosity (μ) and shear rate ( ) Step of securing data (S4), step of comparing the viscosity and shear rate data with the viscosity and shear rate at the reference temperature (S5), step of performing the separation process of the fluid (S6), determining the suitability of the separation performance of the fluid. A step of determining (S7), a step of checking the physical properties of the fluid before adding the additive (S8), a step of adjusting the amount and concentration of the additive to be added according to the results of determining the suitability of the separation performance (S9), adding the additive. It may include a step (S10) and a step (S11) of determining the suitability of the oil sands for production.

In the step (S6) of performing the fluid separation process according to one embodiment, the separation process includes a solvent separation process, an oil-water separation process (Free Water Knock Out), a diluent recovery process (Diluent Recovery Unit), etc. It can be included.

In the step (S7) of determining the suitability of the fluid separation performance according to an embodiment, if the separation performance of the fluid falls short of the target value, it may return to the step (S6) of performing a fluid separation process, and the fluid separation process may be performed (S6). Only when the performance reaches the target value can you proceed to the step (S8) of checking the physical properties of the fluid.

In the step (S11) of determining the production suitability according to an embodiment, if the production suitability falls short of the target value, it is possible to return to the step (S8) of adjusting the input amount and concentration of the additive, and the production suitability reaches the target value. Only when this happens can the final production material be obtained.

Although the embodiments have been described with limited drawings as described above, those skilled in the art can apply various technical modifications and variations based on the above. For example, the described techniques are performed in a different order than the described method, and/or components of the described system, structure, device, circuit, etc. are combined or combined in a different form than the described method, or other components are used. Alternatively, appropriate results may be achieved even if substituted or substituted by an equivalent.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments and equivalents of the claims also fall within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (11)

In the oil sand production process optimization system through real-time monitoring,
a conduit having a uniform cross-sectional area through which the oil sand flows;
One or more measuring units disposed at each point of the conduit; and
a calculation unit that calculates secondary physical properties using the primary physical properties measured by the measuring unit;
Including,
The oil sand production process optimization system includes a solvent separation process to filter out the used solvent, an oil-water separation process to separate the water and oil mixture using density difference, and a diluent recovery process to remove the diluent contained within the oil sand. Perform one after another,
The diluent recovery process is performed in a diluent recovery unit,
The primary physical properties measured in the measuring unit can be monitored in real time, and the amount and concentration of additives introduced into the conduit can be adjusted in real time,
The additive includes a diluent and the diluent includes an organic solvent,
The diluent recovery unit purifies at least a portion of the diluent and inputs it into the conduit before proceeding with the oil-water separation process,
At least one of viscosity, shear rate, and fluid behavior can be predicted through the primary physical properties,
Oil sands production process optimization system.
delete According to claim 1,
The one or more measuring units,
a flow meter disposed at a first point of the conduit and measuring the flow rate and velocity of the first point;
a thermometer disposed at a second point of the conduit and measuring the temperature inside the conduit at the second point; and
a pressure gauge system disposed in a first region of the conduit and measuring a change in pressure in the first region;
Including,
Capable of monitoring physical properties measured in the flow meter, thermometer, and pressure gauge system in real time,
Oil sands production process optimization system.
According to claim 3,
The pressure gauge system is,
a first pressure gauge disposed at a third point within the first area; and
a second pressure gauge disposed at a fourth point spaced apart from the third point within the first area;
Including,
Measuring the pressure difference between the first pressure gauge and the second pressure gauge,
Oil sands production process optimization system.
According to claim 4,
The viscosity of the fluid flowing inside the conduit is determined through the pressure change and flow rate measured by the pressure gauge and flow meter, and the viscosity is,

It is calculated by
here,
μ is the viscosity of the oil sand flowing inside the conduit,
ΔP is the degree of pressure drop measured by the manometer system,
R is the radius of the cross section of the conduit,
L is the distance between the first pressure gauge and the second pressure gauge,
Q is the flow rate of the oil sands measured by the flow meter,
Oil sands production process optimization system.
According to claim 5,
The shear rate inside the conduit is determined through the flow rate measured by the flow meter, and the shear rate is,

It is calculated by
here,
is the shear rate inside the conduit,
Q is the flow rate of the oil sands measured by the flow meter,
R is the radius of the cross section of the conduit,
Oil sands production process optimization system.
According to claim 6,
The behavior of the fluid flowing inside the conduit is,
(Arrhenius equation)
predictable by,
here,
μ is the viscosity of the oil sand flowing inside the conduit,
is the shear rate inside the conduit,
T is the temperature of the fluid flowing inside the conduit measured by the thermometer,
E is activation energy,
R is the gas constant (Universal gas constant),
Oil sands production process optimization system.
delete delete delete delete

Images