WO2015178899A1 - Method and system for enhancing natural gas production - Google Patents

Method and system for enhancing natural gas production Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2015178899A1
WO2015178899A1 PCT/US2014/038893 US2014038893W WO2015178899A1 WO 2015178899 A1 WO2015178899 A1 WO 2015178899A1 US 2014038893 W US2014038893 W US 2014038893W WO 2015178899 A1 WO2015178899 A1 WO 2015178899A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
formation
gas
corrosive
natural gas
drive gas
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2014/038893
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Friedrich Christoph Seeberger
Original Assignee
Shell Oil Company
Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij B.V.
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 Oil Company, Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij B.V. filed Critical Shell Oil Company
Priority to PCT/US2014/038893 priority Critical patent/WO2015178899A1/en
Publication of WO2015178899A1 publication Critical patent/WO2015178899A1/en

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Classifications

    • 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
    • E21B43/16—Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons
    • E21B43/166—Injecting a gaseous medium; Injecting a gaseous medium and a liquid medium
    • E21B43/168—Injecting a gaseous medium
    • 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
    • E21B43/16—Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons
    • E21B43/164—Injecting CO2 or carbonated water

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a method and system for enhancing natural gas production from an underground natural gas containing formation.
  • the formation may be a natural gas reservoir, which may be partially depleted, a tight gas reservoir in which natural gas is present in pores of a substantially impermeable formation, a water reservoir containing residual natural gas or a capped permeable formation into which natural gas is injected for storage and use during peak periods of natural gas consumption.
  • US patent 4765407 discloses a method for enhancing production of gas condensates from a gas condensate reservoir by injecting a mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen obtained from a Claus plant into the reservoir.
  • Canadian patent application CA2568358 discloses a method for fracturing a hydrate or shale oil containing formation by injecting liquid nitrogen into the formation.
  • WO2002/010357 disclose enhance oil recovery methods employing nitrogen injection.
  • US patent 7481275 discloses an enhanced oil recovery method using nitrogen obtained from air and waste gas obtained from a methanol production plant.
  • US patent application US20050167103 discloses a method for enhancing natural gas production from a reservoir above a bitumen reserve by injecting waste gas containing carbon dioxide into the reservoir.
  • US patent 5388645 discloses a method for injecting an oxygen depleted airstream into a methane containing solid carbonaceous formation to release desorbed methane and enhance methane production.
  • US patent 5099921 discloses a method for enhancing desorption of methane from a solid carbonaceous formation by injecting slugs of water, a preflush fluid that may comprise nitrogen and a second fluid that may comprise C0 2 .
  • US patent 4393936 discloses a method for enhancing natural gas production from a natural gas containing
  • CBM Methane
  • FHL Free Water Level
  • the method comprising injecting a non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas followed by injecting a corrosive Carbon Dioxide drive gas into the formation, wherein the non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas has at 1 bar a volume of at least 100 million m 3 to provide in the formation a barrier between the slug of corrosive drive gas and the natural gas, which barrier inhibits mixing of the corrosive drive gas with the natural gas and inhibits the corrosive drive gas to reach natural gas production wells and other natural gas production facilities during the production of natural gas via these wells and facilities .
  • the non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas may be injected a) into a natural gas containing formation which is an at least partly depleted gas reservoir and which may have been invaded by water through the expansion of a connected aquifer and thereby leaving residual gas in the original gas reservoir, b) into an aquifer, which may contain residual gas below the original Free Water Level (FWL)and which is connected to a gas reservoir and c) into an aquifer
  • a natural gas containing formation which is an at least partly depleted gas reservoir and which may have been invaded by water through the expansion of a connected aquifer and thereby leaving residual gas in the original gas reservoir
  • b) into an aquifer which may contain residual gas below the original Free Water Level (FWL)and which is connected to a gas reservoir and c) into an aquifer
  • the non-corrosive Nitrogen (N 2 ) containing drive gas may be injected below or above a natural fracturing pressure gradient. Fracturing here is temporary as a
  • the permeable underground formation layer may be tilted and have an upper and a lower edge and the Nitrogen
  • containing drive gas may be injected into the formation in the vicinity of the lower edge of the tilted permeable underground formation layer.
  • the natural gas containing formation may not contain a substantial amount of associated natural gas associated to crude oil, coal or another carbonaceous material, natural gas in a gas cap above an oil reservoir, crude oil and/or high amounts of retrograde condensates that drop out in the formation .
  • the slug of Nitrogen containing drive gas may have at an ambient pressure of 1 bar a volume of at least 1 trillion m 3 to provide in the reservoir a barrier between the slug of corrosive drive gas and the natural gas, which barrier inhibits mixing of the corrosive drive gas with the natural gas and inhibits the corrosive drive gas to reach natural gas production wells and other natural gas production facilities during the production of natural gas via these wells and facilities.
  • containing drive gas has a volume of at least 10% of a swept pore volume at an ambient pore pressure in the underground natural gas containing formation.
  • a system for enhancing natural gas production from an underground natural gas containing formation comprising means for injecting a non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas and for subsequently injecting a corrosive Carbon Dioxide drive gas into the formation, wherein the means for injecting the non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas is configured to inject at 1 bar a volume of at least 100 million m 3 non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas to provide in the formation a barrier between the slug of corrosive drive gas and the natural gas, which barrier inhibits mixing of the corrosive drive gas with the natural gas and inhibits the corrosive drive gas to reach natural gas production wells and other natural gas production facilities during the production of natural gas via these wells and facilities .
  • the formation may comprise residual natural gas trapped in pore water below a Free Water Level (FWL)in the formation, and the system may comprise at least one injection well through which the non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas is injected below the Free Water Level (FWL) into the
  • the non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas may be obtained from an Air Separation Unit (ASU) that separates the air into streams of nitrogen, oxygen and/or oxygen enriched air and that supplies the oxygen and/or oxygen enriched air to an industrial plant, which may be a power plant in which in a mixture of fuel and oxygen or oxygen enriched air is combusted to generate electrical energy and to generate flue gases which contain Carbon Dioxide that may be injected after the slug of Nitrogen containing drive gas into the formation in accordance with an optional embodiment of the method according to the invention.
  • ASU Air Separation Unit
  • the injected Nitrogen containing drive gas provides a barrier that inhibits corrosive drive gas containing Carbon Dioxide or any other non-inert or hazardous drive gas to reach the natural gas production facilities.
  • Figure 1 shows how Nitrogen for use in the method according to the invention is separated from oxygen in an Air Separation Unit (ASU) ;
  • ASU Air Separation Unit
  • Figure 2A schematically shows how production of Natural Gas is enhanced by a Nitrogen Assisted Depletion Drive (NADD) method
  • FIG. 1C schematically shows how production of Natural
  • FIG. 2D schematically shows how production of Natural Gas is enhanced by a further embodiment of the Nitrogen Enhanced Residual Gas (NERG) method according to the
  • FIG 3 schematically shows how production of Natural Gas is enhanced in a tight gas reservoir by yet a further embodiment of the Nitrogen Enhanced Residual Gas (NERG) method according to the invention.
  • NAME Nitrogen Enhanced Residual Gas
  • Figure 1 shows how Nitrogen (N 2 ) is separated from oxygen (0 2 ) in an Air Separation Unit (ASU) (1) of a power plant (2) that generates electrical energy (3) by combusting fuel using Oxygen (0 2 ) or an Oxygen enriched air mixture.
  • ASU Air Separation Unit
  • the generated Nitrogen (N2) is subsequently pumped by a
  • FIGS 2A-2D schematically show how Nitrogen (N 2 ) that may be generated by the ASU (1) shown in Figure 1 is injected as an inert, non-corrosive drive gas into an underground gas reservoir formation 20 to perform a Nitrogen Assisted
  • NADD Nitrogen Enhanced Residual Gas
  • NVG Nitrogen Enhanced Residual Gas
  • the underground gas reservoir is located in a permeable gas bearing formation layer, also known as the reservoir formation 20, which is located underneath an impermeable cap layer 21 that traps the natural gas within the reservoir formation 20 and the Nitrogen (N 2 ) is injected via a Nitrogen injection well 22 into a part of the reservoir formation 20 at a distance to the production well at 20A of the reservoir formation 20 whilst natural gas (comprising CH 4 and other constituents ) is produced via a natural gas production well 23.
  • a permeable gas bearing formation layer also known as the reservoir formation 20
  • the Nitrogen N 2
  • Natural gas comprising CH 4 and other constituents
  • the reservoir formation 20 only comprises a minor fraction of water which is dispersed in the pores of a tilted formation layer, so that there is no water accumulation in this part of the reservoir formation 20.
  • the reservoir formation 20 In the embodiment shown in Figure 2A the reservoir formation 20 only comprises a minor fraction of water which is dispersed in the pores of a tilted formation layer, so that there is no water accumulation in this part of the reservoir formation 20.
  • the embodiment shown in Figure 2B there is
  • the Nitrogen (N2) is injected into the water layer 24 below the Free Water Level (FWL or IGWC) 25 to stimulate migration of natural gas (CH 4 ) from the water layer 24 and to enhance flux of natural gas (CH 4 ) through the reservoir formation 20 to the natural gas production well 23.
  • FWL or IGWC Free Water Level
  • Figure 2C schematically shows how natural gas (CH 4 ) has been partly separated from the pores near the lower edge 20A of the reservoir formation 20 and pore water reaches the production well 23 leaving trapped or residual gas behind.
  • Figure 2D schematically shows an embodiment where the pores of substantially the entire reservoir formation 20 are filled with a water-gas mixture comprising pore water and Natural Gas (CH 4 ) , which mixture is stimulated to flow into the production well 23 by injecting Nitrogen into the injection well 22 near the lower edge of the reservoir formation 20.
  • a water-gas mixture comprising pore water and Natural Gas (CH 4 )
  • CH 4 Natural Gas
  • Nitrogen Assisted Depletion Drive NADD
  • Nitrogen Enhanced Residual Gas NVG
  • Nitrogen injection wells 31A-D Nitrogen injection wells 31A-D below a Free Water Level (not shown) and natural gas (CH 4 ) is produced via one or more production wells 32A-D traversing the tight gas formation 30.

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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)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Physical Or Chemical Processes And Apparatus (AREA)

Abstract

A Nitrogen Assisted Depletion Drive (NADD) for enhancing natural gas recovery from a natural gas containing formation (20,30) comprises injecting into the formation a corrosive CO2 containing drive gas after initially injecting a non-corrosive Nitrogen(N2) containing drive gas, which has at an ambient pressure of 1 bar a volume of at least 100 million m3 to provide in the formation a barrier that inhibits mixing of the corrosive drive gas with the natural gas and inhibits the corrosive drive gas to reach natural gas production wells and other corrosion prone natural gas production facilities.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ENHANCING NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method and system for enhancing natural gas production from an underground natural gas containing formation.
The formation may be a natural gas reservoir, which may be partially depleted, a tight gas reservoir in which natural gas is present in pores of a substantially impermeable formation, a water reservoir containing residual natural gas or a capped permeable formation into which natural gas is injected for storage and use during peak periods of natural gas consumption.
US patent 4765407 discloses a method for enhancing production of gas condensates from a gas condensate reservoir by injecting a mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen obtained from a Claus plant into the reservoir. A
disadvantage of this known injection technology is that a mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen is corrosive and will induce corrosion of corrosion prone fluid injection and production facilities.
International patent application WO2012021282 discloses a method for enhancing recovery of hydrocarbons trapped in a hydrate containing formation by intermittently injecting slugs of a carbon dioxide containing releasing agent and of a nitrogen containing reagent into the formation.
Canadian patent application CA2568358 discloses a method for fracturing a hydrate or shale oil containing formation by injecting liquid nitrogen into the formation.
US patent 4434852 and International patent application
WO2002/010357 disclose enhance oil recovery methods employing nitrogen injection. US patent 7481275 discloses an enhanced oil recovery method using nitrogen obtained from air and waste gas obtained from a methanol production plant.
US patent application US20050167103 discloses a method for enhancing natural gas production from a reservoir above a bitumen reserve by injecting waste gas containing carbon dioxide into the reservoir.
US patent 5388645 discloses a method for injecting an oxygen depleted airstream into a methane containing solid carbonaceous formation to release desorbed methane and enhance methane production.
US patent 5099921 discloses a method for enhancing desorption of methane from a solid carbonaceous formation by injecting slugs of water, a preflush fluid that may comprise nitrogen and a second fluid that may comprise C02.
US patent 4393936 discloses a method for enhancing natural gas production from a natural gas containing
formation by displacing the natural gas by a less valuable gas, such as nitrogen.
A limitation of the known nitrogen injection
technologies is that they are generally configured to enhance production from gas condensate, hydrate, Coal Bed
Methane (CBM) and/or shale oil containing formations or from tight reservoirs by fracturing or desorption and that they are not configured to enhance natural gas production from a natural gas or residual gas reservoir by displacing gas below a Free Water Level (FWL) in the formation.
There is a need for a method and system for enhancing natural gas production from a natural gas containing
formation, which may be partly depleted and contain residual gas trapped below a Free Water Level (FWL) in the formation.
Furthermore there is a need for a method and system for enhancing natural gas production from a natural gas containing formation in a cost effective and safe manner by using an inert drive medium that can be generated in large quantities at low cost.
In addition there is a need for a method and system for enhancing natural gas production from a natural gas
containing formation in such a manner that subsidence of the overburden is inhibited.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention there is provided a method for enhancing natural gas production from an
underground natural gas containing formation, the method comprising injecting a non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas followed by injecting a corrosive Carbon Dioxide drive gas into the formation, wherein the non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas has at 1 bar a volume of at least 100 million m3 to provide in the formation a barrier between the slug of corrosive drive gas and the natural gas, which barrier inhibits mixing of the corrosive drive gas with the natural gas and inhibits the corrosive drive gas to reach natural gas production wells and other natural gas production facilities during the production of natural gas via these wells and facilities .
The non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas may be injected a) into a natural gas containing formation which is an at least partly depleted gas reservoir and which may have been invaded by water through the expansion of a connected aquifer and thereby leaving residual gas in the original gas reservoir, b) into an aquifer, which may contain residual gas below the original Free Water Level (FWL)and which is connected to a gas reservoir and c) into an aquifer
containing residual gas, which it is not connected to a gas reservoir. The non-corrosive Nitrogen (N2) containing drive gas may be injected below or above a natural fracturing pressure gradient. Fracturing here is temporary as a
consequence of high injection pressure and fracturing will cease until the injection pressure is lowered or injection stops .
The permeable underground formation layer may be tilted and have an upper and a lower edge and the Nitrogen
containing drive gas may be injected into the formation in the vicinity of the lower edge of the tilted permeable underground formation layer.
The natural gas containing formation may not contain a substantial amount of associated natural gas associated to crude oil, coal or another carbonaceous material, natural gas in a gas cap above an oil reservoir, crude oil and/or high amounts of retrograde condensates that drop out in the formation .
Optionally, the slug of Nitrogen containing drive gas may have at an ambient pressure of 1 bar a volume of at least 1 trillion m3 to provide in the reservoir a barrier between the slug of corrosive drive gas and the natural gas, which barrier inhibits mixing of the corrosive drive gas with the natural gas and inhibits the corrosive drive gas to reach natural gas production wells and other natural gas production facilities during the production of natural gas via these wells and facilities.
Optionally, the slug of non-corrosive Nitrogen
containing drive gas has a volume of at least 10% of a swept pore volume at an ambient pore pressure in the underground natural gas containing formation.
In accordance with the invention there is furthermore provided a system for enhancing natural gas production from an underground natural gas containing formation the system comprising means for injecting a non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas and for subsequently injecting a corrosive Carbon Dioxide drive gas into the formation, wherein the means for injecting the non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas is configured to inject at 1 bar a volume of at least 100 million m3 non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas to provide in the formation a barrier between the slug of corrosive drive gas and the natural gas, which barrier inhibits mixing of the corrosive drive gas with the natural gas and inhibits the corrosive drive gas to reach natural gas production wells and other natural gas production facilities during the production of natural gas via these wells and facilities .
The formation may comprise residual natural gas trapped in pore water below a Free Water Level (FWL)in the formation, and the system may comprise at least one injection well through which the non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas is injected below the Free Water Level (FWL) into the
formation during a period of at least two months and at least one production well through which natural gas is produced during at least part of said period.
The non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas may be obtained from an Air Separation Unit (ASU) that separates the air into streams of nitrogen, oxygen and/or oxygen enriched air and that supplies the oxygen and/or oxygen enriched air to an industrial plant, which may be a power plant in which in a mixture of fuel and oxygen or oxygen enriched air is combusted to generate electrical energy and to generate flue gases which contain Carbon Dioxide that may be injected after the slug of Nitrogen containing drive gas into the formation in accordance with an optional embodiment of the method according to the invention.
In such case the injected Nitrogen containing drive gas provides a barrier that inhibits corrosive drive gas containing Carbon Dioxide or any other non-inert or hazardous drive gas to reach the natural gas production facilities.
These and other features, embodiments and advantages of the method and/or system according to the invention are described in the accompanying claims, abstract and the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments depicted in the accompanying drawings, in which description reference numerals are used which refer to corresponding reference numerals that are depicted in the drawings.
Similar reference numerals in different figures denote the same or similar objects.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 shows how Nitrogen for use in the method according to the invention is separated from oxygen in an Air Separation Unit (ASU) ;
Figure 2A schematically shows how production of Natural Gas is enhanced by a Nitrogen Assisted Depletion Drive (NADD) method;
Figure 2B schematically shows how production of Natural
Gas is enhanced by the Nitrogen Enhanced Residual Gas (NERG) method according to the invention;
Figure 2C schematically shows how production of Natural
Gas is enhanced by another embodiment of the Nitrogen
Enhanced Residual Gas (NERG) method according to the
invention;
Figure 2D schematically shows how production of Natural Gas is enhanced by a further embodiment of the Nitrogen Enhanced Residual Gas (NERG) method according to the
invention; and
Figure 3 schematically shows how production of Natural Gas is enhanced in a tight gas reservoir by yet a further embodiment of the Nitrogen Enhanced Residual Gas (NERG) method according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DEPICTED EMBODIMENTS
Figure 1 shows how Nitrogen (N2) is separated from oxygen (02) in an Air Separation Unit (ASU) (1) of a power plant (2) that generates electrical energy (3) by combusting fuel using Oxygen (02) or an Oxygen enriched air mixture. The generated Nitrogen (N2) is subsequently pumped by a
compressor (4) into a nitrogen supply conduit (5) that is connected to one or more Nitrogen injections wells 22, 31A-D as shown in Figures 2A-D and 3.
Figures 2A-2D schematically show how Nitrogen (N2) that may be generated by the ASU (1) shown in Figure 1 is injected as an inert, non-corrosive drive gas into an underground gas reservoir formation 20 to perform a Nitrogen Assisted
Depletion Drive (NADD)or the Nitrogen Enhanced Residual Gas (NERG) process according to the invention.
The underground gas reservoir is located in a permeable gas bearing formation layer, also known as the reservoir formation 20, which is located underneath an impermeable cap layer 21 that traps the natural gas within the reservoir formation 20 and the Nitrogen (N2) is injected via a Nitrogen injection well 22 into a part of the reservoir formation 20 at a distance to the production well at 20A of the reservoir formation 20 whilst natural gas (comprising CH4 and other constituents ) is produced via a natural gas production well 23.
In the embodiment shown in Figure 2A the reservoir formation 20 only comprises a minor fraction of water which is dispersed in the pores of a tilted formation layer, so that there is no water accumulation in this part of the reservoir formation 20. In the embodiment shown in Figure 2B there is
significant accumulation of water (H20) in the pores of near the lower edge 20A of the tilted reservoir layer, so that there is a water layer 24 having a upper water level 25, also identified as the Free Water Level (FWL) or IGWC, within the pores of the reservoir formation 20, but which water layer may comprise a substantial amount of natural gas.
In the embodiment shown in Figure 2B the Nitrogen (N2) is injected into the water layer 24 below the Free Water Level (FWL or IGWC) 25 to stimulate migration of natural gas (CH4) from the water layer 24 and to enhance flux of natural gas (CH4) through the reservoir formation 20 to the natural gas production well 23.
Figure 2C schematically shows how natural gas (CH4) has been partly separated from the pores near the lower edge 20A of the reservoir formation 20 and pore water reaches the production well 23 leaving trapped or residual gas behind.
Figure 2D schematically shows an embodiment where the pores of substantially the entire reservoir formation 20 are filled with a water-gas mixture comprising pore water and Natural Gas (CH4) , which mixture is stimulated to flow into the production well 23 by injecting Nitrogen into the injection well 22 near the lower edge of the reservoir formation 20.
Figure 3 schematically shows how production of Natural
Gas (CH4) from a wet tight gas reservoir or wet residual gas formation 30 is enhanced by yet another embodiment of the Nitrogen Assisted Depletion Drive (NADD) or Nitrogen Enhanced Residual Gas (NERG) process according to the invention wherein Nitrogen is injected into one or more Nitrogen injection wells 31A-D below a Free Water Level (not shown) and natural gas (CH4) is produced via one or more production wells 32A-D traversing the tight gas formation 30.

Claims

C L A I M S
A method for enhancing natural gas production from an underground natural gas containing formation, the method comprising injecting a non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas followed by injecting a corrosive Carbon Dioxide containing drive gas into the formation, wherein the non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas has at an ambient pressure of 1 bar a volume of at least 100 million m3 to provide in the formation a barrier between the slug of corrosive drive gas and the natural gas, which barrier inhibits mixing of the corrosive drive gas with the natural gas and inhibits the corrosive drive gas to reach natural gas production wells and other natural gas production facilities during the production of natural gas via these wells and facilities .
The method of claim 1, wherein the non-corrosive
Nitrogen containing drive gas is injected into the formation during a period of at least two months, during at least part of which period natural gas is produced from the formation, wherein the formation comprises residual natural gas trapped in pore water below a Free Water Level (FWL) and the non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas is injected into the pore water below the Free Water Level (FWL) in the formation.
The method of claim 1, wherein the non-corrosive
Nitrogen containing drive gas is injected during a period of at least several months via an injection well into the formation at a pressure below a fracturing pressure of the formation and the natural gas is produced via a production well that traverses the formation at a selected distance from the injection well so that the drive gas drives the natural gas through the formation into the production well.
The method of claim 1, wherein the formation is a tilted formation layer with an upper and a lower edge and the non corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas is injected into the formation in the vicinity of the lower edge of the tilted permeable underground formation layer.
The method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the underground natural gas containing formation does not contain a substantial amount of natural gas associated to crude oil, coal or another carbonaceous material, natural gas in a gas cap above an oil reservoir, crude oil and/or condensates.
The method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein after injection of a slug of the non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas a slug of corrosive drive gas comprising Carbon Dioxide and flue gases is injected into the formation.
The method of claim 6, wherein the slug of non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas has at an ambient pressure of 1 bar a volume of at least 1 trillion m3 to provide in the formation a barrier between the slug of corrosive drive gas and the natural gas, which barrier inhibits mixing of the corrosive drive gas with the natural gas and inhibits the corrosive drive gas to reach natural gas production wells and other natural gas production facilities during the production of natural gas via these wells and facilities.
The method of claim 1, wherein the slug of non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas has a volume of at least 10% of a swept pore volume at an ambient pore pressure in the partially depleted underground natural gas containing formation.
9. The method of any one of claims 1-8, wherein after injection of a slug of the non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas a slug of water is injected into the formation before injection of the corrosive C02 containing drive gas .
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the non-corrosive Nitrogen drive gas is obtained from an Air Separation Unit (ASU) that separates the air into streams of nitrogen, oxygen and/or oxygen enriched air.
11. The method of claim 109, wherein the oxygen and/or oxygen enriched air is supplied to an industrial plant .
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the industrial
plant is a power plant in which in a mixture of fuel and oxygen or oxygen enriched air is combusted to generate electrical energy.
13. The method of claims 7, 8 and 12, wherein the
corrosive C02 containing drive gas is obtained from flue gases of the power plant.
14. A system for enhancing natural gas production from a partially depleted underground natural gas containing formation, the system comprising at least one injection well configured to inject into the formation a slug of a corrosive C02 containing drive gas after injecting into the formation a non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas which has at an ambient pressure of 1 bar a volume of at least 100 million m3.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the formation is an at least partly depleted underground gas reservoir located in a permeable underground formation layer and the injection well is provided with pressure control means configured to inject the non-corrosive Nitrogen containing drive gas into pore water containing residual natural gas below a Free Water Level (FWL) in a lower part of the formation layer at a pressure below a fracturing pressure of the formation layer.
The system of claim 15, wherein the Nitrogen for the non corrosive drive gas is obtained from an Air Separation Unit (ASU) that separates the air into streams of nitrogen, oxygen and/or oxygen enriched air.
PCT/US2014/038893 2014-05-21 2014-05-21 Method and system for enhancing natural gas production WO2015178899A1 (en)

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Cited By (2)

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CN115110927A (en) * 2021-03-23 2022-09-27 中国石油天然气股份有限公司 Shaft cluster type underground gas storage method and device suitable for gas injection development mode and using method of device
US11668171B2 (en) 2021-08-31 2023-06-06 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Methodology to increase oil production rates in gravity drainage CO2 gas injection processes

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US20050167103A1 (en) * 2003-10-06 2005-08-04 Horner W. N. Applications of waste gas injection into natural gas reservoirs
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US4393936A (en) * 1981-09-21 1983-07-19 Union Oil Company Of California Method for the enhanced recovery of oil and natural gas
US5099921A (en) * 1991-02-11 1992-03-31 Amoco Corporation Recovery of methane from solid carbonaceous subterranean formations
US20060231455A1 (en) * 2003-07-16 2006-10-19 Ola Olsvik Method for production and upgrading of oil
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CN115110927A (en) * 2021-03-23 2022-09-27 中国石油天然气股份有限公司 Shaft cluster type underground gas storage method and device suitable for gas injection development mode and using method of device
CN115110927B (en) * 2021-03-23 2024-03-26 中国石油天然气股份有限公司 Shaft cluster type underground gas storage method and device suitable for gas injection development mode and use method of device
US11668171B2 (en) 2021-08-31 2023-06-06 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Methodology to increase oil production rates in gravity drainage CO2 gas injection processes

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