System and method for condensate blockage removal with ceramic material and microwaves

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10053959-B2
Application number	US-201615144990-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2016
Priority date	May 5, 2015
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

Systems and methods for reducing or removing condensate blockage in a natural gas wellbore and a near-wellbore formation. Microwaves are used to heat a ceramic-containing material within a near-wellbore formation. Heat is transferred from the ceramic-containing material to the near-wellbore formation. Any gas condensate reservoirs in the near well-bore formation are heated, and condensed liquids accumulated around the wellbore are re-evaporated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for deliquifying a wellbore and a near-wellbore formation by reducing presence of condensed fluid, the system comprising:
a ceramic-containing material disposed within the wellbore and proximate to a reservoir formation, where the reservoir formation comprises hydrocarbon-bearing strata; and
a microwave producing unit operable to produce microwaves which heat the ceramic-containing material,
where the microwave producing unit comprises a microwave antenna disposed within the wellbore and proximate the ceramic-containing material,
where the ceramic-containing material is operable to be heated to a first temperature between about 800° C. and about 1000° C. by the microwave producing unit, is operable to be heated without presence of a microwave-absorbing vaporizable liquid by directly absorbing microwaves produced by the microwave producing unit, and is operable to heat the reservoir formation proximate the wellbore in a heated region to a second temperature, and
where the second temperature exists in the heated region proximate the wellbore and is operable to evaporate the condensed fluid from a condensate dropout region, such that fluid condensation is mitigated near the wellbore and pay zone.

2. The system of claim 1 , where the microwave antenna is disposed within the wellbore proximate a tubing string.

3. The system of claim 1 , where the ceramic-containing material is operable to heat the reservoir formation proximate the heated region to a third temperature, where the third temperature is greater than a cricondentherm temperature of the reservoir formation such that hydrocarbons in the reservoir formation proximate the wellbore and pay zone only exist in gas phase.

4. The system of claim 1 , where the ceramic-containing material comprises a ceramic made from natural clay, where the natural clay comprises at least one compound selected from the group consisting of: silica; alumina; magnesium oxide; potassium; iron oxide; calcium oxide; sodium oxide; titanium oxide; and mixtures thereof.

5. The system of claim 4 , where the ceramic-containing material comprises between 50% and 70% by volume of the ceramic.

6. The system of claim 1 , where the ceramic-containing material comprises a ceramic made from natural clay, where the natural clay comprises by weight 67.5% silica, 22.5% alumina, 3.10% magnesium oxide, 0.85% potassium, 0.70% iron oxide, 0.35% calcium oxide, 0.30% sodium oxide, and 0.30% titanium oxide.

7. The system of claim 1 , where the ceramic-containing material further comprises gravel particulate.

8. The system of claim 1 , where the wellbore comprises an open-hole liner.

9. The system of claim 8 , where the wellbore is under-reamed.

10. The system of claim 8 , where the wellbore further comprises cement and a casing with perforations.

11. The system of claim 1 , where the condensed fluid is at least one material selected from the group consisting of: water; wax; asphaltenes; gas-hydrates; and mixtures thereof.

12. A method of using the system of claim 1 to deliquify the wellbore and the near-wellbore formation, the method comprising the steps of:
activating the microwave producing unit;
heating the ceramic-containing material to the first temperature without presence of a microwave-absorbing vaporizable liquid, the first temperature being selected such that the first temperature is operable to sufficiently heat the reservoir formation proximate the wellbore to the second temperature;
monitoring the wellbore for presence of liquids in a production fluid; and
adjusting an operating parameter of the microwave producing unit to directly create sufficient heat in the ceramic-containing material without presence of a microwave-absorbing vaporizable liquid to be transferred to the reservoir formation in the heated region proximate the wellbore, such that fluid condensation is mitigated near the wellbore and pay zone.

13. The method of claim 12 , where the operating parameter of the microwave is at least one operating parameter selected from the group consisting of: a positioning of the microwave producing unit proximate the wellbore; an operating power level of the microwave producing unit; a number of microwave producing points on the microwave antenna; and a period of application of microwaves to the ceramic-containing material.

14. A method of reducing presence of condensed fluid in a wellbore and a near-wellbore formation, the method comprising the steps of:
disposing a ceramic-containing material within the wellbore and proximate to a reservoir formation, where the reservoir formation comprises hydrocarbon-bearing strata;
providing a microwave producing unit operable to heat the ceramic-containing material, where the microwave producing unit comprises a microwave antenna disposed within the wellbore and proximate the ceramic-containing material;
activating the microwave producing unit to heat the ceramic-containing material without presence of a microwave-absorbing vaporizable liquid, where the ceramic-containing material is operable to directly absorb microwaves produced by the microwave producing unit and is operable to be heated to a first temperature between about 800° C. and about 1000° C. by the microwave producing unit; and
the first temperature operable to heat the reservoir formation proximate the wellbore in a heated region to a second temperature, where the second temperature in the heated region is sufficient to evaporate the condensed fluid from a condensate dropout region, such that fluid condensation is mitigated near the wellbore and pay zone.

15. The method of claim 14 , where the microwave antenna is disposed within the wellbore proximate a tubing string.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising the step of heating the reservoir formation proximate the heated region to a third temperature, where the third temperature is greater than a cricondentherm temperature of the reservoir formation such that hydrocarbons in the reservoir formation proximate the wellbore and pay zone only exist in gas phase.

17. The method of claim 14 , where the ceramic-containing material comprises a ceramic made from natural clay, where the natural clay includes at least one compound selected from the group consisting of: silica; alumina; magnesium oxide; potassium; iron oxide; calcium oxide; sodium oxide; titanium oxide; and mixtures thereof.

18. The method of claim 17 , where the ceramic-containing material comprises between 50% and 70% by volume of the ceramic.

19. The method of claim 14 , where the ceramic-containing material comprises a ceramic made from natural clay, where the natural clay comprises by weight 67.5% silica, 22.5% alumina, 3.10% magnesium oxide, 0.85% potassium, 0.70% iron oxide, 0.35% calcium oxide, 0.30% sodium oxide, and 0.30% titanium oxide.

20. The method of claim 14 , where the step of disposing a ceramic-containing material within the wellbore further comprises mixing the ceramic-containing material with gravel particulate.

21. The method of claim 14 , where the step of disposing a ceramic-containing material within the wellbore further comprises disposing the ceramic-containing material within an open-hole liner.

22. The method of claim 14 , where the condensed fluid is at least one material selected from the group consisting of: water; wax; asphaltenes; gas-hydrates; and mixtures thereof.

23. A method for constructing a wellbore in a hydrocarbon-bearing formation to reduce formatio

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Ayub Muhammad
• Batarseh Sameeh I
• Habib Nabeel S

Classifications

• E21B36/04 Primary

  using electrical heaters · CPC title

• H05B6/80

  Apparatus for specific applications (stoves or ranges F24C7/02) · CPC title

• E21B43/2401

  by means of electricity · CPC title

• H05B6/72

  Radiators or antennas · CPC title

• E21B37/00

  Methods or apparatus for cleaning boreholes or wells (E21B21/00 takes precedence) · CPC title