Hydrocarbon production system and an associated method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10323494-B2
Application number	US-201615196737-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2016
Priority date	Jul 23, 2015
Publication date	Jun 18, 2019
Grant date	Jun 18, 2019

Abstract

A system includes a casing-liner, a first downhole separator, a production pump, and a second downhole separator disposed within a wellbore casing disposed in a wellbore. An annular disposal zone is defined between the casing-liner and the wellbore casing. First downhole separator is configured to receive a production fluid from a production zone and generate a hydrocarbon rich stream and a water stream including a solid medium. Production pump is configured to pump the hydrocarbon rich stream from the first downhole separator to a surface unit. Second downhole separator is configured to receive the water stream including the solid medium from the first downhole separator, separate the solid medium to generate a separated water stream, and dispose the solid medium to the annular disposal zone. The system further includes a tube configured to dispose the separated water stream from the second downhole separator to a water disposal zone in wellbore.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a casing-liner disposed within a wellbore casing disposed in a wellbore to define an annular disposal zone between the casing-liner and the wellbore casing;
a first downhole separator disposed within the wellbore casing and configured to receive a production fluid from a production zone and generate a hydrocarbon rich stream and a water stream comprising a solid medium, from the production fluid;
a production pump disposed within the wellbore casing and coupled to the first downhole separator and a surface unit, wherein the production pump is configured to pump the hydrocarbon rich stream from the first downhole separator to the surface unit via a channel;
a second downhole separator disposed above the casing-liner within the wellbore casing and coupled to the first downhole separator and configured to receive the water stream comprising the solid medium from the first downhole separator and separate the solid medium from the water stream to generate a separated water stream, wherein the second downhole separator is configured to dispose the solid medium to the annular disposal zone;
a tube coupled to the second downhole separator and configured to dispose the separated water stream from the second downhole separator to a water disposal zone in the wellbore; and
a spring loaded centralizer coupled to the casing-liner and the wellbore casing.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a packer disposed within the wellbore casing and located above the first downhole separator, wherein the packer is configured to prevent flow of the production fluid directly from the production zone to the production pump.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a packer coupled to a bottom end portion of the casing-liner and the wellbore casing and configured to seal the annular disposal zone, wherein the casing-liner is disposed above the water disposal zone.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a packer disposed within the wellbore casing and coupled to the casing-liner, wherein the packer is located below the second downhole separator and configured to isolate the water disposal zone from the production zone.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a first jet pump coupled to the first downhole separator and configured to transfer the production fluid from the production zone to the first downhole separator.

6. The system of claim 5 , further comprising a second jet pump coupled to the first downhole separator and the second downhole separator, wherein the second jet pump is configured to the transfer the water stream comprising the solid medium from the first downhole separator to the second downhole separator.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a surface separator coupled to the production pump and the surface unit, wherein the surface separator is configured to receive the hydrocarbon rich stream from the first downhole separator and generate oil and a water rich stream and feed the oil to the surface unit.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a booster pump coupled to the tube and configured to pressurize the separated water stream and dispose the separated water stream in the water disposal zone.

9. The system of claim 8 , further comprising:
a motor disposed within the wellbore casing and coupled to the first downhole separator; and
a jumper cable coupled to the motor and a lift system including the production pump, wherein the motor is configured to drive the first downhole separator.

10. The system of claim 9 , further comprising a first sensor operatively coupled to an outlet of the first downhole separator and a second sensor operatively coupled to the channel, wherein the first sensor is configured to measure a flow rate of the hydrocarbon rich stream and wherein the second sensor is configured to measure a density of the hydrocarbon rich stream.

11. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a control unit communicatively coupled to the first sensor and the second sensor and configured to receive at least one of a first signal and a second signal from the first sensor and the second sensor respectively, wherein the first signal is representative of the flow rate of the hydrocarbon rich stream and the second signal is representative of the density of the hydrocarbon rich stream.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the control unit is communicatively coupled to the motor and configured to control a speed of the motor based on the at least one of the first signal and the second signal.

13. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a control valve coupled to the channel and communicatively coupled to the control unit, wherein the control valve is configured to control an outlet pressure of the hydrocarbon rich stream based on the at least one of the first signal and the second signal.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first downhole separator comprises a centrifugal separator.

15. A method comprising:
transferring a production fluid from a production zone to a first downhole separator disposed within a wellbore casing disposed within a wellbore;
generating a hydrocarbon rich stream and a water stream comprising a solid medium, from the production fluid, using the first downhole separator disposed within the wellbore casing;
feeding the hydrocarbon rich stream from the first downhole separator, using a production pump to a surface unit via a channel, wherein the production pump is disposed within the wellbore casing;
transferring the water stream comprising the solid medium, from the first downhole separator to a second downhole separator disposed within the wellbore casing;
separating the solid medium from the water stream to generate a separated water stream, using the second downhole separator;
disposing the solid medium from the second downhole separator to an annular disposal zone defined there between a casing-liner and the wellbore casing, wherein the casing-liner is disposed within the wellbore casing and below the second downhole separator; and
disposing the separated water stream from the second downhole separator to a water disposal zone in the wellbore, via a tube.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising preventing flow of the production fluid directly from the production zone to the production pump via a packer located above the first downhole separator, wherein the packer is disposed within the wellbore casing.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising sealing the annular disposal zone using a packer located within the wellbore casing and above the water disposal zone, wherein the packer is coupled to a bottom end portion of the casing-liner and the wellbore casing.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising isolating the water disposal zone from the production zone via a packer located below the second downhole separator in the wellbore casing, wherein the packer is coupled to the casing-liner.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein disposing the separated water stream to the water disposal zone comprises pressurizing the water stream using a booster pump coupled to the tube.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
supplying power to a motor disposed within the wellbore casing via a jumper cable coupled to a lift system including the production pump; and
driving the first downhole separator using the motor.

21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising measuring at least one of a flow rate of the hydrocarbon rich stream using a first sensor and a dens

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Joshi Mahendra Ladharam
• Qi Xuele
• Murphy Raymond Patrick
• Brazil Stewart Blake
• Jiang Haifeng
• Parkey Jr Dewey Lavonne

Classifications

• E21B43/124

  Adaptation of jet-pump systems · CPC title

• E21B43/40

  Separation associated with re-injection of separated materials {(E21B43/385 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• E21B47/00

  Survey of boreholes or wells (monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid E21B21/08) · CPC title

• E21B43/385 Primary

  by reinjecting the separated materials into an earth formation in the same well · CPC title

• E21B2049/085

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic