Treatment of water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10974972-B2
Application number	US-201916298477-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 11, 2019
Priority date	Mar 11, 2019
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

Methods for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore include injecting water into a wellbore, where the wellbore has a depth that is sufficient for introducing a hydrostatic pressure that imparts supercritical pressure to water present at a water depth greater than or equal to the minimum depth needed to impart water supercritical pressure. A heating element is inserted into the wellbore to a heating element depth that is greater than or equal to the required depth. Power is transmitted to the heating element causing the heating element to heat water to a temperature sufficient to form supercritical water that causes the dissolved solids to precipitate out of the water as precipitated solids. Water and the precipitated solids are separated and extracted. The heating element includes a microwave antenna and a shell encapsulating the microwave antenna formed from a material that is capable of heating upon exposure to microwave radiation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore, the method comprising:
injecting water into a wellbore, where the wellbore has a depth that is greater than or equal to a required depth, wherein the required depth is a depth that is sufficient for introducing a hydrostatic pressure that imparts supercritical pressure to water present at the required depth;
inserting a heating element into the wellbore to a heating element depth that is greater than or equal to the required depth;
transmitting power to the heating element causing the heating element to heat water to a temperature sufficient to form supercritical water that causes the dissolved solids to precipitate out of the water as precipitated solids;
separating the water and the precipitated solids; and
extracting the water and the precipitated solids from the wellbore, where
the heating element comprises a microwave antenna and a shell encapsulating the microwave antenna formed from a material that is capable of heating upon exposure to microwave radiation.

2. The method for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore of claim 1 , where the wellbore is a U-shaped wellbore comprising a first opening where water is injected into the wellbore and comprising a second opening where water and the precipitated solids are removed from the wellbore.

3. The method for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore of claim 2 , where separating the water and the precipitated solids comprises transmitting the water to a demineralized water production well.

4. The method for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore of claim 3 , where extracting the water and the precipitated solids from the wellbore comprises extracting water from the second opening of the wellbore through the demineralized water production well, and
extracting the precipitated solids from the second opening of the wellbore through an annulus of the wellbore.

5. The method for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore of claim 4 , where the annulus of the second opening of the wellbore is constructed of non-corrosive materials.

6. The method for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore of claim 1 , where the depth is greater than 7200 ft. from a surface of a geological formation.

7. The method for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore of claim 1 , where the water has a gradient of greater than 0.400 psi/ft.

8. The method for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore of claim 1 , where the supercritical pressure is greater than 3200 psi.

9. The method for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore of claim 1 , where the temperature sufficient to form supercritical water is greater than 350° C.

10. The method for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore of claim 1 , where the shell of the heating element is heated to a temperature that is greater than 500° C.

11. A system for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore comprising:
a wellbore filled with water and having a depth that is greater than or equal to a required depth, wherein the required depth is a depth that is sufficient for introducing a hydrostatic pressure that imparts supercritical pressure to water present at the required depth;
a power source positioned at a surface of a geological formation;
a heating element present in the wellbore at a heating element depth greater than or equal to the required depth, where the heating element comprises a microwave antenna and a shell encapsulating the microwave antenna formed from a material that is capable of heating upon exposure to microwave radiation;
a power wireline connecting the power source and the heating element
a separator that is capable of separating water and solids that have precipitated out of the water; and
a demineralized water production well that is fluidly connected to the separator and provides an exit path for the water from the separator to an opening in the wellbore.

12. The system for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore of claim 11 , where the wellbore is a U-shaped wellbore comprising a first opening where water is injected into the wellbore and comprising a second opening where water and the precipitated solids are removed from the wellbore.

13. The system for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore of claim 12 , where the second opening of the wellbore is configured to extract precipitated solids from the wellbore through an annulus.

14. The system for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore of claim 13 , where the annulus of the second opening of the wellbore is constructed of non-corrosive materials.

15. The system for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore of claim 11 , where the depth is greater than 7200 ft. from the surface.

16. The system for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore of claim 11 , where the power source is solar power cells, one or more wind turbines, grid power, generator power, or a combination thereof.

17. The system for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore of claim 11 , where the shell encapsulating the microwave antenna is made from ceramic materials, graphene materials, or activated carbon.

18. The system for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore of claim 11 , where the shell encapsulating the microwave antenna is made from zirconia.

19. The system for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore of claim 11 , where the shell of the heating element is heated to a temperature that is greater than 500° C.

20. The system for treating water comprising dissolved solids in a wellbore of claim 11 , where the shell of the heating element is heated to a temperature that is greater than 1000° C.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Al-Mulhem Abdulrahman Abdulaziz

Classifications

• C02F1/52

  by flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities {(C02F1/463 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• C02F2103/365

  from petrochemical industry (e.g. refineries) · CPC title

• E21B43/20

  Displacing by water · CPC title

• C09K8/58 Primary

  Compositions for enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons, i.e. for improving the mobility of the oil, e.g. displacing fluids · CPC title

• C02F2301/066

  Overpressure, high pressure · CPC title