Electrical Submersible Pumping System With Separator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018195375-A1
Application number	US-201715403642-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 11, 2017
Priority date	Jan 11, 2017
Publication date	Jul 12, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system and method of producing fluid from a wellbore, and that separates water from the fluid. The system includes an electrical submersible pumping system with a pump having impellers and diffusers, and a separation system at a discharge end of the pump. The separation system includes a helical flow path and separation chamber downstream of the path. Directing the fluid through the helical flow path centrifugally separates the water from the fluid. Thus when the fluid flows into the separation chamber from the helical flow path, the water migrates to the outer radius of the separation chamber. The separated water flows through ports on the outer sidewall of the separation chamber, and the lower density portion of the fluid flows through a port proximate a middle portion of the separation chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for producing fluid from a well comprising:
a housing selectively disposed in the well; a separation chamber disposed in the housing; an impeller disposed in the housing and that is selectively rotatable about an axis; and a fluid passage extending radially through the impeller, having a discharge end in fluid communication with the separation chamber, and that extends along a path that is generally normal to a line that is tangential to an outer radius of the impeller, so that when fluid that has exited the fluid passage enters the separation chamber, the fluid is separated so that components of the fluid proximate an outer radius of the separation chamber have a density that is higher than a density of fluids that are distal from the outer radius of the separation chamber.

2 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a bulkhead between the impeller and the separation chamber, and a helical flow path formed through the bulkhead through which the discharge end of the fluid passage is in fluid communication with the separation chamber.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein a radius of the helical flow path reduces with distance away from the discharge end of the fluid passage.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the impeller comprises an upper impeller, wherein the system further comprises impellers and diffusers that define a stack, and wherein the fluid in the fluid passage is pressurized in the stack.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein fluid is discharged from the impellers in the stack at an angle that is oblique to the fluid exiting the fluid discharge of the upper impeller.

6 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising ports proximate an outer radius of the separation chamber, and through which higher density components of the fluid are discharged.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the higher density components comprise water.

8 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising ports proximate an inner radius of the separation chamber, and through which lower density components of the fluid are discharged.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the lower density components comprise liquid hydrocarbons.

10 . A system for producing fluid from a well comprising:
a stack of impellers and diffusers having a fluid inlet and a fluid discharge; a separation chamber that selectively receives fluid discharged from the stack; and a means for increasing a swirl velocity of the fluid in the separation chamber so that higher density components of the fluid are centrifugally separated towards an outer radius of the separation chamber and lower density components of the fluid are distal from the outer radius of the separation chamber.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the means comprises a helical passage having an inlet in communication with the fluid discharge, and an exit in fluid communication with the separation chamber.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the helical passage comprises a radius that reduces with axial distance from the fluid discharge.

13 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the means comprises an upper impeller that is disposed on an end of the stack proximate the separation chamber, and wherein flow paths for the fluid are provided on the upper impeller that extend along a generally straight path from an inlet of the impeller to an outer radius of the impeller.

14 . A method of producing fluid from a well comprising:
receiving a connate fluid that comprises higher density components and lower density components, and that is produced from a subterranean formation; pressurizing the connate fluid to define a pressurized fluid; and separating the higher density components from the lower density components by directing the pressurized fluid through a helical passage so that the fluid follows a free vortex flow path.

15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising discharging the pressurized fluid radially outward from an impeller and along a path that is substantially straight.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the higher density components comprise water, the method further comprising injecting the water into the subterranean formation.

17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the lower density components comprise liquid hydrocarbon, the method further comprising directing the liquid hydrocarbon to an opening of the well.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Xiao Jinjiang
• Ejim Chidirim Enoch

Classifications

• F04D29/22

  specially for centrifugal pumps · CPC title

• B01D17/0217

  by centrifugal force · CPC title

• F04D29/445

  especially adapted for liquid pumps · CPC title

• F04D1/06

  Multi-stage pumps (F04D1/02, F04D13/10 take precedence) · CPC title

• E21B43/121

  Lifting well fluids (monitoring of down-hole pump systems E21B47/008) · CPC title