Downhole centrifugal separation and removal of sand from wells using progressing cavity pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019106973-A1
Application number	US-201715726083-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 5, 2017
Priority date	Oct 5, 2017
Publication date	Apr 11, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods for removing sand from fluid in a subterranean hydrocarbon development well include producing a cyclonic flow pattern of a sandy fluid of the subterranean well within a wellbore of a subterranean well with tangentially formed openings along a fluid flow path of the sandy fluid. The cyclonic flow pattern causes sand traveling in the sandy fluid to fall downhole as separated sand, and causes a de-sanded fluid stream to be directed uphole towards a production tubing. The de-sanded fluid stream is produced through the production tubing. The separated sand is collected proximate to a suction end of a progressing cavity pump. The progressing cavity pump is operated so that the separated sand flows through the progressing cavity pump and out a discharge end of the progressing cavity pump, to produce the separated sand through a sand discharge tube.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for removing sand from fluid in a subterranean hydrocarbon development well, the method including:
producing a cyclonic flow pattern of a sandy fluid of a subterranean well within a wellbore of the subterranean well with tangentially formed openings along a fluid flow path of the sandy fluid, where the cyclonic flow pattern causes sand traveling in the sandy fluid to fall downhole as separated sand, and causes a de-sanded fluid stream to be directed uphole towards a production tubing; producing the de-sanded fluid stream through the production tubing; collecting the separated sand proximate to a suction end of a progressing cavity pump; and operating the progressing cavity pump so that the separated sand flows through the progressing cavity pump and out a discharge end of the progressing cavity pump, to produce the separated sand through a sand discharge tube.

2 . The method of claim 1 , where a flow path of the sand discharge tube is separate from a flow path of the production tubing.

3 . The method of claim 1 , where the tangentially formed openings are located in a sidewall of a cyclonic separator located within the wellbore.

4 . The method of claim 1 , where the tangentially formed openings are tangentially oriented perforations within a reservoir formation.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further including adding water to the separated sand to form a sand slurry before producing the sand slurry through the sand discharge tube.

6 . The method of claim 5 , where the de-sanded fluid stream is a dry gas.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further including cooling the progressing cavity pump with a water cooling system.

8 . The method of claim 7 , where the water cooling system includes a duplex umbilical tube with a cooling water pumped into the wellbore through a first bore of the duplex umbilical tube and the cooling water is pumped out of the wellbore through a second bore of the duplex umbilical tube.

9 . The method of claim 1 , where the sandy fluid is produced from a horizontal section of the subterranean hydrocarbon development well.

10 . A method for removing sand from fluid in a subterranean hydrocarbon development well, the method including:
producing a cyclonic flow pattern of a sandy fluid of a subterranean well within a wellbore of the subterranean well with tangentially oriented perforations within a reservoir formation, where the cyclonic flow pattern causes sand traveling in the sandy fluid to fall downhole as separated sand, and causes a de-sanded fluid stream to be directed uphole towards a production tubing; producing the de-sanded fluid stream through the production tubing; and producing the separated sand through a sand discharge tube that is separate from a flow path of the production tubing.

11 . The method of claim 10 , where the separated sand flows through a progressing cavity pump to produce the separated sand in the sand discharge tube.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further including cooling the progressing cavity pump with a water cooling system.

13 . The method of claim 12 , where the water cooling system includes a duplex umbilical tube with a cooling water pumped into the wellbore through a first bore of the duplex umbilical tube and the cooling water is pumped out of the wellbore through a second bore of the duplex umbilical tube.

14 . The method of claim 10 , further including adding water to the separated sand to form a sand slurry before producing the sand slurry through the sand discharge tube.

15 . The method of claim 14 , where the de-sanded fluid stream is a dry gas.

16 . The method of claim 10 , where the sandy fluid is produced from a horizontal section of the subterranean hydrocarbon development well.

17 . A system for removing sand from fluid in a subterranean hydrocarbon development well, the system including:
tangentially formed openings along a fluid flow path of a sandy fluid of a subterranean well, the tangentially formed openings oriented for producing a cyclonic flow pattern of the sandy fluid within a wellbore of the subterranean well, where the cyclonic flow pattern causes sand traveling in the sandy fluid to fall downhole as separated sand, and causes a de-sanded fluid stream to be directed uphole; production tubing that includes a flow path for producing the de-sanded fluid stream; a progressing cavity pump having a suction end and positioned such that the separated sand collects proximate to the suction end, flows through the progressing cavity pump, and travels out a discharge end of the progressing cavity pump; and a sand discharge tube that includes a flow path for producing the separated sand.

18 . The system of claim 17 , where the flow path of the sand discharge tube is separate from the flow path of the production tubing.

19 . The system of claim 17 , where the tangentially formed openings are located in a sidewall of a cyclonic separator located within the wellbore.

20 . The system of claim 17 , where the tangentially formed openings are tangentially oriented perforations within a reservoir formation.

21 . The system of claim 17 , further including a one way valve located between the cyclonic flow pattern and the progressing cavity pump.

22 . The system of claim 17 , further including a slurry water added to the separated sand to form a sand slurry before producing the sand slurry through the sand discharge tube.

23 . The system of claim 17 , where the de-sanded fluid stream is a dry gas.

24 . The system of claim 17 , further including a water cooling system that includes a duplex umbilical tube with a first bore of the duplex umbilical tube operable for pumping cooling water into the wellbore and a second bore of the duplex umbilical tube operable for pumping the cooling water out of the wellbore.

25 . The system of claim 17 , where the subterranean hydrocarbon development well has a horizontal section operable for producing the sandy fluid.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Ayub Muhammad
• Lastra Rafael Adolfo

Classifications

• E21B43/128

  Adaptation of pump systems with down-hole electric drives · CPC title

• E21B43/385 Primary

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

• E21B43/35 Primary

  specially adapted for separating solids (down-hole drilling fluid separation systems E21B21/002; separating solids from drilling fluids E21B21/065) · CPC title