Method and apparatus for artificial lift using well fluid electrolysis

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9222341-B2
Application number	US-201213667023-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2012
Priority date	Nov 2, 2011
Publication date	Dec 29, 2015
Grant date	Dec 29, 2015

Abstract

An artificial lift device is useful for inducing artificial gas lift in a well bore fluid present in a horizontal well bore system using electrically conductive aqueous solution. The artificial lift device includes an ion exchange membrane, an electrode pair having an anode and a cathode separated by the ion exchange membrane, a sensor operable to detect the presence of solution and a power relay operable to selectively permit the electrode pair to receive electrical power. The artificial lift device is operable to form hydrogen product gas bubbles from hydrogen product gas. A method for providing artificial gas lift using the artificial lift device includes forming a horizontal well bore system having a well boot, introducing the artificial lift device into the well bore system, introducing electrical power to the electrode pair, and operating the device to introduce hydrogen product gas bubbles into the horizontal well bore system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An artificial lift device useful for inducing artificial gas lift in a well bore fluid present in a horizontal well bore system using an electrically conductive aqueous solution, the artificial lift device comprising:
an ion exchange membrane;
an electrode pair having an anode and a cathode, where the anode and cathode are separated by the ion exchange membrane and are operable to induce electrolysis in the electrically conductive aqueous solution using electrical power such that a halogen product gas and a hydrogen product gas form;
a sensor operable to detect the presence of the electrically conductive aqueous solution and to transmit an associated signal in response to the detected electrically conductive aqueous solution; and
a power relay operable to selectively permit the electrode pair to receive electrical power;

where the artificial lift device is operable to receive electrical power from the power source, to form hydrogen product gas bubbles from hydrogen product gas and to introduce hydrogen product gas bubbles into an exterior fluid.

2. The artificial lift device of claim 1 where the artificial lift device is operable to form halogen product gas bubbles from halogen product gas and to introduce halogen product gas bubbles into the exterior fluid.

3. The artificial lift device of claim 1 where the artificial lift device is operable to pass halogen product gas to the surface through a surface halogen conduit.

4. The artificial lift device of claim 3 where the artificial lift device is selectively operable to pass halogen product gas to the surface.

5. The artificial lift device of claim 1 where the ion exchange membrane is a cation exchange membrane.

6. The artificial lift device of claim 1 where the power relay is operable to receive the associated signal from the sensor and to selectively permit the electrode pair to receive electrical power upon receipt of the associated signal.

7. The artificial lift device of claim 1 further comprising a halogen product gas conduit coupling to the anode and operable to pass the halogen product gas.

8. The artificial lift device of claim 7 where the halogen product gas conduit is operable to pass halogen product gas into the exterior fluid as halogen product gas bubbles.

9. The artificial lift device of claim 1 further comprising a hydrogen product gas conduit coupling to the cathode and operable to pass the hydrogen product gas.

10. The artificial lift device of claim 9 where the hydrogen product gas conduit is operable to pass hydrogen product gas into the exterior fluid as hydrogen product gas bubbles.

11. The artificial lift device of claim 1 where the artificial lift device further comprises a bubble sparger, the bubble sparger operable to receive a product gas, form a product gas bubbles from the product gas, and to introduce the product gas bubbles into the exterior fluid.

12. The artificial lift device of claim 11 where the product gas is hydrogen product gas and the product gas bubbles are hydrogen product gas bubbles.

13. The artificial lift device of claim 11 where the product gas is halogen product gas and the product gas bubbles are halogen product gas bubbles.

14. The artificial lift device of claim 11 where the bubble sparger is operable to receive both hydrogen product gas and halogen product gas separately, to form halogen product gas bubbles from the halogen product gas, to form hydrogen product gas bubbles from the hydrogen product gas, and to introduce the halogen product gas bubbles and the hydrogen product gas bubbles into the exterior fluid separately and simultaneously.

15. The artificial lift device of claim 1 where the exterior fluid is well bore fluid.

16. The artificial lift device of claim 1 where the exterior fluid is electrically conductive aqueous solution.

17. A method for providing artificial gas lift to a well bore fluid in a horizontal well bore system using an artificial lift device, the method for providing artificial gas lift comprising the steps of:
forming a horizontal well bore system having a vertical section, a horizontal run and a well boot such that the well boot is positioned at a greater vertical depth than the horizontal run and is operable to contain the electrically conductive aqueous solution;
introducing the artificial lift device having an electrode pair into the horizontal well bore system such that the electrode pair are immersed in the electrically conductive aqueous solution contained in the well boot;
introducing electrical power to the electrode pair such that a hydrogen product gas and a halogen product gas are produced from the electrically conductive aqueous solution; and
operating the artificial lift device such that hydrogen product gas bubbles are introduced into the horizontal well bore system;

where the horizontal well bore system contains both the well bore fluid and an electrically conductive aqueous solution, and
where the hydrogen product gas bubbles provide artificial gas lift to the well bore fluid contained in the horizontal well bore system.

18. The method for providing artificial gas lift of claim 17 where the forming step further comprises forming the well boot that is vertically aligned with the vertical section.

19. The method for providing artificial gas lift of claim 17 where the forming step further comprises forming the well boot such that it is concentric with the vertical section.

20. The method for providing artificial gas lift of claim 17 where the forming step further comprises forming the well boot such that it has a similar bore gauge as the vertical section.

21. The method of providing artificial gas lift of claim 17 where the forming step further comprises forming the well boot such that it is located at least partially in a non-hydrocarbon bearing formation.

22. The method of providing artificial gas lift of claim 17 where the forming step further comprises forming the well boot such that it has a vertical depth in a range of from about three times to about five times the vertical length of the artificial lift device.

23. The method of providing artificial gas lift of claim 17 where the introducing artificial lift device step further comprises introducing the artificial lift device, the artificial lifting device having a sensor operable to detect the electrically conductive aqueous solution, to cause the sensor to detect the electrically conductive aqueous solution in the well boot.

24. The method of providing artificial gas lift of claim 23 where the introducing artificial lift device step further comprises introducing the artificial lift device, where the artificial lift device has a power relay operable to selectively permit the introduction of power to the electrode pair and the sensor is operable to transmit a signal upon detection of the electrically conductive aqueous solution, to cause the sensor to transmits a signal associated with the detection of the electrically conductive aqueous solution and the power relay to selectively permits the introduction of electrical power to the electrodes.

25. The method of providing artificial gas lift of claim 17 where the introducing artificial lift device step further comprises introducing the artificial lift device such that a portion of the artificial lift device is in fluid contact with well bore fluid and the remainder of the artificial lift device is in fluid cont

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Noui-Mehidi Mohamed Nabil

Classifications

• E21B43/122 Primary

  Gas lift · CPC title