Method and apparatus for generating steam for the recovery of hydrocarbon

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9593563-B2
Application number	US-201114350025-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 5, 2011
Priority date	Oct 5, 2011
Publication date	Mar 14, 2017
Grant date	Mar 14, 2017

Abstract

The instant disclosure provides a method of generating steam for the recovery of hydrocarbon from a hydrocarbon producing system including (i) generating supercritical steam from water; (ii) converting the supercritical steam to a subcritical steam; and (iii) injecting the subcritical steam into the system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of generating steam for the recovery of hydrocarbon from a hydrocarbon producing system comprising:
(i) generating supercritical steam from water;
(ii) converting said supercritical steam to a subcritical steam, wherein said subcritial steam comprises a steam and water mixture;
(iii) separating said subcritical steam into steam and water; and
(iv) injecting said subcritical steam into said system.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the water used to generate supercritical steam comprises water obtained from hydrocarbon recovery operations.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the water used to generate supercritical steam comprises water obtained from hydrocarbon recovery operations and fresh water.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the water used to generate supercritical steam comprises less than 10% by volume fresh water.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the water used to generate supercritical steam comprises at least one of:
silica 50 ppm wt or higher
total dissolved solids 8500 ppm wt or higher
hydrocarbon 5 ppm wt or higher
CaCO 3 1 ppm wt or higher.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said supercritical steam is generated in a once-through steam generator.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pressure of said supercritical steam is in the range 22.2 MPa-50 MPa.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the temperature of said supercritical steam is in the range 380-800° C.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conversion of supercritical steam to subcritical steam is carried out in an expansion unit.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said unit is a valve or a turbine.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein impurities are removed from said subcritical steam prior to its injection into said system.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein said impurities are removed by separation of water from the steam.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pressure of said subcritical steam is in the range 0.5-22.0 MPa.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the temperature of said subcritical steam is in the range 150-500° C.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the quality of the subcritical steam injected into the formation is at least 80% by volume.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the subcritical steam is used in recovery of hydrocarbon by steam assisted gravity drainage.

17. A method of producing hydrocarbon from a hydrocarbon producing system comprising:
(a) generating steam by a method as claimed in claim 1 ; and
(b) using said steam in a method of producing hydrocarbon from said formation.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17 , wherein said steam is used to produce hydrocarbon by steam assisted gravity drainage.

19. A method for generating steam for the recovery of hydrocarbon from a hydrocarbon producing system comprising:
(i) generating subcritical steam from water;
(ii) separating said subcritical steam into water and steam;
(iii) generating supercritical steam from said separated water;
(iv) converting said supercritical steam to a subcritical steam;
(v) optionally combining the steam produced in steps (ii) and (iv); and
(vi) injecting said subcritical steam into said system.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein said subcritical steam is generated in step (i) in a once-through steam generator.

21. A method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein said subcritical steam is separated in step (ii) in a separator.

22. A method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the water used to generate said subcritical steam in step (i) comprises:
water obtained from hydrocarbon recovery operations,
water obtained from hydrocarbon recovery operations and fresh water,
less than 10% by volume fresh water, or
at least one of:
silica 50 ppm wt or higher
total dissolved solids 8500 ppm wt or higher
hydrocarbon 5 ppm wt or higher
CaCO 3 1 ppm wt or higher.

23. A method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the separated water used to generate supercritical steam in step (iii) is not purified.

24. A method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein water obtained from hydrocarbon recovery operations and/or fresh water is added to the separated water and the mixture is used to generate supercritical steam in step (iii).

25. A method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the water used to generate supercrical steam in step (iii) comprises at least one of:
silica 250 ppm wt or higher
total dissolved solids 10,000 ppm wt or higher
hydrocarbon 50 ppm wt or higher
CaCO 3 10 ppm wt or higher.

26. An apparatus for generating steam for the recovery of hydrocarbon from a hydrocarbon producing system comprising:
(i) an inlet for water;
(ii) a supercritical steam boiler connected to said inlet for producing supercritical steam;
(iii) an expansion unit connected to said supercritical steam boiler for converting said supercritical steam to subcritical steam, wherein said subcritical steam comprises a steam and water mixture;
(iv) a separator connection to said expansion unit for separating said subcritical steam into steam and water; and
(v) an outlet connected to said separator for delivery of the steam to said system.

27. An apparatus as claimed in claim 26 , wherein said supercritical steam boiler is a once through steam generator.

28. An apparatus as claimed in claim 26 , wherein said expansion unit is a valve or a turbine.

29. A system for producing hydrocarbon from a hydrocarbon producing formation comprising:
(i) an apparatus as claimed in claim 26 ;
(ii) a well arrangement connected to said outlet of the apparatus; and
(iii) a means for the recovery of hydrocarbon.

30. A system as claimed in claim 29 , wherein said well arrangement comprises:
i) a first steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) well pair; and
ii) a second steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) well pair.

31. A system as claimed in claim 30 , further comprising an infill well, wherein said infill well is located in between said first and second SAGD well pairs.

32. An apparatus for generating steam for the recovery of hydrocarbon from a hydrocarbon producing system comprising:
(i) an inlet for water;
(ii) a steam boiler connected to said inlet for producing subcritical steam;
(iii) a separator connected to said steam boiler for separating water and steam;
(iv) a supercritical steam boiler connected to said separator for producing supercritical steam from separated water;
(v) an expansion unit connected to said supercritical steam boiler for converting said supercritical steam to subcritical steam;
(vi) an outlet connected to said separator for delivery of the steam to said system; and
(vii) an outlet connected to said expansion unit for delivery of the steam to said system.

33. An apparatus as claimed in claim 32 , wherein said steam boiler is a once-through steam generator.

34. An apparatus as claimed in claim 32 , wherein said supercritical steam boiler is connected directly to said separator.

Assignees

• Johnsen Sten Egil
• Grønstad Leif Kåre
• Sørlie Carsten Frithjof
• Statoil Petroleum As

Inventors

• Johnsen Sten Egil
• Grønstad Leif Kåre
• Sørlie Carsten Frithjof

Classifications

• F01K7/32

  the engines using steam of critical or overcritical pressure · CPC title

• E21B43/2406 Primary

  Steam assisted gravity drainage [SAGD] · CPC title

• F22B29/067

  operating at critical or supercritical pressure · CPC title

• F22G7/00

  Steam superheaters characterised by location, arrangement, or disposition · CPC title

• F22B37/48

  Devices or arrangements for removing water, minerals or sludge from boilers (cleaning water tubes, furnace tubes or the like of boilers F28G) {; Arrangement of cleaning apparatus in boilers; Combinations thereof with boilers} · CPC title