Systems and methods for inline chemical injection for dump flood water injectors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9810049-B2
Application number	US-201514750284-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2015
Priority date	Jun 25, 2014
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure provides techniques for inline injection of water and chemicals for a dump flood. The techniques include collecting water from a source reservoir into a water collection zone of an adjacent water injection well, and injecting a chemical solution into the water injection well. The water and the chemical solution are then mixed downhole in a mixer, such as a static mixer. The mixed injection fluid is then directly injected into an adjacent target reservoir.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of inline water injection, comprising:
collecting water from a source reservoir into a water collection zone of an injection well, wherein the injection well is in fluid communication with the source reservoir and a target reservoir, wherein the injection well is drilled into a formation, and wherein the source reservoir and the target reservoir are different reservoirs in the formation;
injecting the water from the source reservoir through a static mixer, wherein the static mixer is disposed in the injection well and the static mixer is intended to remain in the injection well for an economic life of the injection well;
delivering and injecting a concentrated chemical solution from a source outside of the injection well into the static mixer while injecting the water from the source reservoir through the static mixer;
mixing the water from the source reservoir and the concentrated chemical solution in the static mixer, resulting in an injection fluid;
injecting the injection fluid into the target reservoir to mobilize hydrocarbons in the target reservoir towards a producing well; and
recovering the hydrocarbons mobilized by the injection fluid from the producing well.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the water is injected through a water injection tubing, wherein the water enters the water injection tubing via a plurality of perforations in the water injection tubing.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the water is injected at a water inflow rate controlled by a pump coupled to the water injection tubing.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentrated chemical solution is injected at a chemical inflow rate controlled at the source.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the water is injected via an electrical submersible pump or a progressive cavity pump.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
delivering the concentrated chemical solution into the injection well at a chemical inflow rate, wherein the chemical inflow rate is determined based on a chemical concentration of the concentrated chemical solution, a desired chemical concentration of the injection fluid, and a water inflow rate.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
delivering a concentrated polymer solution into the injection well;
delivering a concentrated surfactant solution into the injection well; and
mixing the water, concentrated polymer solution, and concentrated surfactant solution in the static mixer.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the concentrated polymer solution is delivered into the injection well at a polymer inflow rate and the concentrated surfactant solution is delivered into the injection well at a surfactant inflow rate, wherein the polymer inflow rate and the surfactant inflow rate is determined based on a polymer concentration of the concentrated polymer solution, a desired concentration of the injection fluid, surfactant concentration of the concentrated surfactant solution, a desired surfactant concentration of the injection fluid, and a water inflow rate.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentrated chemical solution is shear-sensitive, and integrity of the concentrated chemical solution is maintained when injecting the concentrated chemical solution from the source to the static mixer and when the concentrated chemical solution is mixed with the water in the static mixer.

10. An inline water injection system, comprising:
a first packer disposed within an injection well at a first level, wherein the injection well is drilled into a formation;
a second packer disposed within the injection well at a second level below the first packer, wherein the injection well comprises a water collection zone between the first packer and the second packer;
a static mixer disposed within the injection well and the static mixer is intended to remain in the injection well for an economic life of the injection well; and
one or more injection tubings disposed within the injection well traversing the first and second packers, wherein the one or more injection tubings deliver water from an adjacent source reservoir and a chemical solution from an above-ground source into the static mixer, wherein the static mixer mixes the water from the source reservoir and the chemical solution into an injection fluid, and wherein the injection fluid is injected into a target reservoir adjacent the injection well to mobilize hydrocarbons in the target reservoir towards a producing well for recovering the hydrocarbons mobilized by the injection fluid from the producing well, and wherein the source reservoir and the target reservoir are different reservoirs in the formation.

11. The inline water injection system of claim 10 , further comprising:
a water injection tubing, wherein the water injection tubing collects the water from the source reservoir and injects the water into the static mixer.

12. The inline water injection system of claim 11 , wherein the water injection tubing is coupled to a pump configured to pump the water into the static mixer.

13. The inline water injection system of claim 10 , further comprising:
a chemical injection tubing, wherein the chemical injection tubing traverses the water collection zone and delivers the chemical solution into the static mixer.

14. The inline water injection system of claim 10 , wherein the static mixer is disposed below the water collection zone and below the one or more injection tubings.

15. The inline water injection system of claim 10 , wherein the static mixer is disposed inside the one or more injection tubings.

16. The inline water injection system of claim 10 , comprising:
a pump coupled to the one or more injection tubings, wherein the pump is configured to pump the water, the chemical solution, or both into the static mixer.

17. A method of inline water injection, comprising:
pumping a concentrated chemical solution into an injection tubing, wherein the injection tubing is disposed within an injection well, and wherein the injection well is drilled into a formation;
collecting water from a source reservoir into the injection tubing, wherein the injection well is in fluid communication with the source reservoir, and wherein the source reservoir is in the formation;
injecting the concentrated chemical solution and the water from the source reservoir through a mixer disposed in the injection well, wherein the static mixer is intended to remain in the injection well for an economic life of the injection well, and wherein the concentrated chemical solution and the water from the source reservoir are mixed into an injection fluid;
injecting the injection fluid into a target reservoir in fluid communication with the injection well to mobilize hydrocarbons in the target reservoir towards a producing well, wherein the target reservoir is in the formation, and wherein the source reservoir and the target reservoir are different reservoirs in the formation; and
recovering the hydrocarbons mobilized by the injection fluid from the producing well.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
pumping, via a pump, the concentrated chemical solution and the water through the injection tubing and into the mixer.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the pump is an electrical submersible pump or a progressive cavity pump.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the mixer is a non-shearing mixer.

21. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
controlling an inflow rate of the water, the concentrated chemical solution, o

Assignees

• Chevron Usa Inc

Inventors

• Dean Robert Matthew
• Dwarakanath Varadarajan
• Malik Taimur
• Slaughter Will Sherman
• Walker Dustin L

Classifications

• E21B43/11

  Perforators; Permeators · CPC title

• E21B33/124

  Units with longitudinally-spaced plugs for isolating the intermediate space · CPC title

• E21B43/16 Primary

  Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons · CPC title

• E21B43/128

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