Hybrid solar thermal enhanced oil recovery system with oxy-fuel combustor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9845667-B2
Application number	US-201514795791-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2015
Priority date	Jul 9, 2015
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

The hybrid solar thermal enhanced oil recovery system with an oxy-fuel combustor is an enhanced oil recovery system utilizing solar thermal enhanced oil recovery during the daytime and utilizing an oxy-fuel combustor in the nighttime. A solar heater is used for the solar thermal enhanced oil recovery, generating steam injected into an oil field having an oil well for enhanced oil recovery. During the nighttime, when solar heating is not available, an oxy-fuel combustor produces carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The carbon dioxide is injected into the oil field for miscible enhanced oil recovery and the nitrogen is separately injected into the oil field for immiscible enhanced oil recovery.

First claim

We claim:

1. A hybrid solar thermal enhanced oil recovery system with an oxy-fuel combustor, comprising:
a solar heater for receiving a first portion of production water and producing steam therefrom;
a steam pipe in fluid communication with the solar heater for receiving and injecting the steam into an oil field having an oil well;
an oil and water pipe outputting a mixture of oil and water from the oil well;
an oil and water separator in communication with the oil and water pipe for separating oil and the production water from the mixture of oil and water, the oil and water separator being in further communication with the solar heater for feeding the first portion of the production water thereto;
an oxy-fuel combustor for receiving fuel and pre-heated air, the oxy-fuel combustor having an ion transport membrane for separating oxygen from the preheated air and a combustion chamber for combustion of the oxygen with the fuel, the combustion producing heated carbon dioxide gas and combustion product water;
an air compressor for receiving ambient air and outputting compressed air;
a first heat exchanger for receiving the heated carbon dioxide gas, the combustion product water and the compressed air, the first heat exchanger heating the compressed air to produce the pre-heated air for the oxy-fuel combustor and further outputting cooled carbon dioxide gas and cooled water;
a water and gas separator for separating the cooled carbon dioxide gas and the cooled water; and
a carbon dioxide pipe in fluid communication with the water and gas separator for injecting the cooled carbon dioxide into the oil field.

2. The hybrid solar thermal enhanced oil recovery system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a water storage tank for receiving and storing a second portion of the production water produced by said oil and water separator, the water storage tank further being in communication with said water and gas separator.

3. The hybrid solar thermal enhanced oil recovery system as recited in claim 2 , further comprising a first pump connected to the water storage tank for selectively injecting injection water from the water storage tank into the steam pipe with the steam.

4. The hybrid solar thermal enhanced oil recovery system as recited in claim 3 , further comprising a second pump connected to the water storage tank for selectively mixing a volume of stored water from the water storage tank with make-up water from an external make-up water source prior to delivery to said solar heater.

5. The hybrid solar thermal enhanced oil recovery system as recited in claim 4 , further comprising:
a first turbine driven by the steam prior to the injection thereof into said steam pipe; and
a first electrical generator driven by the first turbine for producing electrical energy.

6. The hybrid solar thermal enhanced oil recovery system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
a second turbine driven by the heated carbon dioxide gas and the combustion product water prior to the injection thereof into said first heat exchanger; and
a second electrical generator driven by the second turbine for producing electrical energy.

7. The hybrid solar thermal enhanced oil recovery system as recited in claim 6 , wherein the second turbine mechanically drives said air compressor.

8. The hybrid solar thermal enhanced oil recovery system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a first carbon dioxide compressor in communication with said water and gas separator for receiving the cooled carbon dioxide and injecting the cooled carbon dioxide into the carbon dioxide pipe.

9. The hybrid solar thermal enhanced oil recovery system as recited in claim 8 , further comprising a second carbon dioxide compressor connected to the oil and water pipe for receiving output carbon dioxide from the oil and water pipe and recycling the output carbon dioxide by mixture thereof with the fuel before delivery thereof to the oxy-fuel combustor.

10. The hybrid solar thermal enhanced oil recovery system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a second heat exchanger in fluid communication with said oxy-fuel combustor and said water and gas separator for receiving heated nitrogen gas and the cooled water.

11. The hybrid solar thermal enhanced oil recovery system as recited in claim 10 , further comprising a nitrogen pipe in communication with the second heat exchanger for receiving output nitrogen gas therefrom and injecting the output nitrogen gas into the oil field.

12. A hybrid solar thermal enhanced oil recovery system with an oxy-fuel combustor, comprising:
a solar heater for receiving a first portion of production water and producing steam therefrom;
a steam pipe in fluid communication with the solar heater for receiving and injecting the steam into an oil field having an oil well;
an oil and water pipe outputting a mixture of oil and water from the oil well;
an oil and water separator in communication with the oil and water pipe for separating oil and the production water from the mixture of oil and water, the oil and water separator being in further communication with the solar heater for feeding the first portion of the production water thereto;
an oxy-fuel combustor for receiving fuel and pre-heated air, the oxy-fuel combustor having means for separating oxygen from the pre-heated air and means for combusting the oxygen with the fuel, thereby producing heated carbon dioxide gas and combustion product water;
an air compressor for receiving ambient air and outputting compressed air;
a first heat exchanger for receiving the heated carbon dioxide gas, the combustion product water and the compressed air, the first heat exchanger heating the compressed air to produce the pre-heated air for the oxy-fuel combustor and further outputting cooled carbon dioxide gas and cooled water;
a water and gas separator for separating the cooled carbon dioxide gas and the cooled water;
a carbon dioxide pipe in fluid communication with the water and gas separator for injecting the cooled carbon dioxide into the oil field;
a second heat exchanger in fluid communication with the oxy-fuel combustor and the water and gas separator for receiving heated nitrogen gas and the cooled water; and
a nitrogen pipe in communication with the second heat exchanger for receiving output nitrogen gas therefrom and injecting the output nitrogen gas into the oil field.

13. The hybrid solar thermal enhanced oil recovery system as recited in claim 12 , further comprising a water storage tank for receiving and storing a second portion of the production water produced by said oil and water separator, the water storage tank being in further communication with said water and gas separator.

14. The hybrid solar thermal enhanced oil recovery system as recited in claim 13 , further comprising a first pump connected to the water storage tank for selectively injecting injection water from the water storage tank into the steam pipe with the steam.

15. The hybrid solar thermal enhanced oil recovery system as recited in claim 14 , further comprising a second pump connected to the water storage tank for selectively mixing a volume of stored water from the water storage tank with make-up water from an external make-up water source prior to delivery to said solar heater.

16. The hybrid solar thermal enhanced oil recovery system as recited in claim 15 , further comprising:
a first turbine driven by the steam prior to the injection thereof into said steam pipe; and
a first electrical generator driven by the first turbine for producing electrical energy.

17. Th

Assignees

• Univ King Fahd Pet & Minerals

Inventors

• MOKHEIMER Esmail Mohamed Ali
• Habib Mohamed Abdel-Aziz Mostafa

Classifications

• B01D17/0205

  by gas bubbles or moving solids · CPC title

• E21B43/40

  Separation associated with re-injection of separated materials {(E21B43/385 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• E21B43/164

  Injecting CO2 or carbonated water (in combination with organic material C09K8/594) · CPC title

• F24J2/42

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• E21B43/24 Primary

  using heat, e.g. steam injection · CPC title