Fluid homogenizer system for gas segregated liquid hydrocarbon wells and method of homogenizing liquids produced by such wells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9951598-B2
Application number	US-201615165038-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2016
Priority date	Feb 20, 2014
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

A method of homogenizing a production fluid from an oil well having one or more wellbores includes separating gas from the production fluid in a vertical or horizontal section of a well casing at a first location spaced from a heel portion of a wellbore, and injecting the separated gas into the production fluid at a second location spaced from the heel portion of the wellbore and provided downstream of the first location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of homogenizing production fluid from an oil well having one or more wellbores, the method comprising the steps of:
separating the gas from the production fluid in a vertical or horizontal section of a well casing at a first location spaced from a heel portion of a wellbore;
injecting the separated gas into a vertical or horizontal flow tube through which the production fluid flows and which is provided at a second location spaced from the heel portion; and
wherein the second location is downstream of the first location.

2. The method according to claim 1 , comprising the step of providing a gas separation device for separating the gas from the production fluid.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the gas separation device comprises a tortuous flow path located in the wellbore.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the tortuous flow path comprises a spiral baffle.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the tortuous flow path comprises an auger which defines a spiral path.

6. An apparatus for homogenizing a production fluid from an oil well having one or more well-bores, the apparatus comprising:
a gas separation device provided in a vertical or horizontal section of a well casing at a first location spaced from a heel portion of a well bore for separating gas from the production fluid;
a vertical or horizontal flow tube through which the production fluid flows and which is provided at a second location spaced from the heel portion of the wellbore, the second location being downstream of the first location; and
an injector for injecting the separated gas into the flow tube.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the gas separation device comprises a tortuous flow path located in the wellbore.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the tortuous flow path comprises a spiral baffle.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the tortuous flow path comprises an auger which defines a spiral path.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Roth Brian A
• Lastra Rafael

Classifications

• E21B43/40

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

• E21B33/12

  Packers; Plugs (used for cementing E21B33/134, E21B33/16) · CPC title

• B01F5/0689

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F3/04503

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F2003/0035

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic