Polymer flow control device

• US 10,378,323 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2016
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Total SA (Cook Composites and Polymers), Typhonix AS
• Original Assignee: Typhonix AS
• Inventors: Jouenne, Stephane, Husveg, Trygve
• Primary Examiner(s): Loikith, Catherine
• Application Number:
  US15/781,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20180355704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/025 Chokes or valves in wellheads and sub-sea wellheads for variably regulating fluid flow
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/20 Displacing by water
• CPC Class Codes: F15D 1/02 in pipes or conduits
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/32 Means for additional adjustment of the rate of flow
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 47/04 for decreasing pressure or noise level, the throttle being incorporated in the closure member
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 47/06 with a throttle in the form of a helical channel
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 47/08 for decreasing pressure or noise level and having a throttling member separate from the closure member , e.g. screens, slots, labyrinths
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 47/12 the throttling channel being of helical form

Abstract

A water injection flow control device includes a stack of discs or cone-like plates that form spiral-shaped flow conduits. The spiral-shaped flow conduits form at least one revolution about a central point or axis and depart or approach the central point or axis for each revolution. At least some of the spiral-shaped flow conduits have sections in series with alternating cross sectional area for flow and at least some have sections with a serpentine-type shape for flow along the spiral-shaped flow conduits. The spiral-shaped flow conduits have an inlet coupled to an inner or outer end of the spiral shaped flow conduits, an outlet coupled to the other end of the spiral-shaped conduits, and a control member.

Claims

1. A water injection flow control device comprising:

a stack of discs or cone-like plates, the stack of discs or cone-like plates forming spiral shaped flow conduits between the stack of discs or cone-like plates, the spiral shaped flow conduits comprising at least one revolution, the spiral shaped flow conduits being turned about a central point or axis and departing or approaching the central point or axis for each revolution;

an inlet operatively coupled to either inner or outer ends of the spiral shaped flow conduits and an outlet operatively coupled to the other of the inner or outer ends of the spiral shaped flow conduits;

a control member configured to control a pressure drop across the inlet and the outlet;

wherein at least one of the spiral shaped flow conduits comprises a series of alternating cross-sectional areas, the alternating cross-sectional areas comprising alternating large and small cross-sectional areas; and

wherein the spiral shaped flow conduits have a fluid conduit length of at least 0.2 meters.

2. The water injection flow control device according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a dimension in the spiral shaped flow conduit transverse to a central flow line through the large cross-sectional areas and the small cross-sectional areas is in a range of 1.05-10.

3. The water injection flow control device according to claim 1, wherein a distance S between the series of alternating cross-sections is in a range of 1 to 40 d, where d is a dimension in the spiral shaped flow conduits that is transverse to a central flow line through the series of alternating cross-sections, and wherein d is at least 0.5 mm.

4. The water injection flow control device according to claim 1, wherein the water injection flow control device comprises one or more of the following features, in any combination:

a stack of discs or cone-like plates with integrated spiral shaped conduits;

a stack of discs or cone-like plates having spiral shaped grooves on at least one side, wherein the spiral shaped flow conduits are formed by stacking the stack of discs or cone-like plates; and

a stack of discs or cone-like plates having a spiral shaped opening punched out or otherwise formed and discs or plates without a spiral shaped opening, wherein the spiral shaped flow conduits have been formed by alternatingly stacking the discs or cone-like plates with and without spiral shaped opening.

5. The water injection flow control device according to claim 1, wherein the stack of discs or cone-like plates comprises or forms spiral shaped conduits of smaller cross section area for flow towards one end of the stack of discs or cone-like pates and is arranged so that when the control member chokes a flow through the water injection flow control device the spiral shaped flow conduits remaining open for flow have a smaller cross-sectional area for flow than the spiral shaped flow conduits closed for flow by the control member.

6. The water injection flow control device according to claim 1, wherein the inlet and the outlet of each spiral shaped flow conduit is enlarged relative to a portion of each spiral shaped flow conduit between the inlet and the outlet of each spiral shaped flow conduit.

7. The water injection flow control device according to claim 1, wherein a number of sections in series of alternating large and small cross section area for flow is at least two.

8. The water injection flow control device according to claim 1, further comprising an outer housing or cover containing the stack of discs or cone-like plates, the outer housing or cover is designed to withstand a water injection well wellhead pressure, and the water injection flow control device is dimensioned to choke a pressure of a fluid up to 50 bar.

9. The water injection flow control device according to claim 1, further comprising a central channel in the stack of discs or cone-like plates connected to an inner end of the spiral shaped flow conduits, and a peripheral channel arranged inside an outer periphery of the stack of discs or cone-like plates or by an aligned recession in the outer periphery of each of the stacked discs or cone-like plates but inside an outer cover, connected to an outer end of the spiral shaped flow conduits, and the control member is arranged operatively in at least one of the channels.

10. The water injection flow control device according to claim 1, wherein the series of alternating cross-sectional areas are arranged symmetrically about a center line of flow in the spiral shaped flow conduits, and transitions between the series of alternating cross-sections are gradual.

11. The water injection flow control device according to claim 1, wherein each spiral shaped flow conduit has a length in a range of 0.2-50 m, and a number of conduits is in a range of 2-2000.

12. The water injection flow control device according to claim 1, wherein cross-sectional areas of the spiral shaped flow conduits is more than 110% of a cross-sectional area of a channel coupled to the inlet for flow upstream of the water injection flow control device.

13. A water injection flow control device comprising:

a stack of discs or cone-like plates, the stack of discs or cone-like plates forming spiral shaped flow conduits between the stack of discs or cone-like plates, the spiral shaped flow conduits comprising at least one revolution, the spiral shaped flow conduits being turned about a central point or axis and departing or approaching the central point or axis for each revolution;

an inlet operatively coupled to either inner or outer ends of the spiral shaped flow conduits and an outlet operatively coupled to the other of the inner or outer ends of the spiral shaped flow conduits;

a control member configured to control a pressure drop across the inlet and the outlet;

wherein at least one of the spiral shaped flow conduits comprises a serpentine-type shape;

wherein the serpentine-type shape can comprise square waves or sinusoidal waves or combinations of square and sinusoidal waves, wherein each wave of the square or sinusoidal waves comprises a periodicity P, and a wave amplitude A, wherein a distance between a top and a bottom of repeated waves is between 4 and 40 d, and wherein d is a dimension in the spiral shaped flow conduits that is transverse to a central flow line along the spiral shaped flow conduits; and

wherein the spiral shaped flow conduits have a fluid conduit length of at least 0.2 meters.

14. The water injection flow control device according to claim 13, wherein the serpentine-type shape comprises a series of alternating cross-sectional areas, the alternating cross-sectional areas comprising alternating large and small cross-sectional areas.

15. A water injection system comprising:

a water injection pump and a polymer mixing station operatively coupled to a water source, for mixing polymer into water and pumping the mixture;

two or more injection wells operatively connected, one or more injection wells having a lower pressure than a highest pressure injection well,

a water injection flow control device operatively arranged for at least each lower pressure well, for adjusting pressure, the water injection flow control device comprising;

a stack of discs or cone-like plates, the stack of discs or cone-like plates forming spiral shaped flow conduits between the stack of discs or cone-like plates, the spiral shaped flow conduits comprising at least one revolution, the spiral shaped flow conduit being turned about a central point or axis and departing or approaching the central point or axis for each revolution;

an inlet operatively coupled to either inner or outer ends of the spiral shaped flow conduits and an outlet operatively coupled to the other of the inner or outer ends of the spiral shaped flow conduits;

a control member configured to control a pressure drop across the inlet and the outlet;

wherein at least one of the spiral shaped flow conduits comprises a series of alternating cross-sectional areas, the alternating cross-sectional areas comprising alternating large and small cross-sectional areas; and

wherein the spiral shaped flow conduits have a fluid conduit length of at least 0.2 meters.

16. A water injection system comprising:

a water injection pump and a polymer mixing station operatively coupled to a water source, for mixing polymer into water and pumping the mixture;

two or more injection wells operatively connected, one or more injection wells having a lower pressure than a highest pressure injection well;

a water injection flow control device operatively arranged for at least each lower pressure well, for adjusting pressure, the water injection flow control device comprising;

a stack of discs or cone-like plates, the stack of discs or cone-like plates forming spiral shaped flow conduits between the stack of discs or cone-like plates, the spiral shaped flow conduits comprising at least one revolution, the spiral shaped flow conduit being turned about a central point or axis and departing or approaching the central point or axis for each revolution;

an inlet operatively coupled to either inner or outer ends of the spiral shaped flow conduits and an outlet operatively coupled to the other of the inner or outer ends of the spiral shaped flow conduits;

a control member configured to control a pressure drop across the inlet and the outlet;

wherein at least one of the spiral shaped flow conduits comprises a serpentine-type shape;

wherein the serpentine-type shape can comprise square waves or sinusoidal waves or combinations of square and sinusoidal waves, wherein each wave of the square or sinusoidal waves comprises a periodicity P, and a wave amplitude A, wherein a distance between a top and a bottom of repeated waves is between 4 and 40 d, and wherein d is a dimension in the spiral shaped flow conduits that is transverse to a central flow line along the spiral shaped flow conduits; and

wherein the spiral shaped flow conduits have a fluid conduit length of at least 0.2 meters.

17. The water injection system according to claim 16, wherein the serpentine-type shape comprises a series of alternating cross-sectional areas, the alternating cross-sectional areas comprising alternating large and small cross-sectional areas.