Use of downhole high pressure gas in a gas-lift well

• US 20030024704A1
• Filed: 08/29/2002
• Published: 02/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Original Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Inventors: Hirsch, John M, Vinegar, Harold J, Mountjoy Savage, William, Burnett, Robert Rex, Stegemeier, George Leo, Hall, James William, Carl, Frederick Gordon Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,147,059 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/313
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 17/003 with electrically conducting or insulating means E21B17/028 and E21B17/023 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/1294 characterised by a valve, e.g. a by-pass valve
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/066 electrically actuated
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/08 responsive to flow or pressure of the fluid obtained E21B34/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/16 Control means therefor being outside the borehole control systems for submerged well heads E21B33/0355
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/123 Gas lift valves
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/14 Obtaining from a multiple-zone well
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/13 by electromagnetic energy, e.g. radio frequency

Abstract

A gas-lift petroleum well (38, 98, 150) and method for producing petroleum products using downhole pressurized gas to provide lift. The gas-lift well (38, 98, 150) comprises a well casing (22), a production tubing (24), a packer (40), and a gas-lift valve (148). The well casing (22) extends within a wellbore of the well (38), and the wellbore extends through oil and gas zones. The production tubing (24) extends within the casing (22). The tubing (24) comprises an opening formed therein, which is in fluid communication with an oil zone. The packer (40) is located downhole in the casing (22) and coupled to the tubing (24). The packer (40) can comprise an electrically controllable packer valve (44), which is adapted to control a flow of downhole pressurized gas from one side of the packer to another. The downhole pressurized gas is provided by a gas zone that the wellbore passes through. The downhole gas-lift valve (148) is coupled to the tubing (24) and is adapted to control a flow of downhole pressurized gas into oil in the tubing for lifting the oil. The gas-lift valve (148) can be an electrically controllable valve. The tubing (24) and casing (22) are used as electrical conductors for supplying power and/or communications downhole. The current in the tubing (24) is routed using a ferromagnetic induction choke (48) to create a voltage potential, which provides electrical power to downhole electrical devices. Also, there may be a bypass passageway (146) to route downhole gas to gas-lift valves (148, 154). There may also be downhole sensors to measure physical quantities (e.g., pressure). Such measurements can be used for feedback control of downhole electrically controllable valves.

Claims

1. A gas-lift petroleum well for producing petroleum products using downhole pressurized gas, comprising:

a well casing extending within a wellbore of said well, said wellbore extending through oil and gas zones;

a downhole gas-lift valve coupled to said tubing and being adapted to control a flow of downhole pressurized gas; and

a connector for supplying gas from the gas zone to said downhole gas-lift valve.

3. A gas-lift petroleum well in accordance with claim 1, further comprising an induction choke located about said tubing proximate to said electrically controllable valve.

4. A gas-lift petroleum well in accordance with claim 3, further comprising a second induction choke, said second induction choke being located about another part of said tubing.

5. A gas-lift petroleum well in accordance with claim 1, wherein said gas-lift valve is electrically controllable, such that said gas-lift valve can be opened, closed, adjusted, or continuously throttled in response to an electrical signal.

6. A gas-lift petroleum well in accordance with claim 3, further comprising an induction choke located about said tubing proximate to said gas-lift valve.

7. A gas-lift petroleum well in accordance with claim 1, the wellbore casing extending along and within said wellbore, said casing comprising a first perforated section located at an oil zone of said zones and a second perforated section located at a pressurized gas zone of said zones.

9. A gas-lift petroleum well in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a communications and control module.

10. A gas-lift petroleum well in accordance with claim 9, including a sensor adapted to measure formation gas pressure and said control module being operable to throttle the formation gas to said tubing.

11. A gas-lift petroleum well in accordance with claim 1, the tubing and casing comprising well piping structure, including a source of time varying current applied to one of the piping structures in the well.

12. A gas-lift petroleum well in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a downhole modem adapted to send and receive communications along said tubing and casing.

13. A gas-lift petroleum well in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a tracer injection module adapted to controllably inject a substance into a flow stream in response to an electrical signal.

14. A gas-lift petroleum well in accordance with claim 1, further comprising plurality of packers to separate a plurality of zones.

2. A controllable packer located downhole in said casing and coupled to said tubing, said connector comprising:

an electrically controllable packer valve, said electrically controllable packer valve being adapted to control a flow of downhole pressurized gas, provided by a gas zone of said zones, from one side of said packer to another.

15. A method of producing petroleum products from a gas-lift well using downhole pressurized gas from a subsurface pressurized gas zone, said method comprising the steps of:

having said downhole pressurized gas from said gas zone into a well casing of said well;

regulating flow of said downhole pressurized gas from within said casing into an interior of a production tubing, said tubing extending within said casing;

allowing oil from a subsurface oil zone to enter said tubing;

lifting said oil in said tubing using at least in part gas bubbles of said downhole pressurized gas; and

producing petroleum products from said tubing at the surface.

8. A gas-lift petroleum well in accordance with claim 16, further comprising a sensor adapted to measure a physical quantity.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15, said regulating step using an electrically controllable downhole gas-lift valve coupled to the tubing.

17. A method in accordance with claim 15, further comprising the step of:

regulating flow of said downhole pressurized gas between one space within said casing and another space within said casing with a controllable packer comprising an electrically controllable packer valve.

18. A method in accordance with claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

applying time-varying current at the surface using said tubing and casing as electrical conductors, to power said electrically controllable gas-lift valve.

19. A method in accordance with claim 15, including routing time-varying current to said electrically controllable gas-lift valve using an induction choke located downhole about said tubing proximate to said packer.

20. A method of operating a petroleum well comprising the steps of:

isolating a gas producing formation from an oil producing formation;

powering a downhole device operable to permit fluid communication between the formations, said power being supplied by an AC signal applied to the piping structure of the well;

routing gas from the gas producing formation to the oil producing formation using said downhole device; and

producing oil from the oil producing formation using the routed gas to aid in lifting the oil to the surface.

21. A method in accordance with claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

powering a sensor using said AC signal;

detecting a downhole physical quantity with said sensor; and

communicating data corresponding to said downhole physical quantity from said sensor.

22. A method in accordance with claim 20, further comprising the step of:

adjusting said downhole device based on said data from said sensor to adjust the amount of routed gas.

23. A method in accordance with claim 22, further comprising the step of:

transmitting said downhole physical quantity data to a surface computer using said piping structure as a conductor.

24. A method in accordance with claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

inputting a time-varying signal to the tubing of the piping structure;

routing part of said signal to the downhole device electrically connected to said tubing using an induction choke located about said tubing, wherein said downhole device comprises a gas-lift valve, said gas-lift valve being electrically controllable; and

controlling said electrically controllable gas-lift valve based on said time-varying signal.

25. A method in accordance with claim 24, further comprising the steps of:

inputting a time-varying current into said tubing;

routing part of said signal to a downhole sensor using an induction choke located about said tubing, said sensor being electrically connected to said tubing;

powering said sensor with said signal;

detecting a downhole physical quantity with said sensor;

providing an electrical signal corresponding to said downhole physical quantity to a downhole modem from said sensor;

transmitting said electrical signal to another modem using said downhole modem and via said tubing.

26. A method in accordance with claim 25, wherein said another modem is a surface modem.

27. A method in accordance with claim 25, wherein said another downhole modem relay modem.

28. A method in accordance with claim 20, the downhole device comprising a controllable gas-lift valve.

29. A method in accordance with claim 20, the downhole device comprising a packer having a controllable valve.