INTEGRATED SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR STEAM-ASSISTED GRAVITY DRAINAGE (SAGD)-HEAVY OIL PRODUCTION USING LOW QUALITY FUEL AND LOW QUALITY WATER

• US 20080289821A1
• Filed: 05/23/2007
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maoz Betzer Tsilevich
• Original Assignee: Maoz Betzer Tsilevich
• Inventors: BETZER TSILEVICH, Maoz
• Granted Patent: US 7,699,104 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/272.3
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/2406 Steam assisted gravity drainage [SAGD]

Abstract

A process for producing steam for extracting heavy bitumen includes the steps of mixing carbon or hydrocarbon fuel said fuel being crud oil, VR, Asphaltin, or coke with an oxidation gas, said gas being oxygen, oxygen enriched air or air-combusting the mixture under high pressure and high temperature and mixing low quality contaminated water containing organics and inorganic with the combusted mixture so as to control combustion temperature and to generate steam. The liquid phase is transferred to a gas phase so as to contain steam and carbon dioxide. The solids are separated from the gas phase. The super heated dry steam and gas mixture is ejected into an underground reservoir.

Claims

1. The process for producing steam for extracting heavy bitumen comprising:

mixing a low quality fuel with an oxidation gas, said fuel selected from the group consisting of crude oil, VR, asphaltin and coke, said oxidation gas selected from the group consisting of oxygen, oxygen-enriched air, and air;

combustion the mixture under high pressures and temperatures; and

mixing low quality water containing organic or inorganic so as to control combustion temperature and to generate steam.

2. The process of claim 1, said step of combusting comprising:

transferring a liquid phase to a gas phase, said gas phase containing steam and carbon dioxide; and

separating solids from said gas phase.

3. The process of claim 2 further comprising:

cleaning said gas and said steam from fine solids particles in a separator;

mixing said gas and said steam with water of high temperature and pressure so as to produce a saturated clean wet steam and gas mixture;

scrubbing any remaining solids from said gas; and

separating the liquid phase from said gas phase and recycling the water with the scrubbed solids back to a combustion chamber.

4. The process of claim 3, said gas containing sulphur, the process further comprising:

adding lime or dolomite during said step of scrubbing; and

reacting the lime or dolomite with the sulphur.

5. The process of claim 3, further comprising:

removing corrosive contaminating gas from said gas phase; and

injecting additives to said gas phase so as to protect the pipe from corrosion.

6. The process of claim 3, further comprising:

adiabatically reducing pressure of the clean wet steam and a carbon dioxide mixture to an injection pressure so as to produce dry stream in order to prevent condensation.

7. The process of claim 6, further comprising:

adding heat to the steam and carbon dioxide so as to produce a superheated dry steam and gas mixture.

8. The process of claim 6, the pressure of said dry steam and gas mixture being between 800 and 4000 k.p.a.

9. The process of claim 6, the temperature of said dry steam and gas mixture being between 170°

C. and 350°

C.

10. The process of claim 7, said step of adding heat comprising:

directly contacting and reacting hydrocarbon gas and oxygen to produce heat so as to elevate the temperature of the dry steam and gas mixture to up to 400°

C. without a pressure drop.

11. The process of claim 6, further comprising:

injecting the superheated dry steam and gas mixture into an underground reservoir through a vertical or horizontal injection well.

12. The process of claim 1, further comprising:

using low quality disposal water from a SAGD facility.

13. The process of claim 1, further comprising:

using heavy bitumen from a SAGD facility without processing therebetween.

14. The process of claim 1, said step of combusting comprising:

supplying fuel from a remote upgrader in the form of a slurry.

15. The process of claim 14, said fuel being solid coke or asphaltin, the process further comprising:

grinding and mixing said fuel with waste water so as to form a pumpable slurry.

16. The process of claim 15, further comprising:

pumping the slurry through a pipeline to a direct contact steam generator;

recycling a portion of the water therefrom; and

injecting the fuel slurry to the combustion chamber.

17. The process of claim 1, further comprising:

producing energy and steam from high quality water by a cogeneration steam plant;

using the steam from the cogeneration steam plant to produce said oxidation gas for use in the combustion chamber;

using blowdown water from the cogeneration steam plant for a direct contact steam generator combustion chamber.

18. The process of claim 1, said oxidation gas being air, the process further comprising:

using the air as a combustion oxidizer in the combustion chamber;

adding additional relief wells so as to relive the non-dissolved and non-condensed gases to the surface;

treating the non-dissolved and non-condensed gases at a surface location; and

releasing the treated gases to the atmosphere.