FLOW CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DOWNHOLE OIL-WATER PROCESSING

• US 20090242197A1
• Filed: 02/25/2009
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (SLB)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (SLB)
• Inventors: Hackworth, Matthew R., Camacho, Alejandro, Fielder, Lance I., Cox, Ryan, Garber, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 8,006,757 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/250.10
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/385 by reinjecting the separated materials into an earth formation in the same well

Abstract

A technique is provided for processing well fluid downhole. The technique utilizes equipment for separating a well fluid downhole into a water component and an oil component. The separation of water and oil can be controlled by selecting an appropriately sized flow restrictor for use in limiting the flow of one or both of the water and the oil. Additionally, a sensor system is used to monitor a well characteristic that enables adjustment of the downhole fluid processing based on well characteristic data from the sensor system.

Claims

1. A downhole device, comprising:

an electric submersible motor;

a pump connected with the electric submersible motor, the pump having an intake and an outlet;

the electric submersible motor and the pump extending together in a longitudinal direction;

an oil/water separating device having an inlet in fluid communication with the pump outlet and having a first outlet and a second outlet, the first outlet connecting with a first conduit and the second outlet connecting with a second conduit;

a redirector integrated with the first conduit and the second conduit, the redirector having a flow-restrictor pocket that extends in the longitudinal direction, a downhole end of the flow-restrictor pocket connecting with a re-injection conduit;

the first conduit extending uphole to a level of the flow-restrictor pocket, and the second conduit extending farther uphole than the first conduit;

the uphole end of the flow-restrictor pocket connecting with the second conduit;

a passage connecting the first conduit with the flow-restrictor pocket; and

a sensor package positioned downhole in communication with at least one of the first conduit or the second conduit.

2. The downhole device of claim 1, wherein the passage extends from the first conduit to the flow-restrictor pocket in a direction approximately perpendicular to the first conduit.

3. The downhole device of claim 1, further comprising a flow-restrictor located in the flow-restrictor pocket, the flow-restrictor having an uphole end, a downhole end and an internal passage;

the internal passage having an inlet and an outlet.

4. The downhole device of claim 3, further comprising a throttle part located within the flow-restrictor, wherein the inside diameter of the throttle part is mechanically variable by a tool relayed downhole.

5. A downhole device, comprising:

an oil/water separator device having a well fluid inlet, an oil stream outlet conduit, and a water stream outlet conduit;

a removable flow-restrictor located in at least one of the water stream outlet conduit or the oil stream outlet conduit; and

a sensor package positioned downhole in communication with at least one of the water stream outlet conduit or the oil stream outlet conduit.

6. The downhole device of claim 5, wherein the removable flow-restrictor has a fixed throttle orifice and the orifice size in the downhole device is changed by interchanging flow-restrictors.

7. The downhole device of claim 5, wherein the removable flow-restrictor has a removable throttle orifice and the orifice size in the downhole device is changed by interchanging throttle orifices.

8. The downhole device of claim 5, wherein the water stream outlet conduit opens up into a wellbore at a point farther downhole than the pump.

9. The downhole device of claim 5, wherein the removable flow-restrictor is removable by a downhole tool relayed by at least one selected from the following:

wireline, slickline and coil tubing.

10. The downhole device of claim 5, wherein the removable flow-restrictor has a throttle part with a variable inside diameter.

11. A method of downhole fluid processing, comprising:

separating a downhole fluid into an oil stream and a water stream at a downhole location;

restricting flow of at least one of the oil stream or the water stream with an interchangeable flow-restrictor and in a manner to facilitate separation;

sensing characteristics of at least one of the oil stream or the water stream; and

utilizing the sensed characteristics to optimize separation of the downhole fluid.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising injecting the water stream into a downhole injection zone.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising producing the oil stream to a surface location with the aid of an electric submersible pumping system.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising replacing, at a downhole location, the interchangeable flow-restrictor with a different interchangeable flow-restrictor, the different interchangeable flow restrictor being selected based on the sensed characteristic.

15. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein utilizing comprises controlling restriction of flow based on the sensed characteristics.

16. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein sensing characteristics comprises sensing and relaying data in real-time.

17. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein sensing characteristics comprises sensing injection pressure of the water stream.

18. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein sensing characteristics comprises sensing at least one of flow rate of the water stream or the flow rate of the oil stream.

19. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein sensing characteristics comprises sensing three-axis vibration.

20. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein sensing comprises monitoring fluid composition.

21. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising collecting fluid samples in a sampling chamber.

22. A system for downhole fluid processing, comprising:

an electric submersible pumping system;

a separating device couple to the electric submersible pumping system to separate well fluid into a water stream and an oil stream;

a flow-restrictor positioned in at least one of the water stream or the oil stream, the flow-restrictor being oriented to improve separation, the flow-restrictor also being replaceable downhole; and

a sensor package positioned downhole in communication with at least one of the water stream or the oil stream, the sensor package being employed to sense a characteristic of at least one of the water stream or the oil stream, to enable optimization of the downhole fluid processing.

23. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein the flow-restrictor is an interchangeable flow-restrictor that can be selected according to data obtained from the sensor package.

24. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein the sensor package comprises a flowmeter cooperating with a pressure sensor.

25. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein the sensor package comprises a plurality of sensors to measure water injection pressure, flow rate, and three-axis vibration.

26. The system as recited in claim 22, further comprising a cable-to-surface system to relay data from the sensor package to the surface.

27. The system as recited in claim 22, further comprising an electric submersible pumping system power cable and an electric submersible pumping gauge to relay data from the sensor package to the surface.