METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A DOWNHOLE GAS GENERATOR

• US 20110127036A1
• Filed: 07/15/2010
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: World Energy Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: World Energy Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Jos, Cyril Cherian, Folsom, Blair A., Tilmont, Daniel, Ware, Charles H., Alifano, Joseph Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 8,387,692 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/303
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 36/02 using burners
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/24 using heat, e.g. steam injection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0318 Processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8593 Systems

Abstract

A downhole steam generation apparatus and method of use are provided. The apparatus may include an injection section, a combustion section, and an evaporation section. The injection section may include a housing, injector elements, and injector plate. The combustion section may include a liner having channels disposed therethrough. The evaporation section may include conduits in fluid communication with the channels and the combustion chamber, and a nozzle operable to inject a fluid from the channels to the combustion chamber in droplet form. A method of use may include supplying fuel, oxidant, and fluid to the apparatus; combusting fuel and oxidant in a chamber while flowing the fluid through a plurality of channels disposed through a liner, thereby heating the fluid and cooling the liner; and injecting droplets of the heated fluid into the chamber and evaporating the droplets by combustion of the fuel and the oxidant to produce steam.

Claims

1. An apparatus for injecting fluids into a chamber, comprising:

a housing having an upper chamber, a middle chamber, and a lower chamber;

an injector element having a first flow path in fluid communication with the upper chamber and a second flow path in fluid communication with the middle and lower chambers; and

an injector plate coupled to the housing.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the injector element includes a body and a sleeve surrounding the body.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first flow path is disposed through the body.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second flow path is disposed through the sleeve.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sleeve includes an opening in fluid communication with the middle chamber that is disposed through the sleeve at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sleeve includes an opening in fluid communication with the lower chamber that is disposed through the sleeve at an angle perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the body extends through the upper, middle, and lower chambers.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the sleeve extends through the middle and lower chambers.

9. An apparatus for injecting fluids into a chamber, comprising:

a housing having an upper section and a lower section;

an injector element having a body with an inner flow path in fluid communication with the upper section and an outer flow path in fluid communication with the lower section; and

an injector plate coupled to the housing.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the upper section includes an inner chamber surrounded by an outer chamber.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the lower section includes an inner chamber surrounded by an outer chamber.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the inner flow path is in fluid communication with the inner chamber of the upper section and the outer flow path is in fluid communication with the inner chamber of the lower section.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the inner flow path is in fluid communication with the outer chamber of the upper section and the outer flow path is in fluid communication with the outer chamber of the lower section.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, further including a first manifold coupled to the housing and in fluid communication with the inner chamber of the lower section of the housing.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further including a second manifold coupled to the housing and in fluid communication with the outer chamber of the lower section of the housing.

16. A method for injecting fluids into a chamber, comprising:

supplying a first fluid to a first section of a housing;

flowing the first fluid through a first flow path of an injector element disposed in the housing;

supplying a second fluid to a second section of the housing;

flowing the second fluid through a second flow path of the injector element; and

injecting the first and second fluids into the chamber.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second flow paths are disposed in a body of the injector element.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising flowing the first fluid through an opening at an upper end of the body and injecting the first fluid out of an opening at a lower end of the body.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising flowing the second fluid through an opening disposed in a side of the body, thereby forming a swirling effect as the second fluid flows through the second flow path.

20. A downhole steam generation apparatus for injecting a heated fluid mixture into a reservoir, comprising:

an injection section including a housing, a plurality of injector elements disposed in the housing, and an injector plate coupled to the housing;

a combustion section including a body coupled to the housing and forming a combustion chamber, wherein the injector elements are in fluid communication with the combustion chamber; and

an evaporation section including a nozzle coupled to the body, wherein the nozzle is operable to inject fluid droplets into the combustion chamber.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the body includes a plurality of channels disposed through a wall of the body that are in fluid communication with the nozzle.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the evaporation section further includes a plurality of conduits coupled to the nozzle and the body.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the channels are in fluid communication with the nozzle via the conduits.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising an exit nozzle located adjacent the evaporation section and operable to inject the heated fluid mixture into the reservoir.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the housing includes an igniter port disposed through the housing.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the housing includes an upper chamber and a lower chamber.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the injector elements are in fluid communication with each chamber.

28. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the housing includes an upper portion having an inner chamber surrounded by an outer chamber and a lower portion having an inner chamber surrounded by an outer chamber.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the injector elements are in fluid communication with the inner chambers of the upper and lower portions.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the injector elements are in fluid communication with the outer chambers of the upper and lower portions.

31. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the injection section further includes a first manifold in fluid communication with the inner chamber of the lower portion and a second manifold in fluid communication with the outer chamber of the lower portion.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the first and second manifolds include circular shapes.

33. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the body further includes an inlet manifold and an exit manifold each in fluid communication with a plurality of channels disposed through a wall of the body.

34. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the body is formed from a beryllium-copper alloy.

35. A method for injecting a heated fluid mixture into a reservoir, comprising:

positioning an apparatus in an injection wellbore that is in communication with the reservoir, wherein the apparatus includes a liner having a chamber;

supplying a fuel, an oxidant, and a fluid to the apparatus;

combusting the fuel and the oxidant in the chamber while flowing the fluid through a plurality of channels disposed through the liner, thereby heating the fluid and cooling the liner;

injecting droplets of the heated fluid into the chamber counter flow to injection of the fuel and oxidant into the chamber; and

evaporating the droplets by combustion of the fuel and the oxidant to produce the heated fluid mixture.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the fuel includes natural gas, wherein the oxidant includes an oxygen and carbon dioxide mixture, and wherein the fluid includes water.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the oxygen and carbon dioxide mixture includes about 5 percent nitrogen.

38. The method of claim 35, further comprising flowing the heated fluid through a plurality of conduits that radially extend into the chamber.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising injecting droplets of the heated fluid into the chamber using a nozzle coupled to the conduits.

40. The method of claim 35, further comprising injecting the heated fluid mixture into the reservoir, wherein the heated fluid mixture includes a carbon dioxide concentration of about 10 percent to about 30 percent and an oxygen concentration of about 0.5 percent or about 5 percent.

41. The method of claim 35, wherein the heated fluid mixture includes steam having a steam quality in a range of about 90 percent to about 95 percent.

42. The method of claim 35, further comprising maintaining a combustion flame temperature in the chamber in a range of about 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit to about 5,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

43. The method of claim 35, further comprising injecting the heated fluid mixture into the reservoir at a temperature up to about 600 degrees Fahrenheit and at a pressure up to about 1800 psi.

44. The method of claim 35, wherein the injection wellbore includes an internal pressure in a range of about 800 psi to about 1600 psi.

45. The method of claim 35, wherein the fluid may include a solvent comprising at least one of water, steam, oxygen, natural gas, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, nitrogen, hydrogen, hydrocarbons, oxygenated-hydrocarbons, and combinations thereof.

46. The method of claim 35, further comprising controlling reservoir pressure using the apparatus positioned in the injection wellbore.

47. The method of claim 35, further comprising controlling reservoir pressure using a pressure control device located at a production wellbore that is in communication with the reservoir.