STEAM GENERATOR AND METHOD FOR GENERATING STEAM

• US 20140190698A1
• Filed: 01/04/2013
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gas Technology Institute
• Original Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Incorporated (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mays, Jeffrey A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,249,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/303
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/24 using heat, e.g. steam injection
• CPC Class Codes: F22B 1/02 by exploitation of the heat content of hot heat carriers
• CPC Class Codes: F22B 1/1853 coming in direct contact with water in bulk or in sprays
• CPC Class Codes: F22B 37/00 Component parts or details of steam boilers venting devices F16K24/00; steam traps or like apparatus F16T
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/34 Indirect CO2mitigation, i.e. by acting on non CO2directly related matters of the process, e.g. pre-heating or heat recovery

Abstract

A method for producing steam includes combusting a fuel and an oxidant to generate heat in a combustion stream, and injecting impure water into the combustion stream such that the heat produces a steam stream including particulate matter precipitated from the impure water. A steam generator includes a combustion chamber that has an initial section including an oxidant feed that is substantially free of nitrogen and a fuel feed, and downstream from the initial section at least one liquid water feed

Claims

1. A method for producing steam, the method comprising:

combusting a fuel and an oxidant to generate heat in a combustion stream; and

injecting impure water into the combustion stream such that the heat produces a steam stream including particulate matter precipitated from the impure water.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the combusting is conducted in a combustion chamber, and further including preventing a scale build-up of the particulate matter on interior surfaces of the combustion chamber.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the combusting includes establishing a velocity of the combustion stream that is greater than a saltation velocity of the particulate matter in the combustion stream.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the combusting is conducted in a combustion chamber, and further including cooling the combustion chamber using a film of the impure water.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the impure water is produced water.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further including injecting the steam stream into a subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, including injecting the steam stream into the subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir without conveying the steam stream through a heat exchanger.

8. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the oxidant is substantially free of nitrogen.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, including heating the impure water into superheated steam.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, including injecting the impure water at a plurality of different downstream positions into the combustion stream.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, further including removing the particulate matter from the steam stream.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the fuel includes a hydrocarbon.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the fuel includes methane.

14. A steam generator comprising:

a combustion chamber having an initial section including an oxidant feed and a fuel feed, and downstream from the initial section, at least one impure water feed.

15. The steam generator as recited in claim 14, further including a conduit connecting an outlet of the combustion chamber to a subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir, the conduit being free of any heat exchangers.

16. The steam generator as recited in claim 15, wherein the conduit includes a separator operable to remove particulate matter.

17. The steam generator as recited in claim 16, wherein the separator is selected from the group consisting of a cyclone separator, a filter and combinations thereof.

18. The steam generator as recited in claim 14, where the oxidant feed is an exclusive oxidant feed of the combustion chamber and the fuel feed is an exclusive fuel feed of the combustion chamber.