Steam quality and flow rate measurement

• US 5,094,103 A
• Filed: 04/30/1990
• Issued: 03/10/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Original Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Inventors: Wicks, Moye III, Moore, Boyd B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/516,589
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 73/155, 73/29.01, 166/250, 166/303
• US Class Current: 73/152.31
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 17/1021 with articulated arms or arcuate springs
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 41/0085 Adaptations of electric power generating means for use in boreholes
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/24 using heat, e.g. steam injection
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/01 Devices for supporting measuring instruments on drill bits, pipes, rods or wirelines; Protecting measuring instruments in boreholes against heat, shock, pressure or the like
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/113 using electrical indications; using light radiations
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/10 using rotating vanes with axial admission
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/28 by drag-force, e.g. vane type or impact flowmeter
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/74 Devices for measuring flow of a fluid or flow of a fluent solid material in suspension in another fluid

Abstract

A method and apparatus for measuring both the quality and flow rate of steam injected into a hydrocarbon formation in a thermal recovery process. The method measures both the quantity of water and the flow rate of the steam. Both measurements can be made at any location in the borehole to determine the quality and quantity of steam injected into a particular formation. The apparatus utilizes a propeller motor/generator combination to determine the vapor flow rate; the drag produced by a network of bristles extending across the borehole determines the vapor flow rate and the quantity of liquid present.

Claims

1. A method for determining both the quality and quantity of steam containing both vapor and liquid being injected into a hydrocarbon bearing formation in a thermal recovery process, said method comprising:

positioning a bladed rotating member attached to a motor/generator combination downhole adjacent the hydrocarbon formation;

measuring the voltage generated by the rotation of the rotating member;

positioning a network of bristles across the borehole to contact the wall of the borehole and intercept substantially all of the liquid flowing along the borehole wall;

measuring the total drag force due to liquid and vapor flow as said bristles are lowered into the borehole;

measuring the total drag force due to liquid and vapor flow as said bristles are withdrawn from the borehole;

determining the vapor flow rate by comparing the measured voltage with predetermined voltage versus vapor flow rate for the rotating member motor/generator combination; and

determining the quantity of liquid flowing along the wall of the borehole by utilizing the measured drag forces and predetermined drag force versus vapor flow rate and liquid flow rate measurements.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said drag forces are measured in the borehole and transmitted to the surface.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said drag force is determined by measuring the tension on a member used to suspend the network of bristles in the borehole.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the steam is injected into the formation through the perforations in a casing and the measurements are made at locations above and below the perforations.

5. An apparatus for measuring both the quality and quantity of steam containing both liquid and vapor being injected into a hydrocarbon formation penetrated by a borehole, said apparatus comprising:

an elongated housing adapted for lowering into and removal from the borehole, said housing being formed of at least two separate elongated sections disposed in an end-to-end relationship to form the elongated housing;

a resilient member, the opposite ends of said resilient member being operably connected to the adjacent ends of said separate sections of said housing to permit limited movement between said separate sections along the longitudinal axis of the housing;

a network of bristles, said bristles being mounted on the lowermost portion of said elongated sections when said housing is disposed in the borehole;

flow measuring means, said flow measuring means being mounted on the lower end of said lower section of said elongated housing to measure the vapor flow through the borehole; and

strain measuring means, said strain measuring means being operably disposed to measure the tension between said separate sections as said elongated housing is moved through the borehole.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 and, in addition, a rigid member extending from the uppermost of said separate sections, the upper end of said resilient member being connected to said rigid member and the lower end of said resilient member being coupled to the lowermost of said separate sections, said strain measuring means being disposed to measure the strain in said rigid member.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 and, in addition, means disposed to limit the axial movement between said separate sections.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein each end of said spring terminates in an enlarged end section, said enlarged end section including means for securing the end sections to the rigid member and the lowermost section of the housing.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said resilient member is a spring having a high spring rate and no rotational movement between the separate sections of the housing.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said spring comprises a flat metallic member having a narrow width in relation to its length and formed in a large number of uniform folds to provide a spring having compression/tension response and substantially no torsional response.

11. The apparatus of claim 5 and, in addition, tubing means disposed in said elongated housing to provide a purge gas flow path through at least a portion of the housing.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 and, in addition, flow control means disposed in one of said separate sections to control the discharge of said purge gas from said elongated housing.

13. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said flow measuring means comprises a propeller motor/generator combination.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 and, in addition, flow means disposed in said housing for establishing purge gas flow through the housing to maintain a positive purge gas pressure in said motor/generator.

15. The apparatus of claim 5 and, in addition, centralizing means mounted on said housing for substantially centering the housing in the borehole.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein at least two separate centralizing means are mounted on said housing, in spaced longitudinal positions.

17. The apparatus of claim 5 and, in addition, a cased well having a wellhead assembly, said wellhead assembly including a wellhead lubricator having an enlarged diameter section, said enlarged section being of sufficient diameter to permit inverting said bristles when said tool is positioned in the lubricator with the network of bristles located in said enlarged diameter section.