Electrical submersible pump and gas compressor

• US 8,066,077 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2007
• Issued: 11/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Lawson, Peter Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Bagnell; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOTTLIEB, ELIZABETH C
• Application Number:
  US11/957,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20090151928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,443 Days
• Field of Search: 166/105.5, 166/369, 166/378, 166/66.4
• US Class Current: 166/369
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 19/0057 the centrifugal movement being caused by a vortex, e.g. using a cyclone, or by a tangential inlet
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/01 specially adapted for obtaining from underwater installations
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/128 Adaptation of pump systems with down-hole electric drives
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/36 Underwater separating arrangements E21B43/38 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/0686 specially adapted for submerged use
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 31/00 Pumping liquids and elastic fluids at the same time
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/85978 With pump

Abstract

A wellbore fluid production system that is disposable in a wellbore comprising a separator, a pump, a compressor, and a motor. The separator segregates the gas and liquid and delivers the gas to the compressor inlet and the liquid to the pump inlet. The pump pressurizes the liquid for delivery to the surface. The compressor pressurizes the gas for reinjection into the wellbore, injection into another subterranean formation, or for delivery to the surface.

Claims

1. A method of producing a two phase gas liquid mixture of wellbore fluid, the method comprising:

connecting a motor into an assembly along with a rotary gas separator, a gas compressor and a pump, and placing the assembly within a conduit, the assembly having a longitudinal axis with the pump being located axially between the gas separator and the compressor;

operating the motor to drive the gas separator, the gas compressor and the pump, and communicating a two phase gas liquid mixture of wellbore fluid in the conduit to the gas separator, and with the as separator, separating the gas and liquid mixture into a substantially mono-phase gas component and a substantially mono-phase liquid component;

flowing the liquid component from the gas separator to the pump and pumping the liquid component into a liquid flow passage;

without releasing the gas component into the conduit, flowing the gas component from the gas separator past the pump to the compressor, compressing the as component and delivering the gas component into a gas flow passage, which is separate from the liquid flow passage; and

wherein flowing the liquid, component from the pump into the liquid flow passage comprises flowing the liquid component through a liquid component bypass line alongside and past the compressor to avoid communicating the liquid component to the conduit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein flowing the gas component from the gas separator to the gas compressor comprises flowing the gas component through a gas component bypass line alongside and past the pump, thereby isolating the gas component in the bypass line from communication with the conduit.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the liquid component flows in the liquid flow passage in the same direction as the gas flows in the gas flow passage.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid flow passage and the gas flow passage are concentric with each other, with one of the flow passages comprising an annulus surrounding the other flow passage.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein connecting the motor into the assembly comprises mounting the motor to an inlet end of the gas separator.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein placing the assembly in a conduit comprises placing the assembly within a subsea flowline jumper.

7. A fluid production system for delivering wellbore fluids comprising:

a subsea flowline jumper having an in adapted to receive wellbore fluid from a subsea well and an outlet for connection to a subsea manifold for delivery of the wellbore fluid to a surface platform;

a gas liquid separator located within the jumper and haying an inlet configured to receive the wellbore fluid flowing into the inlet of the jumper, a gas exit configured to discharge gas from within the fluid from the separator, and a liquid exit configured to discharge liquid within the fluid from the separator,

a pump located within the jumper and having an inlet formed to receive liquid from the liquid exit, the pump having an inlet end mounted to the separator;

a compressor located within the jumper and having an inlet formed to receive gas from the gas exit;

a gas outlet conduit connected to an outlet of the compressor for delivering gas compressed by the compressor to the subsea manifold;

a motor mechanically coupled within the jumper in an assembly with the separator, pump, and compressor for rotating the separator, the pump and the compressor, the assembly having a longitudinal axis, with the pump being located axially between the separator and the compressor;

gas bypass line leading from the gas exit of the separator past the pump to the inlet of the compressor, and wherein

the pump has an outlet that discharges liquid within the jumper, which flows around the compressor to the outlet of the jumper.

8. The fluid production system of claim 7, wherein:

the motor is mounted to an inlet end of the gas separator; and

wherein the system further comprises;

a speed/torque converter mechanically coupled between the pump and the compressor for rotating, the compressor faster than the pump.

9. The fluid production system of claim 7 wherein the gas outlet conduit is at least partially located concentrically within the jumper.

10. The fluid production system of claim 7 wherein the gas outlet conduit is concentrically mounted in the jumper, defining an annulus through which the liquid from the outlet of the pump flows.

11. A system for delivering wellbore fluids, comprising:

an electrical motor;

a rotary gas liquid separator mounted to the motor, the separator having a wellbore fluid inlet, a gas component exit, and a liquid component exit;

a centrifugal pump driven by the motor, mounted to an exit end of the separator and having a liquid component inlet in fluid communication with the separator liquid component exit;

a rotary compressor assembly driven by the motor, having an inlet end mounted to an outlet end of the pump, having a gas component inlet and a gas component outlet for connection to a gas flow line;

a liquid component bypass line extending from an outlet of the pump past the compressor assembly for connection to a liquid flow line; and

a gas component bypass line extending from the separator gas component exit past the pump to the gas component inlet of the compressor assembly.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

a concentric flow line extending from the compressor assembly, having an inner flow passage and an annular flow passage; and

wherein the liquid flow line comprises one of the flow passages and the gas flow line comprises the other of the flow passages.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the compressor assembly further comprises a speed/torque converter, the converter configured to increase a rotational speed of the compressor over a rotational speed of the pump.