APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REDUCING GAS TO LIQUID RATIOS IN SUBMERSIBLE PUMP APPLICATIONS

• US 20150308245A1
• Filed: 04/27/2015
• Published: 10/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Summit ESP, LLC (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Stewart, Joseph, Nowitzki, Wesley John, Kenner, John Vanderstaay
• Granted Patent: US 9,932,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/128 Adaptation of pump systems with down-hole electric drives
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/008 Monitoring of down-hole pump systems, e.g. for the detection of "pumped-off" conditions

Abstract

An apparatus, system and method for reducing gas to liquid ratios in submersible pump applications are described. A method for reducing a gas to liquid ratio (GLR) in a pumped fluid includes pumping a gas laden fluid to a surface of a subsurface formation using a downhole electric submersible pump (ESP) assembly including an ESP pump and an ESP motor, monitoring one of a load of the ESP motor, intake pressure of the ESP pump, temperature of the gas laden fluid, or a combination thereof to obtain ESP assembly condition data, determining whether a GLR of the gas laden fluid exceeds a predetermined allowable maximum based on the ESP assembly condition data, injecting liquid from an external source into the gas laden fluid, and varying a rate that the external liquid is injected based on the GLR so determined.

Claims

1. A liquid-injection apparatus for an electric submersible pump (ESP) assembly comprising:

a multistage centrifugal pump submerged in a well comprising gas laden fluid;

an ESP motor operatively coupled to the multistage centrifugal pump so as to turn the multistage centrifugal pump;

a pump inlet fluidly coupling the gas laden fluid and the multistage centrifugal pump;

at least one capillary extending between a liquid supply external to the well and the pump inlet;

a liquid injection pump inserted along the capillary; and

at least one variable speed drive (VSD) system sensingly coupled to the motor and controllably coupled to the liquid injection pump, wherein the at least one VSD system adjustably controls a flow of liquid from the liquid supply downhole through the at least one capillary.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid injection pump is on a surface of the well, the well comprising the gas laden fluid.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flow of liquid through the at least one capillary is between about 25 and 5,000 barrels per day.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid supply comprises a portion of the gas laden fluid that has been previously produced from the well and de-gassed.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gas laden fluid comprises a mixture of water, natural gas and oil, and the liquid comprises water.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid comprises mineral oil.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the at least one capillary terminates proximate an inlet port of the pump inlet and a side of the one of the at least one capillary proximate the inlet port comprises a nozzle.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a plurality of capillaries.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the at least one capillary terminates downstream of the pump inlet.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the at least one capillary terminates upstream of the pump inlet.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the at least one capillary terminates proximate the ESP motor.

12. A method for reducing a gas to liquid ratio (GLR) in a pumped fluid comprising:

pumping a gas laden fluid to a surface of a subsurface formation using a downhole electric submersible pump (ESP) assembly comprising an ESP pump and an ESP motor;

monitoring one of a load of the ESP motor, intake pressure of the ESP pump, temperature of the gas laden fluid, or a combination thereof to obtain ESP assembly condition data;

determining whether a GLR of the gas laden fluid exceeds a predetermined allowable maximum based on the ESP assembly condition data;

injecting liquid from an external source into the gas laden fluid; and

varying a rate that the external liquid is injected based on the GLR so determined.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

de-gassing at least a portion of the gas laden fluid produced by the downhole ESP assembly to form the liquid; and

storing the liquid at the external source.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the rate is between 25 and 5,000 barrels per day.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the external source is a water tank on the surface of the formation.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the external liquid comprises water, and the external liquid is injected using a capillary line and pump.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the load of the ESP motor is monitored and the GLR is determined to exceed the predetermined allowable maximum when the ESP motor is under-loaded.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the external liquid is water delivered to the external source by truck.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the GLR is estimated based on the downhole condition data, and an estimated GLR value is used to determine whether the GLR exceeds a predetermined allowable maximum.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the predetermined allowable maximum is a preset GLR set point.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the liquid is injected directly into an inlet port of an intake of the ESP pump.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the liquid is injected proximate to a well perforation.

23. The method of claim 12, wherein the liquid is injected downstream of an intake of the ESP pump.

24. The method of claim 12, wherein the liquid is injected one of proximate the ESP motor, upstream of the ESP motor, or a combination thereof.

25. A pump gas to liquid ratio (GLR) management system comprising:

an electric submersible pump (ESP) assembly downhole in a well comprising a gas laden fluid;

a variable speed drive (VSD) system controllably coupled with the ESP assembly, the VSD system comprising ESP assembly operation data;

a liquid injection pump comprising at least two modes of operation, wherein a particular mode of the at least two modes is settable by the VSD system; and

the liquid injection pump fluidly coupling an external liquid supply and an annulus of the ESP assembly, wherein a rate the external liquid supply flows to the annulus is adjustable based on the particular mode of the liquid injection pump set by the VSD system.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the VSD system controls a speed of an ESP motor of the ESP assembly.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the liquid injection pump comprises a positive displacement pump and a capillary.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the capillary terminates proximate an intake port of the ESP pump assembly.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the liquid injection pump comprises a centrifugal pump located on the surface.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least two modes of operation comprise on, off, rate increase and rate decrease.

31. The system of claim 25, wherein the external liquid supply is injected into the annulus upstream of a pump intake port.

32. The system of claim 25, wherein the external liquid supply is injected into the annulus proximate an ESP motor of the ESP assembly.

33. The system of claim 25, wherein the external liquid supply is injected into the annulus at an intake port of the ESP pump assembly.

34. The system of claim 25, wherein the external liquid supply is injected into the annulus upstream of an ESP motor of the ESP assembly.