EP4041983B1 - Arrangement for extracting oil and gas from oil and gas wells - Google Patents
Arrangement for extracting oil and gas from oil and gas wells Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP4041983B1 EP4041983B1 EP20797372.8A EP20797372A EP4041983B1 EP 4041983 B1 EP4041983 B1 EP 4041983B1 EP 20797372 A EP20797372 A EP 20797372A EP 4041983 B1 EP4041983 B1 EP 4041983B1
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- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- oil
- gas
- extraction
- arrangement
- collecting container
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- 238000000605 extraction Methods 0.000 claims description 109
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 claims description 42
- 238000002347 injection Methods 0.000 claims description 16
- 239000007924 injection Substances 0.000 claims description 16
- 229910000831 Steel Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000011247 coating layer Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000010959 steel Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 description 112
- 239000003921 oil Substances 0.000 description 83
- 229930195733 hydrocarbon Natural products 0.000 description 16
- 150000002430 hydrocarbons Chemical class 0.000 description 16
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 14
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 12
- 238000011282 treatment Methods 0.000 description 6
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 5
- 239000004215 Carbon black (E152) Substances 0.000 description 4
- VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N methane Chemical compound C VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 239000003129 oil well Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000005086 pumping Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000000630 rising effect Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 description 4
- 239000000284 extract Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000003134 recirculating effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000013022 venting Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000010779 crude oil Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000012423 maintenance Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000003345 natural gas Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000001105 regulatory effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000000654 additive Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000000996 additive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000007423 decrease Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004880 explosion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000010410 layer Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000243 solution Substances 0.000 description 1
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000003466 welding Methods 0.000 description 1
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Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
- E21B43/12—Methods or apparatus for controlling the flow of the obtained fluid to or in wells
- E21B43/121—Lifting well fluids
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
- E21B43/12—Methods or apparatus for controlling the flow of the obtained fluid to or in wells
- E21B43/121—Lifting well fluids
- E21B43/126—Adaptations of down-hole pump systems powered by drives outside the borehole, e.g. by a rotary or oscillating drive
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- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Geology (AREA)
- Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
- Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
- General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
- Jet Pumps And Other Pumps (AREA)
- Fats And Perfumes (AREA)
Description
- The present invention relates to an arrangement used in oilfield wells for the extraction of hydrocarbons, and more particularly it relates to an arrangement for the extraction of both liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, avoiding gas leaks, increasing fluid extraction and reducing the internal gas pressure in the well. The arrangement being of the type that has a wellhead and an extraction assembly that moves inside the well, defined within a well casing, said extraction assembly being formed by a fluid collecting container and an extraction pipe, which can be operated by suction or discharge pressure within the collecting container, wherein the extraction pipe extends inside said fluid collecting container, the extraction assembly being connected to a draw wire, for being raised and lowered within the well, said extraction pipe having an open bottom end inside the collecting container and an upper end having at least one discharge opening and said fluid collecting container having an open upper end and a lower end that can be closed or can include a one-way valve, and with at least one oil chamber suitable for receiving oil collected and contained in a collecting container, the oil chamber being defined in the wellhead, between a middle seal and an upper seal and at least one oil pipeline being connected to said oil chamber.
- In the oil industry, more particularly in the production of oil and gas, the so-called low-pressure or semi-depleted wells are known, which are wells that in the course of time and their exploitation contain an amount of oil and a pressure of gas that imposes the use of special equipment and techniques to be able to extract these products still remaining in the well. One of the solutions to the problem of extracting the remaining gas and oil is disclosed in
US Patent Document 8,496,050 , belonging to the same owner of the present invention. Said patent refers to an arrangement for the extraction of hydrocarbons comprising an extraction assembly consisting of a container, bucket or fluid collecting hose and an extraction pipe, and housed inside a well casing. The extraction pipe extends along the collecting hose, which has an open upper end, through which the upper section of the extraction pipe passes which end is attached to a draw wire of the aforementioned assembly. In turn, the hose has a closed lower end by means of a one-way check valve that allows fluid to enter the space between the hose and said pipe. The upper section that projects beyond the upper end of the collecting hose has a fluid discharge hole laterally formed. - The operation of the device is based on the fact that the "hose/extraction pipe" assembly is lowered into the oil mass and once the oil has filled the container or hose the assembly is raised by the action of the draw wire until it reaches the end of its stroke. There, said discharge hole is positioned in a sealed chamber of the wellhead defined between a pair of sealing rings, so as to allow the discharge of the fluid by means of the suction of a pump that generates vacuum and, when internal pressure is available in the well, with the help of the gas pressure that exists in the interior defined by the jacket or casing.
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US Patent 6,854,518 is also known which discloses a method that reduces the pressure of the upper section of a well, aiding in the production of gas and oil. The device is comprised of a production pipe housed within a casing. The method consists of reducing the pressure of the upper section of the well by means of a pump in order to reduce the pressure on the surface of the fluid. Pressure reduction at the bottom of said production pipe is generated; an increase in the pressure difference between the ground and the inside of the casing is caused. At the same time, the pressure is reduced through the production pipe that reduces the density of the fluid column it contains. This effect also reduces the pressure in the production pipe until it reaches a balance. It is clear that in the case of oil production wells where depths reach thousands of meters, suctioning fluid through a pipe from the surface requires excessive power to generate necessary pressure differences. - Patent
US 6.464.012 discloses an oil extraction system that has a cylindrical container, suitable for being inserted into the casing. The container is attached to a wire to make it descend into the oil which enters through the bottom of the container that has a sphere that sits on a hole in said container, so as to allow the entry but not the exit of oil. The cylindrical container in its upper part has a hole on which a pressurized air supply line lays when the container moves up and is positioned against an air injector nozzle. The fluid that is in the container travels through a suction pipe by means of some holes made thereon in its lower part. The air supply line simultaneously supplies pressurized air which enters the container by pushing the oil through the suction pipe thereby emptying the container and supplying oil through a discharge port that the apparatus has on one of its sides. The supply of pressurized air is achieved through a tank containing this pressurized fluid which generates maintenance costs of high pressure values without taking into account the risk of explosion that can imply injecting air into a container with hydrocarbon. -
US Patent 6,497,561 disclosing a fluid pumping apparatus for a well, comprising a tubular pump plunger for use with string of suction pipes reciprocally moving with said plunger. It also comprises a pumping container that includes a rod on one of the surfaces of the suction pipe string and a valve mounted at the bottom of the vessel container. The operation of this apparatus is based on a tubular member constructed to form a seat with the container, having a length that extends outside the container with a diameter smaller than that of the rod and also including a discharge valve mounted on the bottom of said tubular member. This tubular member is moved down into the container so that the fluid is pumped and pushed out of the container. -
US 2009/266534 A discloses an arrangement for the lifting of hydrocarbons in oil field wells, comprising a lifting assembly formed by a fluid collecting hose and a fluid suction tube within the well casing. The suction tube extends along the collecting hose, which has an open upper end, through which passes the upper section of the suction tube, which has an end attached to the pulling cable of the "collecting hose/suction tube" assembly. The lower end is closed by means of a one-way check valve, letting the fluid flow into the space formed between the hose and said tube. The upper section projecting beyond the open upper end of the collecting hose has a laterally conformed fluid discharge opening. When the "hose/suction tube" assembly rises by action of the pulling cable and reaches the end of its travel, said discharge opening is positioned within a sealed chamber in the wellhead defined between a pair of sealing rings, so that the fluid may be discharged by means of a suction pump and/or under the gas pressure from within the well casing. The arrangement relies on a suction pump to discharge the produced fluids from the extraction assembly which limits the possible length of the collecting hose due to the inherently limited suction capacity of a suction pump which in turns limits possible extraction volumes. - On the other hand, as mentioned above, crude oil is accompanied by water and gas in the field. However, under normal conditions the gas in the well can be a big problem for oil extraction. This may occur due to excessive gas pressure inside the well, more particularly in the annular space between the casing and the pipe. The presence of excessive gas pressure significantly decreases oil production. As a result of the foregoing, some provisions have been developed that allow gas to be extracted from the annular space of the well in order to reduce the pressure of the formation and allow and increase the production of crude oil. At present, beam compressors are used in mechanical pumping for the transfer of gas which are assembled and operated together with the AIB rod pumps, using a large piston and the extraction of gas depending on the number of strokes performed by the AIB.
- Under the current state of the art available for the extraction of hydrocarbons, it would be very convenient to be able to reduce the gas pressure existing in oil wells not only to facilitate the extraction of the hydrocarbon, but also to extract and deliver the gas and oil to a network for refinement and subsequent treatments where oil and natural gas are used. In this way, the resources that are present in an oil field are better exploited, avoiding unnecessary and unproductive venting of gas into the atmosphere.
- It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for the extraction of hydrocarbons in an oilfield well that allows reducing the energy present in said well in the form of gas pressure in order to increase oil extraction.
- It is also an object of the present invention, an arrangement for the extraction of hydrocarbons that uses the energy of the well in the form of gas pressure to perform the extraction of oil.
- It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for the extraction of hydrocarbons that allows the gas present in an oilfield well to be extracted and supplied to a main discharge line for future treatment.
- It is still another object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for oil and gas extraction in oil wells, comprising at least one gas chamber defined in said wellhead between a lower seal and a middle seal; and at least one gas suction/injection pump having a gas inlet line connected to the well and at least one gas outlet pipeline that branches into a first gas outlet line connected to said oil pipeline and a second gas outlet line connected to said gas chamber to push oil into the oil chamber and from there to the oil and gas pipeline.
- For greater clarity and understanding of the object of the present invention, it has been illustrated in several figures, in which the invention has been represented in one of the preferred embodiments, all by way of example, wherein:
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Figure 1 shows a sectional view corresponding to a preferred embodiment of the arrangement of the present invention; -
Figure 2 shows a sectional and enlarged view of a portion of the wellhead of the present invention; -
Figure 3 shows a cut-away and sectional view in different sections of an extraction assembly according to the present invention, wherein the upper, intermediate and lower part thereof can be viewed; -
Figure 4 shows a sectional and partial view of a second preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein it can be seen that the wellhead has a series of rubber seals to facilitate sealing, a spring to aid in unlocking the assembly, and a draw wire in accordance with the present invention; and -
Figure 5 shows a sectional and partial view of a coated draw wire according to the present invention. - Referring now to the figures, it is seen that the invention consists of an arrangement 1 for the extraction of hydrocarbons that is incorporated into the surface of an oil well. Along the depth of said well, a casing 2 or jacketed pipe is housed, which is cemented around to obtain a fixed and rigid support position with respect to the ground. Said pipe reaches a depth such that it comes into contact with the hydrocarbons that it is desired to extract. Said hydrocarbons are present in a liquid state with solid particles and in a gaseous state at a certain pressure. All wells and especially those with low production need extraction systems to be able to extract the oil, which may be low cost systems, and it would be very convenient to have equipment that allows reducing the gas pressure to increase the extraction of fluid. These wells, that may be somewhat depleted or semi-empty require pumping devices and systems to be able to extract the remaining oil. The present invention not only manages to extract the fluid in question but also reduces the internal pressure of the gas present in the well to pump oil, and also manages to take advantage of the gas present so that it can be used later as natural gas or other derivatives thereof.
- In a first preferred embodiment, the arrangement 1 of the present invention has a
wellhead 3 arranged on the surface of said well, a spool (not shown) where thedraw wire 5 is wound and a pulley 4 through which the draw wire passes 5 which is connected to the upper end of an extraction assembly 6 formed by acollecting container 7 and anextraction pipe 8 arranged within thecontainer 7. Said assembly 6 is transferred vertically inside the well, defined by the casing 2, reaching a depth Z such that it comes into contact with the oil and submerges into it. Thefluid collecting container 7 has an openupper end 9 and a closedlower end 10, which preferably has a one-way check valve 11 that allows the entry of the liquid into saidfluid collecting container 7 and theextraction pipe 8 which is housed inside. This assembly is already sufficiently described inUS Patent Document 8,496,050 of the same owner, cited above, whereby no further reference to the assembly shall be made. - The
extraction pipe 8 has an openlower end 13 and anupper end 12 that crosses the openupper end 9 of the collectingcontainer 7, saidupper end 12 of theextraction pipe 8 being connected to thedraw wire 5 which passes through the pulley 4. Theupper end 12 of theextraction pipe 8 has a series of discharge holes 14 on its lateral surface, through which the discharge of liquid, that is to say of the oil collected in thecontainer 7, is performed, as it will be explained later on. Theextraction pipe 8 and thecontainer 7 shall be joined together by any means, whether by radial joints, welding joints, etc. that may allow the collectingcontainer 7 to have itsupper end 9 open, in this way the extraction assembly is raised and lowered entirely. - The
wellhead 3 includes, according to the invention, two sealed chambers, anoil chamber 15 defined between anupper seal 16 and amiddle seal 17, and agas chamber 18 defined between saidmiddle seal 17 and alower seal 19. Thechamber 15 is hydraulically adapted to receive the liquid hydrocarbon fluid and is connected to anoil pipeline 20 which may or may not have a flow regulating valve 21 in its middle section. The valve 21 can operate in the form of opening and closing the oil passage. - According to a first embodiment of the invention,
pipeline 20 is connected on one side to theoil chamber 15 and on the other side it branches into apipeline 20a connected to anoil suction pump 25 and apipeline 20b connected to amain discharge line 26 which continues into other stages of oil treatment which will not be illustrated due to lack of relevance in the operation of the present invention. Thepump 25 in turn transfers fluid to themain discharge line 26 through anoil outlet line 36. It is noted that bothpipeline 20b and theoil outlet line 36 have respective one-way valves 37. An electrovalve 39 may be arranged in the branch line that goes to the oil suction pump, that is line 21a, so as to isolate thepump 25 when it is not used to extract oil by suction, as will be described later in relation to a second embodiment of the invention. - For its part, the
gas chamber 18 is pneumatically adapted so that gas can enter it from a suction/injection pump 27 in order to improve the extraction of liquid oil. Therefore, thegas chamber 18 is connected to the suction/injection pump 27 which can be of the type disclosed inUS Patent Application Publication 2018/0334894 of the same owner, or of another type that fulfills the function described herein. The suction/injection pump 27 takes the gas from the well through amain gas pipeline 22 and operationally recirculates it both to thegas chamber 18 helping with oil extraction, as well as theoil pipeline 20b allowing the reduction of pressure in the well. For this purpose, the suction/injection pump 27 has agas outlet pipeline 28 which branches into a firstgas outlet line 30 connected to saidoil pipeline 20b and a secondgas outlet line 38 connected to saidgas chamber 18. It is noted that, the first and second gas outlet lines 30 and 38 haverespective electrovalves 31 and 29 that allow gas to pass or stop. - In this way, the gas and oil are allowed to be transported together along the
pipeline 26 and then separated and treated respectively. In turn, the reduction of the internal pressure of the well is allowed when the oil is not being extracted by the collector tube. By reducing the internal gas pressure in the well, but considering not to operate with negative pressures, the natural output or production of the oil from the formation is facilitated as mentioned above. The well pressure is sensed by a high-pressure sensor 23 and a low-pressure sensor 24 arranged in themain gas pipeline 22. Thesesensors pump 27 can be regulated by a speed variator V1 which allows the speed of the pump to be modified depending on the amount of gas to be extracted or injected. - The novel and advantageous construction and operating features of the suction/
injection pump 27 are sufficiently described inUS Patent Application Publication 2018/0334894 and for such reasons we shall not go into descriptive details about it. However, the present invention is not limited to said gas suction/injection pump but other pumps, devices or related arrangements that allow gas pressure to be extracted and reduced can be used without any inconvenience. - The operation of this embodiment is based on being able to reduce the gas pressure present in the oil well and make the gas recirculate through the outlet pipelines both towards the gas chamber and the oil pipeline which in turn is connected to the main discharge line, allowing oil/gas extraction for further treatment and use. For this, there is a
positioning sensor 33 that senses the position of abushing 32 that is in operative contact with the upper end of the extraction assembly 6 when the latter is raised towards thewellhead 3. When thesensor 33 detects the position of thebushing 32, it sends a signal to aPLC 35 so that it activates theoil suction pump 25. When thepump 25 is extracting oil, the gas from the well is recirculated into thegas chamber 18 to help with the extraction of the collecting tube. When the extraction assembly 6 is lowered, thePLC 35 sends the cut-off signal to thepump 25 and the well gas is now injected into themain discharge line 26 through theoil pipeline 20b. - That is, in the first instance, the extraction assembly 6 drops to approximately 30 feet (9.14 meter) per minute and then accelerates to 280 feet (85.34 meter) per minute, reaching the place where the liquid is and sinking therein. At the moment in which the extraction assembly 6 touches the liquid, the existing torque varies, since a speed variator (not shown) connected to the spool detects said variation and sends the data to the
PLC 35 to gradually slow down the lowering of the extraction assembly 6 to finally lower it 30 feet (9,14 meter) or the length of the collectingcontainer 7 inside the mass of the fluid. Once thecollector 7 is submerged 30 feet (9.14 meter) or the total length thereof, there is a waiting time below the level depending on the viscosity of the oil, thus allowing the mass of oil to enter into thecollector 7 and waiting for it be loaded. This time is programmable. - Once loaded, the loaded extraction assembly is raised and the upper end thereof pushes the rising
bushing 32, it is positioned in front of thepositioning sensor 33, which detects it, and sends the signal to thePLC 35 as mentioned above. The PLC sends the order to the spool motor to stop the wire from rising and simultaneously orders theoil pump 25 to start suctioning through thechamber 15 via theholes 14 of theextraction tube 8 and sending the oil to thepipeline 20. - Simultaneously with the lowering of the extraction assembly 6, the gas suction/
injection pump 27 extracts the gas from the well through themain gas pipeline 22, passing through it and injecting it to themain discharge line 26 by means of the firstgas outlet line 30, which has theopen electrovalve 31, andoil pipeline 20b. In this situation, the electrovalve 29 is closed preventing the circulation of gas into thegas chamber 18. When the extraction assembly is "up", that is, when thesensor 33 detects that the extraction assembly 6 is above by means of the position of thebushing 32, the signal is sent to the PLC so that it closeselectrovalve 31, opens electrovalve 29 and allows gas circulation to thegas chamber 18. - Thus, the suctioned gas is now conducted to the
gas chamber 18 entering the collectingcontainer 7, more particularly in the annular space between thecollector 7 and theextraction tube 8 whereby the gas pressurized by thepump 27 helps the extraction and emptying of thecollector 7. This extraction method allows the collector to be made of a greater length, much greater than the 10 meter suction capacity of any conventional liquid suction/injection pump. This is a great advantage over what is known, as it allows longer collectors with larger extraction volumes. - Indeed, as it is known, a surface pump could only suction a liquid up to a depth of 10 meters in the collector tube, that is to compensate for pressure of 1 bar. By the present invention, by injecting pressurized gas from well into the annular space between the collector tube or
container 7 and theextraction tube 8, by means of the compressor or pump 27, it is possible to further suction 10 meters of liquid for each Bar or Kilos of gas pressure injected into the collecting container. For example, under normal conditions the pump suctions liquid up to 10 meters but if, according to the invention, 1 kilo or 14 PSI of gas pressure is injected, the pump can suction 20 meters of liquid, if 2 kilos or 28 psi are injected, it will suction 30 meters and so on. This reduces extraction times significantly and increases the equipment's extraction capacity. - Once the
collector 7 has been emptied, the extraction assembly is lowered and the cycle begins again. While lowering, the gas pump continues to suction gas but now the PLC closes electrovalve 29 and openselectrovalve 31 so that the suctioned gas goes to theoil pipeline 20b and then to themain discharge line 26. This suction lowers the pressure in the well above the oil level, which promotes a greater supply of productive formation, that is to say more oil "comes out" than under normal pressure conditions. That pressure cannot be negative, that is, it must not generate a vacuum as mentioned above since this is counterproductive to the formation. This is already sufficiently described inUS Patent Application 2018/0334894 of the same owner and for such reasons we will no go into further descriptive details. - Due to the above and to prevent the pressure from being negative, the
main pipeline 22 hassensors - In brief, at the beginning of the tasks, the spool lowers the assembly 6 through the interior of the well until it reaches the depth Z corresponding to the level of the oil inside the casing 2, allowing it to submerge in the oil so that this enters the
container 7. The fluid enters through thelower end 10, through thevalve 11, of thecontainer 7, which can also be done through the openupper end 9 of saidcontainer 7, filling the interior of the extraction assembly 6. In this condition the assembly 6 is high and the weight of the fluid stored in thecontainer 7 pushes the one-way check valve 11, closing the fluid passage and retaining it in the container. Said one-way check valve 11 can be comprised of a sphere that lays on a hole that has the collectingcontainer 7 at its bottom, closing the flow passage when it has a certain weight of fluid on it. As mentioned above, during this operation the suction/injection pump 27 is suctioning gas, recirculating it towards the main discharge line and thus lowering the internal pressure, if required by the well. - The extraction assembly 6 is raised by means of the operation of the spool, not illustrated as it is known, which pulls the
draw wire 5 connected to the upper end of theextraction pipe 8. The assembly 6 rises to a certain height at which it abuts against thebushing 32 to raise together until it is detected in one position bysensor 33 that sends the signal toPLC 35 so that it "stops" both the rise and the suction of gas towards themain discharge line 26. In said position, theupper end 12 of theextraction pipe 8 is positioned in thechamber 15 and theupper end 9 of the collectingcontainer 7 is positioned in thechamber 18. In that position, theupper end 12 of thepipe 8 closes against theupper seal 16 and theholes 14 remain open towards thechamber 15, while themiddle seal 17 closes the passage between theoil chamber 15 and thegas chamber 18 when closing on the outer surface of theextraction pipe 8. At that time, the electrovalve 29 is opened and theelectrovalve 31 is closed, allowing the gas extracted from the well to recirculate towards thegas chamber 18 and to exert pressure on the column of liquid existing in thecollector 7 so that it flows into theextraction pipe 8 thus helping with oil extraction. Once thecollector 7 has been emptied, the extraction assembly 6 is lowered again repeating the described cycle. - In this way, the extraction of both gas and oil is allowed, which are transported through the
main discharge line 26 for subsequent treatments. It is emphasized that, the extraction assembly may or may not be provided with at least onecounterweight 34 in its lower part so as to allow submersion of the assembly in the oil.Counterweight 34 is well known in the field of the art and for such reasons we will not go into descriptive details about it. - According to a second embodiment of the invention, the oil and gas extraction arrangement operates only with the suction/
injection pump 27 ofFigure 1 , while theoil pump 25 is separated or isolated from the extraction arrangement or directly no being part of the extraction arrangement in which case thepump 25 and itspipelines pipelines pump 25 can remain as a backup pump in whichcase line 20a is provided with the electrovalve 39, which shall be closed to isolate thepump 25 when it is not used to extract oil by suction, and thepump 27 is only used to extract the oil by impulse. - According to this second embodiment, the
pipeline 20 is connected on one side to theoil chamber 15 and on the other side to themain discharge line 26. On the other hand, gas enters 18 through thegas chamber 18 from the suction/injection pump 27 that pushes the oil into thecollector 7 so that it goes up thepipe 8 for the extraction towardsline 26 as already explained in the first embodiment. The arrangement, connections, sensors and pipelines, inlet and outlet of thepump 27 remain the same in the first embodiment, so a new description of this shall not be made. - The operation of this embodiment is based on the operation of the
pump 27 withoutpump 25. Therefore, electrovalve 39 must be closed in the event that thepump 25 is mounted on the extraction facility. If the extraction facility does not havepump 25,line 20a and valve 39 shall not exist. When thepositioning sensor 33 detects the position of thebushing 32, it sends a signal to thePLC 35 so that it stops the rotation of the spool and, therefore, the rise of the cable, and activates the suction/injection pump 27 by recirculating the gas from the well to thegas chamber 18 to push the fluid that is in thecontainer 7 and make it rise through thepipe 8. When the extraction assembly 6 is lowered, thePLC 35 sends the signal to close the valve 29 injecting gas into the pipe and to open thevalve 31 to send the gas from the well to themain discharge line 26. - The extraction assembly 6 descends into the well and collects fluid in the same manner as it does in the first embodiment of the invention. Once the
fluid collecting container 7 is loaded, the extraction assembly is raised and when it reaches the wellhead, the upper end thereof pushes the risingbushing 32, it is positioned in front of thepositioning sensor 33, which detects it, and sends the signal toPLC 35 as mentioned above. The PLC sends the order to the spool motor to stop the wire rising and simultaneously open valve 29 andclose valve 31 so that it begins to push fluid into thepipe 8 which shall exit through thechamber 15 via theholes 14 of thesuction pipe 8 and send the oil to thepipeline 26. - As already explained, simultaneously with the lowering of the extraction assembly 6, the gas suction/
injection pump 27 extracts gas from the well through themain gas pipeline 22, passing through it and recirculating it towards themain discharge line 26 via the firstgas outlet line 30, which has the electrovalve 31 open. In this situation, the electrovalve 29 is closed preventing the circulation of gas into thegas chamber 18. When the extraction assembly is "up", that is, when thesensor 33 detects that the extraction assembly 6 is above by means of the position of thebushing 32, the signal is sent to the PLC so that it closeselectrovalve 31, opens electrovalve 29 and allows gas circulation to thegas chamber 18. - Unlike the first described embodiment, which uses the
pump 25 for the extraction of fluid, in the second embodiment the gas suctioned by thepump 27 is now taken to thegas chamber 18 entering the collectingcontainer 7 and thesuction pipe 8 whereby the gas pressurized by thepump 27 alone performs the extraction and emptying of thecollector 7. - The advantage of this alternative form of extraction is that by pushing the fluid with the pressure of the gas, it allows to place the
collector tube 7 of greater length since every 10 meters of the pipe it is required 1kg/cm2 to empty it, which is limited if It was performed by suction. Once thecollector 7 has been emptied, the extraction assembly is lowered and the cycle begins again. While lowering, the gas pump continues to suction gas but now the PLC closes electrovalve 29 and openselectrovalve 31 so that the suctioned gas goes to themain discharge line 26. - Referring to
Figure 2 , in a third preferred embodiment, thewellhead 3 of the present invention may be comprised of a pair ofrubber seals 101 which allow sealing against thedraw wire 5 and thus avoiding gas venting to the surface. Thedraw wire 5 allows lifting and lowering of the extraction assembly 6 as mentioned above. Thedraw wire 5 is made of steel and is coated with a liner or coating layer of HYTREL or PIPELON 102 from the company DuPont. The HYTREL orPIPELON layer 102 has a percentage of additive that makes it antistatic and, in turn, provides the necessary seal to prevent gas venting. - Likewise, said
wellhead 3 is provided with aspring 103 in a receivingchamber 104 in which theupper end 12 of the extraction assembly 6 is positioned. Saidspring 103 is mounted on alower seat 105 and receives theupper end 12 of the extraction assembly 6 to dampen its upward movement. When theupper end 12 rises up against thespring 103, the latter is mounted on said upper end and both parts together continue to rise so as to position themselves guided within anupper guide seat 106. Theupper guide seat 106 in turn acts as a stop to the upstroke of the extraction assembly 6 while thespring 103 allows the upward movement to be damped. Likewise, when the downstroke of the extraction assembly is started, thespring 103 helps with the quick release of theupper end 12. Although, a portion of thewellhead 3 has been illustrated, it is understood that it also has bothoil 15 andgas 18 chambers, as well as all the advantages and constructive characteristics mentioned in the first embodiment. - As an example, but not limiting the invention, a well has randomly been selected in which the following problems have been detected:
- High back pressure in flow line.
- Reduction of the reservoir supply due to back pressure generated in the system.
- Casing pressure increased from 10 to 40 psi.
- Increase of gas flow in the well due to low submergence.
- Through the use of the hydrocarbon extraction arrangement of the present invention, it has been possible to lower the back pressure at the wellhead and improve the reservoir supply. Likewise:
- Wellhead pressure was reduced from 40 psi to 5 psi (0.27579MPa to 0.0344738Mpa), achieving a production increase of 03 bopd to 08 bopd (0.16843 metric ton per day to 0.44916 metric ton per day).
- The level of submersion increased from 26 ft to 173 ft (7.92 meter to 52.73 meter), thereby improving operating conditions by handling lower gas flow.
- Well currently producing 11 bopd (0.6176 metric ton per day) with a constant submersion column of 173ft (52.73 meter).
- In this way, the arrangement for the extraction of hydrocarbons of the present invention is constituted and constructed, which allows the extraction of oil by reducing the internal pressure of the well generated by the gas, the gas also being extracted and delivered together with oil for further treatment and commercial use.
Claims (10)
- An arrangement (1) for oil and gas extraction in oil and gas wells, the arrangement (1) having a wellhead (3) and an extraction assembly (6) that moves inside a well defined within a well casing (2),
said extraction assembly (6) comprising a fluid collecting container (7) and an extraction pipe (8) extending inside said fluid collecting container (7), with an annular space being formed between the fluid collecting container (7) and the extraction pipe (8), the extraction assembly (6) being connected to a draw wire (5) to raise and lower the extraction assembly (6) inside the well, said extraction pipe (8) having an open bottom end inside the collecting container (7) and an upper end having at least one discharge opening, and said fluid collecting container having an open upper end (9) and a lower end (10) that may be closed, wherein the arrangement (6) comprises:at least one oil chamber (15) suitable for receiving oil collected and contained in the collecting container (7), the oil chamber (15) being defined in said wellhead (3), between said middle seal (17) and an upper seal (16);at least one oil pipeline (20) connected to said oil chamber (15); andcharacarized in that at least one gas chamber (18) defined in said wellhead (3) between a lower seal (19) and a middle seal (17);at least one gas suction/injection pump (27) having a gas inlet line connected though a main gas pipeline (22) to the well and at least one gas outlet line (28) that branches into a first gas outlet line (30) connected to said oil pipeline (20b) and a second gas outlet line (38) connected to said gas chamber (18). - An arrangement (1) according to claim 1, wherein said oil pipeline (20b) bifurcates to connect to an oil suction pump (25) and to a main discharge line (26), and said oil suction pump (25) has an oil outlet line (36) connected to the main discharge line (26), an electrovalve (39) being arranged on the bifurcation that connects to the oil suction pump (25).
- An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said first and second gas outlet lines (30, 38) have respective electrovalves (29, 31) and said gas chamber (18) is connected to said annular space existing between the collecting container (7) and the extraction pipe (8) when the collecting container (7) is in an upper oil extraction position.
- An arrangement (1) according to claim 2, wherein said first gas outlet line (30) is connected to the oil pipeline (20b) which in turn is connected to the main discharge line (26).
- An arrangement (1) according to claim 1, wherein said main gas pipeline (22) has a high-pressure sensor (23) and a low-pressure sensor (24).
- An arrangement (1) according to claim 1, wherein said at least one oil pipeline (20b) has at least one one-way valve (37).
- An arrangement (1) according to claim 1, wherein said wellhead (3) has a bushing (32) operatively receiving the upper end (12) of the extraction assembly (6).
- An arrangement (1) according to claim 7, wherein a bushing (32) position sensor (33) is provided that is connected to a PLC (35).
- An arrangement (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said PLC (35) is operatively connected to at least one of a spool motor, the oil suction pump (25), the gas suction/injection pump (27) and the electrovalves (29, 31, 39).
- An arrangement (1) according to claim 1, wherein said draw wire (5) is made of steel coated with a coating layer (102) in a manner that the draw wire (5) is sealed against rubber seals arranged in said wellhead (3) and is in contact and operatively held against a spring (103).
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
ARP190102892A AR116630A1 (en) | 2019-10-10 | 2019-10-10 | PROVISION FOR THE EXTRACTION OF OIL AND GAS IN OIL WELLS. |
PCT/EP2020/077629 WO2021069318A1 (en) | 2019-10-10 | 2020-10-02 | Arrangement for extracting oil and gas from oil and gas wells |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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EP4041983A1 EP4041983A1 (en) | 2022-08-17 |
EP4041983B1 true EP4041983B1 (en) | 2024-06-12 |
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ID=73020155
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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EP20797372.8A Active EP4041983B1 (en) | 2019-10-10 | 2020-10-02 | Arrangement for extracting oil and gas from oil and gas wells |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP4041983B1 (en) |
AR (1) | AR116630A1 (en) |
PE (1) | PE20220057A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2021069318A1 (en) |
Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2311312A (en) * | 1996-03-19 | 1997-09-24 | Allan Cassells Sharp | Well system |
Family Cites Families (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5911278A (en) * | 1997-06-20 | 1999-06-15 | Reitz; Donald D. | Calliope oil production system |
US6352117B1 (en) | 1998-02-27 | 2002-03-05 | Charles Strickland | Oil lift system |
US6368084B1 (en) | 2000-02-01 | 2002-04-09 | Skillman Pump Company, Llp | Downstroke sucker rod well pump |
US6854518B1 (en) | 2002-03-12 | 2005-02-15 | Corley P. Senyard, Sr. | Method and apparatus for enhancing production from an oil and/or gas well |
AR066341A1 (en) * | 2008-04-29 | 2009-08-12 | Arlandis Juan Carlos Marie | PROVISION FOR THE EXTRACTION OF HYDROCARBONS INCORPORATED IN WELLS OF OIL RANKS |
AR101972A1 (en) * | 2015-09-18 | 2017-01-25 | Manuel Varela Nestor | EXTRACTOR PROVISION OF HYDROCARBONS IN OIL WELLS |
US11339778B2 (en) * | 2016-11-14 | 2022-05-24 | I-Jack Technologies Incorporated | Gas compressor and system and method for gas compressing |
AR108529A1 (en) | 2017-05-19 | 2018-08-29 | Juan Carlos Marie Arlandis | GAS PUMPING UNIT FOR OIL WELLS |
-
2019
- 2019-10-10 AR ARP190102892A patent/AR116630A1/en active IP Right Grant
-
2020
- 2020-10-02 WO PCT/EP2020/077629 patent/WO2021069318A1/en unknown
- 2020-10-02 PE PE2021001305A patent/PE20220057A1/en unknown
- 2020-10-02 EP EP20797372.8A patent/EP4041983B1/en active Active
Patent Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2311312A (en) * | 1996-03-19 | 1997-09-24 | Allan Cassells Sharp | Well system |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
PE20220057A1 (en) | 2022-01-17 |
AR116630A1 (en) | 2021-05-26 |
EP4041983A1 (en) | 2022-08-17 |
WO2021069318A1 (en) | 2021-04-15 |
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