Patent Grant
11708742
One of the techniques to store CO2 is to inject it in geological formations deep into the Earth. This technique may also be used to optimize the production of hydrocarbon by injecting CO2 in producing zones to push hydrocarbons to producing wells associated with the same formations.
Injection of CO2 in wells helps reduce CO2 emission in the atmosphere and consequently provide an improvement and reduction of effects of climate change. Injector wells are typically used to provide a conduit to deploy CO2 into permeable geological formations that can store the CO2.
Current techniques include using sliding sleeves that allow CO2 to go from the inside of tubing into the geological formations. These sleeves can be actuated hydraulic from the surface or mechanically by intervening in the well. However, the injection of CO2 in wells is done blindly without the support of any data from inside the well. This process becomes very inefficient and it is difficult to verify where the CO2 is actually injected. There is no information on the opening port size on the sleeve to allow the CO2 to enter the formations or if there are leaks in the well.
Various figures are included herein which illustrate aspects of embodiments of the disclosed inventions.
In a first embodiment, referring generally to
Selectively actuated sleeve 20 may comprise an electronically actuated, wirelessly accessible sliding sleeve, a cable actuated sleeve, or the like.
Sensor 30 may comprise a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a strain sensor, a downhole flow meter, and/or a Severinghaus sensor which can aid in detecting CO2. As one of ordinary skill in sensor technology understands, a Severinghaus sensor is a modified glass electrode which contains sodium bicarbonate for reacting with CO2. A reaction changes pH in the electrode which is related to a voltage change in the assembly. The change in voltage is related to an amount of CO2.
Sensor 30 may be a standalone sensor and may further be sized to fit within in well 200, such as into a small space in well 200 where small means a space between a tubular deployed in a wellbore and its surrounding formation or a space between a production tubing and a drill tubing into which the production tubing is deployed. In addition, sensor 30 can be part of or otherwise integrated into wireless remotely actuated flow controller 40.
In embodiments, referring additionally to
Motor 41A may comprise an electric motor, e.g., a DC electric motor, and motor driver 41B comprise an electric motor driver 41B operatively connected to electric motor 41A. Typically, electric motor driver 41B will provide energy and timing to DC electric motors 41A.
Communications module 50 is typically configured to allow for reception of commands from the surface of well 200 to control the opening, closing, and/or choking of a flow path to the formation for CO2 and to transmit data from downhole to surface system 200. Communications module 50 is also typically configured to be operatively in communication with wireless remote actuated flow controller 40. Communications module 50 typically comprises a wireless or wire based bidirectional transceiver or combination thereof.
Referring additionally to
In certain embodiments, power supply 60 comprises pressure housing 61 at least partially disposed within housing 10 and one or more rechargeable batteries 62 at least partially disposed within pressure housing 61. If pressure housing 61 is present, sensor 30 may be at least partially contained within pressure housing 61.
In certain embodiments, controlled sleeve system 1 may further comprise pressure housing 13, configured to contain electronics, one or more sensors 30, power supply 60 (e.g., batteries), and one or more sleeve actuator controllers 41 (which may be microprocessor based) configured for control, command, and data acquisition, and one or more associated motors 41A, motor drivers 41B operatively in communication with motors 41A, and sleeve actuators 41C.
Although the actual number of ports 14 may vary, in a preferred embodiment there are four such ports 14, disposed substantially equally circumferentially about housing 10. If there are a plurality of ports 14, in certain embodiments selectively actuated sliding sleeve 20 comprises a corresponding plurality of selectively actuated sliding sleeves 20, each such selectively actuated sliding sleeve 20 of the plurality of selectively actuated sliding sleeves 20 associated with a corresponding port 14 of the plurality of ports 14 and autonomously operatable with respect to the other selectively actuated sliding sleeves 20. In embodiments, wireless remotely actuated flow controller 40 comprises a separate motor 41A, motor driver 41B operatively in communication with motor 41A, and sleeve actuator 41C for each sleeve actuator controller 41 of the plurality of selectively actuated sliding sleeves 20.
In embodiments, controlled sleeve system 1 further comprises a predetermined set of feedback loop and position sensors 32 corresponding to, and operatively in communication with, the plurality of selectively actuated accessible sliding sleeves 20, useful, e.g., to provide data helping to aid in opening of selectively actuated accessible sliding sleeves 20 such as to control the open/close process.
Referring additionally to
Data processor 110 typically comprises a command detection and decoding module, e.g., hardware and software which can detect a signal from sleeve system 1 such as an acoustic signal and decode that signal into useful data.
In embodiments, surface system 100 further comprises data acquisition and processing system 130; data transceiver 131, which is operatively complimentary to the wireless communications module; one or more data transfer ports 132; and one or more specialized data interfaces 133, e.g., an Internet of Things data interface.
Data transceiver 131 may comprise a pressure pulse data transceiver and a hydraulic pressure pulse generator operatively in communication with the pressure pulse data transceiver.
In the operation of exemplary methods, referring back to
Deploying controlled sleeve system 1 may be accomplished through tubing by using a slickline, an electric line, or the like. Alternatively, deploying controlled sleeve system 1 may be accomplished attaching controlled sleeve system 1 to tubing or casing and deploying attached controlled sleeve system 1 in well 200 along with the tubing or the casing.
Where the geological formation comprises a plurality of geological formations 201,202, surface system 100 may selectively actuate one or more selectively actuated sliding sleeves 20 to selectively allow and/or choke the flow of CO2 by opening and closing the plurality of ports 14 in response to a command from surface system 200 to equalize the pressure in well 200 to inject a substantially equal amount of CO2 into each geological formation 201,202 of the plurality of geological formations 201,202.
If deploying controlled sleeve system 1 further comprises deploying multiple controlled sleeve systems 1 in well 200, multiple controlled sleeve systems 1 may be deployed into a corresponding set of multiple geological zones 201,202 and operated substantially simultaneously to receive the CO2 substantially simultaneously, which, in turn, can increase an amount of CO2 volume that can be injected in well 200 over a period of time. In other embodiments, one or more controlled sleeve systems 1 may be operated substantially independently in well 200.
In most embodiments, sensor 30 is used to determine pressure in well 200, especially where CO2 is being injected to optimize the process, provide strain measurements for communications detection in well 200, detect leaks due to pressure changes in a well tubular, or the like, or a combination thereof. Sensor 30 may be part of controlled sleeve system 1, e.g. integrated into controlled sleeve system 1, or may be an independent sensor in the well. In certain embodiments, one or more sensors 30 are permanently deployed in well 200.
Data and commands may be transmitted and received between surface system 200 and controlled sleeve system 1 wirelessly such as by using acoustic pulses created at the surface and detected downhole into well 200. Acoustic pulse communications may use well tubing as a conduit for the acoustic waves.
In certain embodiments, data may be transferred to another module on site or via the Internet to a secure website or a remote location, e.g., via a USB bus or the like.
The foregoing disclosure and description of the inventions are illustrative and explanatory. Various changes in the size, shape, and materials, as well as in the details of the illustrative construction and/or an illustrative method may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5955666 | Mullins | Sep 1999 | A |
| 20020020533 | Tubel | Feb 2002 | A1 |
| 20090034368 | Johnson | Feb 2009 | A1 |
| 20140069639 | Mackenzie | Mar 2014 | A1 |
| 20160312579 | Green | Oct 2016 | A1 |
| 20190249549 | Fripp | Aug 2019 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20220251925 A1 | Aug 2022 | US |
