This disclosure relates to the production of oil, gas, or other resources from subterranean zones to the surface.
Hydrocarbons or other resources in subsurface reservoirs or locations below the Earth's surface can be produced to the surface via wellbores drilled from the surface to the subsurface locations. After drilling, such wells are completed by installing one or more liners and production tubing to provide a pathway for such resources to flow to the surface.
In addition to or instead of the production of valuable resources from a wellbore, is sometimes necessary or desirable to remove water, brine, gas, or other fluids from a wellbore, temporarily or permanently. The handling, containment, storage, transportation, and disposal of such fluids can present environmental, health, and other challenges.
Certain aspects of the subject matter herein can be implemented as a system for managing wellbore fluids. The system includes a first well drilled into a subterranean zone from a first surface location and a second well drilled into the subterranean zone from a second surface location separate from the first surface location. The system further includes a well fluid diversion assembly that includes a pump assembly that includes a pump configured to pump a volume of wellbore fluid from the first well and a first flexible tubing. An outlet end of the first flexible tubing is connected to an inlet end of the pump assembly and an inlet end of the first flexible tubing is releasably connected to an outlet valve of a wellhead assembly of the first well. The system also includes a flowmeter configured to measure a rate of flow of the volume through the pump assembly, a fluid sampling port, and a sampling valve configured to selectively flow a first portion of the volume to the fluid sampling port. The system also includes a second flexible tubing. An inlet end of the second flexible tubing is connected to the outlet end of the pump assembly and an outlet end of the second flexible tubing is releasably connected to an inlet valve of a wellhead assembly of the second well. The well fluid diversion assembly is configured to flow a second portion of the volume to the second well.
An aspect combinable with any of the other aspects can include the following features. The first well and the second well can be wells of a single production platform.
An aspect combinable with any of the other aspects can include the following features. The first well and the second well can be wells of separate production platforms.
An aspect combinable with any of the other aspects can include the following features. The first surface location and the second surface location can be less than 100 meters from each other.
An aspect combinable with any of the other aspects can include the following features. The first surface location and the second surface location can be greater than 100 meters from each other.
An aspect combinable with any of the other aspects can include the following features. At least one of the first surface location and the second surface location can be a seafloor location.
An aspect combinable with any of the other aspects can include the following features. At least one of the first surface location and the second surface location can be a land location.
An aspect combinable with any of the other aspects can include the following features. At least one of the first flexible tubing and the second flexible tubing can be coilable.
An aspect combinable with any of the other aspects can include the following features. The flowmeter can be a first flowmeter, and the well fluid diversion assembly can also include a second flowmeter configured to measure a rate of flow of first portion flowed to the fluid sampling port.
Certain aspects of the subject matter herein can be implemented as an apparatus for transferring wellbore fluid from a first well drilled from a first surface location to a second well drilled from a second surface location separate from the first surface location. The apparatus includes a pump assembly including a pump configured to pump a volume of wellbore fluid from the first well. The apparatus also includes a first flexible tubing having an outlet end connected to an inlet end of the pump assembly and an inlet end releasably connected to an outlet valve of a wellhead assembly of the first well. The apparatus also includes a flowmeter configured to measure a rate of flow of the volume through the pump assembly, a fluid sampling port, and a sampling valve configured to selectively flow a first portion of the volume to the fluid sampling port. The apparatus can also include a second flexible tubing having an inlet end connected to the outlet end of the pump assembly and an outlet end of the second flexible tubing is releasably connected to an inlet valve of a wellhead assembly of the second well. The apparatus is configured to flow a second portion of the volume to the second well.
An aspect combinable with any of the other aspects can include the following features. At least one of the first flexible tubing and the second flexible tubing can be coilable.
An aspect combinable with any of the other aspects can include the following features. The flowmeter can include a first flowmeter. The well fluid diversion assembly can further include a second flowmeter configured to measure a rate of flow of the first portion flowed to the fluid sampling port.
Certain aspects of the subject matter herein can be implemented as a method for managing wellbore fluids. The method includes connecting, to an outlet valve of a wellhead assembly of a first well drilled from a first surface location, an inlet end of a first flexible tubing of a well fluid diversion assembly. The well fluid diversion assembly includes a pump assembly that includes a pump configured to pump a wellbore fluid through the pump assembly from an inlet end of the pump assembly to an outlet end of the pump assembly. An outlet end of the first flexible tubing is connected to the inlet end of the pump assembly and an inlet end of a second flexible tubing is connected to an outlet end of the pump assembly. The well fluid diversion assembly also includes a flowmeter configured to measure a rate of flow of the wellbore fluid through the pump assembly, a fluid sampling port, and a sampling valve configured to selectively flow at least a portion of the wellbore fluid to the fluid sampling port. The method also includes connecting, to an inlet end of an inlet valve of a wellhead assembly of a second well drilled from a second surface location separate from the first surface location, an outlet end of the second flexible tubing, flowing, by the pump, a volume of wellbore fluid from the first well through the first flexible tubing and to the well fluid diversion assembly, and diverting, through the sampling valve, a first portion of the volume of wellbore fluid to a sampling port. The method also includes sampling, from the sampling port, the first portion of the wellbore fluid, and flowing, from the well fluid diversion assembly and through the second flexible tubing, a second portion of the volume of wellbore fluid to the second well.
An aspect combinable with any of the other aspects can include the following features. The method can also include measuring, by the flowmeter, a rate of flow of the wellbore fluid through the pump assembly.
An aspect combinable with any of the other aspects can include the following features. The method can also include performing a workover operation on the first well after flowing the volume of wellbore fluid from the first well to the second well.
An aspect combinable with any of the other aspects can include the following features. The method can also include performing an intervention operation on the first well after flowing the volume of wellbore fluid from the first well to the second well.
An aspect combinable with any of the other aspects can include the following features. The first well and the second well can be wells of a single production platform.
An aspect combinable with any of the other aspects can include the following features. The first well and the second well can be wells of separate production platforms.
An aspect combinable with any of the other aspects can include the following features. At least one of the first flexible tubing and the second flexible tubing can be coilable.
An aspect combinable with any of the other aspects can include the following features. The flowmeter can be a first flowmeter and the well fluid diversion assembly can further include a second flowmeter, and the method can further include measuring, by the second flowmeter, a rate of flow of the first portion of the wellbore fluid flowed to the fluid sampling port.
The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
The details of one or more implementations of the subject matter of this specification are set forth in this detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the claims. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from this detailed description, the claims, and the accompanying drawings.
During well operations, including drilling, completion, production, workover, abandonment, and other operations, it is sometimes necessary to permanently or temporarily remove drilling mud, displacement fluid, water, brine, acids, oil, gas, or other fluids from a wellbore. Holding, transporting, or disposing of such fluids at the surface can result in negative environmental consequences. The safe handling, transportation, and disposal of such fluids can also present health and safety challenges and can require special and expensive surface equipment. Similarly, the flaring of produced hydrocarbons can likewise negatively impact the environment and can result in the loss of otherwise potentially valuable gas and other fluids. Sampling and other characterization of such fluids can likewise be expensive, hazardous, and otherwise challenging.
In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, an improved fluid diversion assembly is disclosed that can more efficiently, safely, and cost-effectively manage and sample wellbore fluids with a minimum of environmental, health, and safety challenges. In some embodiments, the need for transportation, storage, flaring, and other surface activities in relation to hydrocarbons and other well fluids can be reduced or eliminated, thus minimizing or eliminating the loss of potentially valuable wellbore fluids and other economic and environmental consequences. Specifically, the diversion assembly can enable an operator to transfer wellbore fluids from one well to another, thus reducing or eliminating the need to store, transport, or otherwise dispose of the fluids at the surface. The assembly further enables an operator to measure the flow rate of fluid being transferred and to sample the fluid. In some embodiments, the fluid diversion assembly is modular and can be connected, disconnected, and transported as a unit, with flexible inlet and outlet tubing and releasable connections to enable the assembly to be easily connected and disconnected to wells positioned at different surface locations and distances relative to each other.
In the illustrated embodiment, both of wells 102a and 102b have been drilled or completed so as to be production wells. It will be understood that other embodiments of the present disclosure can apply to wells other than production wells—for example, injection wells or wells that are in the process of being drilled, worked-over, completed, de-competed, or decommissioned. For example, in some embodiments, the first well can be a well in the process of being drilled and the second well can be a completed production well, or vice versa. In some embodiments, the first well can be a production well and the second well can be an injection well. In the illustrated embodiment in which both wells are production wells, first wellbore 102a and 102b include casing strings 108a and 108b, respectively, which are lengths of pipe cemented in place during the construction process to stabilize the wellbore. The casing, if present, can form a major structural component of the wellbore and can serve to stabilize the wellbore and prevent undesired flow or crossflow of fluid into the wellbore.
Production tubing strings 110a and 110b (of wells 102a and 102b), respectively) are positioned within casing strings 108a and 108b, respectively. Production tubing strings 110a and 110b provide passageways through which well fluids 130 (such as oil, gas, water, brine, drilling fluid, or other fluids) within or from wells 102a and 102b (for example, from subterranean zone 101) can travel uphole to reach the surface 106 or travel downhole towards the downhole end of the production tubing strings (and, in some circumstances, thence into the subterranean zone). Wells 102a and 102b further include wellhead assemblies 112a and 112b, respectively. Wellhead assemblies 112a and 112b are systems of spools, valves and assorted adapters that provide pressure control to the wells. For example, wellhead assembly 112a can include various inlet and outlet valves including, for example, outlet valve 114a which provides an opening from which well fluids can flow from or be extracted from well 102a. Similarly, wellhead assembly 112b can include various inlet and outlet valves including, for example, inlet valve 116b which provides an opening for injecting or flowing well fluids into well 102b. In the illustrated embodiment, wellhead assemblies 112a and 112b are production tress. Other wellhead assemblies in certain embodiments can include wellheads for drilling, workover, or other operations.
System 100 further includes a well fluid diversion assembly 150 positioned at a surface location. In the illustrated embodiment, well fluid diversion assembly 150 is positioned between wellhead assembly 112a and wellhead assembly 112b. In other embodiments, well fluid diversion assembly 150 can be positioned at another suitable surface or subsurface location. As described in greater detail in
Well fluid diversion assembly 150 in the illustrated embodiment further includes flowmeter 220 configured to measure a rate of flow of the fluid flowing through pump assembly 208. Flowmeter 220 can be a gas flowmeter, a liquid flowmeter, or a combination of different flowmeter types, with flowmeter type, size and other features chosen depending on the type or mix of fluid, flow rate, or other factors. In some embodiments, flowmeter 220 can be an orifice 6″ or 2″ orifice gas flowmeter of the type available from Daniel Measurement and Control, Inc. In some embodiments, flowmeter 220 can be a 3″ CMF300M flowmeter or CMF400M flowmeter available from Micro Motion, Inc. (Emerson). In some embodiments, flowmeter 220 can be a turbine liquid flowmeter of ⅞″ to 2″ size of a type available from Cameron. In some embodiments, flowmeter 220 can be another suitable flowmeter type.
In the illustrated embodiment, well fluid diversion assembly 150 further includes a a sampling valve 230 configured to selectively divert at least a portion of the fluid flowing through pumps assembly 208 to a fluid sampling port 232. A sampling flowmeter 234 in the illustrated embodiment is connected between sampling valve 230 and sampling port 232 and is configured to measure a rate of flow of the fluid flowing to fluid sampling port 232. Sampling flowmeter 234 can be a gas flowmeter, a liquid flowmeter, or a combination of different flowmeter types, with flowmeter type, size and other features chosen depending on the type or mix of fluid, flow rate, or other factors. In some embodiments, sampling flowmeter 234 can be a flowmeter of the type described above with respect to flowmeter 220, or another suitable flowmeter type. In some embodiments, fluids sampled from fluid sampling port 232 can be captured in a sample cylinder (not shown), for example, of the type available from Proserve, or another suitable sample cylinder.
In operation, well fluid diversion assembly 150 enables the operator to selectively pump, at a selected volume and rate, wellbore fluid from a first well (for example, well 102a of
Proceeding to step 304, an inlet end of an inlet valve of a wellhead assembly of a second well (for example, well 102b of
At step 308, a first portion of the volume of wellbore fluid is diverted through the sampling valve to the sampling port and, at step 310, the first portion is sampled by the operator. In some embodiments, the rate of flow of the first portion of the wellbore fluid flowed to the fluid sampling port is measured by a second flowmeter. At step 312, a second portion of the volume of wellbore fluid (for example, the remaining portion of the volume after the first portion is diverted) is flowed from the well fluid diversion assembly and through the second flexible tubing to the second well. At step 314, after the wellbore fluid is flowed from the first well to the second well, a workover operation, intervention operation, or other desired or necessary operation can be performed on or in the first well.
The term “uphole” as used herein means in the direction along the wellbore (or along a production tubing, drill string, or other tubular disposed within the wellbore) from its distal end towards the surface, and “downhole” as used herein means the direction along the along the wellbore (or along a production tubing, drill string, or other tubular disposed within the wellbore) from the surface towards its distal end. A downhole location means a location along the tubular or wellbore downhole of the surface.
A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. For example, example operations, methods, or processes described herein may include more steps or fewer steps than those described. Further, the steps in such example operations, methods, or processes may be performed in different successions than that described or illustrated in the figures. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20230366301 A1 | Nov 2023 | US |