An assembly for supporting one or more cables in coiled tubing deployed in a well is described. The assembly includes a receptacle connected to an upper opening of the coiled tubing. A receptacle clamp is connected to the receptacle to provide a circumferential lateral extension surface. A separate extension column having a base portion is supported on the lateral extension surface. The extension column has an upper platform surface separated vertically from the base portion. A cable clamp is supported on the upper platform surface and configured to reversibly grip the one or more cables. The assembly is useful for any process requiring support of cables in coiled tubing deployed in a well, such as a process for assembling a heater for providing underground heat.
E21B 17/20 - Flexible or articulated drilling pipes
E21B 19/08 - Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables; Apparatus for increasing or decreasing the pressure on the drilling tool; Apparatus for counterbalancing the weight of the rods
E21B 19/22 - Handling reeled pipe or rod units, e.g. flexible drilling pipes
E21B 33/04 - Casing heads; Suspending casings or tubings in well heads
E21B 36/00 - Heating, cooling, or insulating arrangements for boreholes or wells, e.g. for use in permafrost zones
E21B 43/24 - Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons using heat, e.g. steam injection
E21B 36/04 - Heating, cooling, or insulating arrangements for boreholes or wells, e.g. for use in permafrost zones using electrical heaters
A cable-based heater for providing underground heat and a method of assembly of the cable-based heater are provided. The heater includes a length of coiled tubing having a sealed down-hole end and an open-ended cable support adapter attached to the up-hole end of the coiled tubing. One or more conducting cables are contained within the coiled tubing and a wedging tube is placed in the open end of the adapter for supporting the weight of the one or more cables against the interior sidewall of the adapter when the heater is deployed underground. The wedging tube has an inner surface shaped to conform to the outer shape of the one or more cables and an outer sidewall configured for weight bearing frictional contact with the interior sidewall of the cable support adapter.
E21B 36/00 - Heating, cooling, or insulating arrangements for boreholes or wells, e.g. for use in permafrost zones
E21B 15/00 - Supports for the drilling machine, e.g. derricks or masts
E21B 19/22 - Handling reeled pipe or rod units, e.g. flexible drilling pipes
E21B 33/04 - Casing heads; Suspending casings or tubings in well heads
E21B 19/08 - Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables; Apparatus for increasing or decreasing the pressure on the drilling tool; Apparatus for counterbalancing the weight of the rods
E21B 17/20 - Flexible or articulated drilling pipes
E21B 36/04 - Heating, cooling, or insulating arrangements for boreholes or wells, e.g. for use in permafrost zones using electrical heaters
A method for desalinating and recycling the brine exiting a salt cavern. This method reduces the overall make-up water demand to wash a salt cavern, eliminates the brine disposal well and controls the cavern growth rate during disposal operations. The method comprises the steps of: a) desalinating brine emerging from the salt cavern, and creating a stream of saline water, a stream of non-saline water and a stream of salt; b) recycling the stream volumes and combining the stream of non-saline and saline water with make-up water, thereby reducing demand for make-up water, c) pumping the salinated water into the salt cavern, and controlling the rate of growth of the salt cavern while disposing of wastes in the cavern, and repeating steps a) and b) substituting the make-up water with a waste mixture.
A method for desalinating and recycling the brine exiting a salt cavern. This method reduces the overall make-up water demand to wash a salt cavern, eliminates the brine disposal well and controls the cavern growth rate during disposal operations. The method comprises the steps of: a) desalinating brine emerging from the salt cavern, and creating a stream of saline water, a stream of non-saline water and a stream of salt; b) recycling the stream volumes and combining the stream of non-saline and saline water with make-up water, thereby reducing demand for make-up water, c) pumping the salinated water into the salt cavern, and controlling the rate of growth of the salt cavern while disposing of wastes in the cavern, and repeating steps a) and b) substituting the make-up water with a waste mixture.
A method for desalinating and recycling the brine exiting a salt cavern. This method reduces the overall make-up water demand to wash a salt cavern, eliminates the brine disposal well and controls the cavern growth rate during disposal operations. The method includes the steps of: a) desalinating brine emerging from the salt cavern, and creating a stream of saline water, a stream of non-saline water and a stream of salt; b) recycling the stream volumes and combining the stream of non-saline and saline water with make-up water, thereby reducing demand for make-up water, c) pumping the salinated water into the salt cavern, and controlling the rate of growth of the salt cavern while disposing of wastes in the cavern, and repeating steps a) and b) substituting the make-up water with a waste mixture.
A method for producing bitumen or heavy oil from a reservoir, the method comprising: defining at least one lateral section of the reservoir for placement of patterns of heater wells above a producer well; placing the producer well at a substantially centered location at or adjacent to the bottom of the reservoir within each of the lateral sections; placing a triangular pattern of heater wells above the producer well; placing a regular or non-regular pentagonal pattern of heater wells, or a portion thereof, at or above the triangular pattern of heater wells; heating the reservoir with the triangular and pentagonal patterns of heater wells to conductively heat the reservoir and reduce the viscosity of the bitumen or heavy oil; and producing bitumen or heavy oil with the producer well.
A resistive cable-based well heater for providing heat to an oil or gas bearing formation. The well heater includes a length of coiled tubing having a sealed down-hole end and an open-ended cable support adapter attached to the up-hole end of the coiled tubing. A bundle of cables is contained within the coiled tubing and the cables are conductively connected to each other at their down-hole ends at a location above the sealed down- hole end of the coiled tubing. The cables extend from the upper opening of the adapter and have free upper ends. A wedging tube is placed in the open end of the adapter for supporting the weight of the cables against the interior sidewall of the adapter when the well heater is deployed in a well. The wedging tube has an inner surface shaped to conform to the shape of one or more of the cables and an outer surface configured for weight bearing frictional contact with the inner sidewall of the cable support adapter.
E21B 36/04 - Heating, cooling, or insulating arrangements for boreholes or wells, e.g. for use in permafrost zones using electrical heaters
E21B 19/08 - Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables; Apparatus for increasing or decreasing the pressure on the drilling tool; Apparatus for counterbalancing the weight of the rods
E21B 43/24 - Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons using heat, e.g. steam injection
A method for assembly of a well heater including injecting a length of coiled tubing into a well, supporting the coiled tubing in the well and cutting the coiled tubing above the well head; injecting one or more resistive heating cables into the into the coiled tubing; constructing a cable support structure at the cut end of the coiled tubing for supporting the weight of the cables against the inner sidewall of the coiled tubing; cutting the cables and configuring the cut ends of the cables for connection to an electrical source, thereby defining the structure of the well heater; and withdrawing the well heater from the well.
E21B 36/04 - Heating, cooling, or insulating arrangements for boreholes or wells, e.g. for use in permafrost zones using electrical heaters
E21B 17/20 - Flexible or articulated drilling pipes
E21B 43/24 - Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons using heat, e.g. steam injection
E21B 19/08 - Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables; Apparatus for increasing or decreasing the pressure on the drilling tool; Apparatus for counterbalancing the weight of the rods
A method is described for supporting a bundle of cables in a well or in a length of coiled tubing deployed in a vertical or deviated well during a process for assembly of a well heater which includes steps of injecting the cables from respective spools into the coiled tubing. The method includes the steps of: attaching an open-ended cable support adapter to the up-hole end of the coiled tubing, attaching a cable bundle clamp to the bundle of cables above the cable support adapter; cutting the cables from their respective spools above the cable bundle clamp; clamping a wedging tube carrier to the cable bundle above the cable bundle clamp; raising the cable bundle; removing the cable bundle clamp from the cable bundle; lowering the cables to insert the wedging tube into the adapter; and removing the wedging tube carrier from the bundle of cables.
E21B 19/08 - Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables; Apparatus for increasing or decreasing the pressure on the drilling tool; Apparatus for counterbalancing the weight of the rods
E21B 17/20 - Flexible or articulated drilling pipes
A facility for assembly of well heaters includes a well of sufficient diameter to receive coiled tubing; a scaffold supporting a coiled tubing injector, wherein the injector is configurable for injection of coiled tubing into the well and configurable for injection of one or more resistive heating cables into coiled tubing in the well; a coiled tubing guide system supported by the injector or the scaffold; and one or more cable guides for guiding the resistive heating cables from respective cable reels into the injector, wherein the cable guides are supported by the scaffold.
E21B 36/04 - Heating, cooling, or insulating arrangements for boreholes or wells, e.g. for use in permafrost zones using electrical heaters
E21B 17/20 - Flexible or articulated drilling pipes
E21B 33/04 - Casing heads; Suspending casings or tubings in well heads
E21B 43/24 - Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons using heat, e.g. steam injection
E21B 19/08 - Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables; Apparatus for increasing or decreasing the pressure on the drilling tool; Apparatus for counterbalancing the weight of the rods
A method for injecting resistive heating cables into a well or into coiled tubing deployed in a well includes providing a coiled tubing injector above the well, the coiled tubing injector having coiled tubing gripper blocks replaced with cable gripper blocks; guiding one or more cables from respective cable reels into the top of the injector; and using the injector to inject the cables into the well or into the coiled tubing deployed in the well with downward vertical movement of the cables driven by gripping and downward vertical movement of the cable gripper blocks.
E21B 19/08 - Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables; Apparatus for increasing or decreasing the pressure on the drilling tool; Apparatus for counterbalancing the weight of the rods
A resistive cable-based well heater for providing heat to an oil or gas bearing formation includes a length of coiled tubing having a sealed down-hole end and an open-ended cable support adapter attached to the up-hole end of the coiled tubing. A bundle of cables is contained within the coiled tubing. The cables extend from the upper opening of the adapter and have free upper ends. A wedging tube is placed in the open end of the adapter to support the cables against the interior sidewall of the adapter when the well heater is deployed in a well. The wedging tube has an inner surface shaped to conform to the shape of one or more of the cables and an outer surface configured for weight bearing frictional contact with the inner sidewall of the cable support adapter.
E21B 36/04 - Heating, cooling, or insulating arrangements for boreholes or wells, e.g. for use in permafrost zones using electrical heaters
E21B 17/20 - Flexible or articulated drilling pipes
E21B 33/04 - Casing heads; Suspending casings or tubings in well heads
E21B 43/24 - Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons using heat, e.g. steam injection
E21B 19/08 - Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables; Apparatus for increasing or decreasing the pressure on the drilling tool; Apparatus for counterbalancing the weight of the rods
A resistive cable-based well heater for providing heat to an oil or gas bearing formation. The well heater includes a length of coiled tubing having a sealed down-hole end and an open-ended cable support adapter attached to the up-hole end of the coiled tubing. A bundle of cables is contained within the coiled tubing and the cables are conductively connected to each other at their down-hole ends at a location above the sealed down-hole end of the coiled tubing. The cables extend from the upper opening of the adapter and have free upper ends. A wedging tube is placed in the open end of the adapter for supporting the weight of the cables against the interior sidewall of the adapter when the well heater is deployed in a well. The wedging tube has an inner surface shaped to conform to the shape of one or more of the cables and an outer surface configured for weight bearing frictional contact with the inner sidewall of the cable support adapter.
A resistive cable-based well heater for providing heat to an oil or gas bearing formation. The well heater includes a length of coiled tubing having a sealed down-hole end and an open-ended cable support adapter attached to the up-hole end of the coiled tubing. A bundle of cables is contained within the coiled tubing and the cables are conductively connected to each other at their down-hole ends at a location above the sealed down- hole end of the coiled tubing. The cables extend from the upper opening of the adapter and have free upper ends. A wedging tube is placed in the open end of the adapter for supporting the weight of the cables against the interior sidewall of the adapter when the well heater is deployed in a well. The wedging tube has an inner surface shaped to conform to the shape of one or more of the cables and an outer surface configured for weight bearing frictional contact with the inner sidewall of the cable support adapter.
A method and apparatus for installing two sensing instruments and cables inside of a single tubing string in a wellbore for monitoring well conditions at two different locations in the wellbore is described. An upper sensor is attached to an inner sleeve seated at a first location in a ported outer sleeve in the tubing string, allowing the upper sensor to be in pressure communication with the exterior of the tubing string at the first location. A second lower sensor is deployed on a pump down cup (PDC) assembly to a lower depth in the outer sleeve to allow fluid pressures to be monitored at a second location in the wellbore.
An apparatus for installing two sensing instruments and cables inside of a single tubing string in a wellbore for monitoring well conditions at two different locations includes an upper sensor attached to an inner sleeve seated at a first location in a ported outer sleeve in the tubing string. The upper sensor is allowed to be in pressure communication with the exterior of the tubing string at the first location. A second lower sensor is deployed on a pump down cup (PDC) assembly to a lower depth in the outer sleeve to allow fluid pressures to be monitored at a second location in the wellbore.
E21B 47/01 - Devices for supporting measuring instruments on drill bits, pipes, rods or wirelines; Protecting measuring instruments in boreholes against heat, shock, pressure or the like
E21B 23/08 - Introducing or running tools by fluid pressure, e.g. through-the-flow-line tool systems
A method for producing bitumen or heavy oil from a reservoir, the method comprising: defining at least one lateral section of the reservoir for placement of patterns of heater wells above a producer well; placing the producer well at a substantially centered location at or adjacent to the bottom of the reservoir within each of the lateral sections; placing a triangular pattern of heater wells above the producer well; placing a regular or non-regular pentagonal pattern of heater wells, or a portion thereof, at or above the triangular pattern of heater wells; heating the reservoir with the triangular and pentagonal patterns of heater wells to conductively heat the reservoir and reduce the viscosity of the bitumen or heavy oil; and producing bitumen or heavy oil with the producer well.
A method and apparatus for installing two sensing instruments and cables inside of a single tubing string in a wellbore for monitoring well conditions at two different locations in the wellbore is described. An upper sensor is attached to an inner sleeve seated at a first location in a ported outer sleeve in the tubing string, allowing the upper sensor to be in pressure communication with the exterior of the tubing string at the first location. A second lower sensor is deployed on a pump down cup (PDC) assembly to a lower depth in the outer sleeve to allow fluid pressures to be monitored at a second location in the weIlbore.
E21B 23/08 - Introducing or running tools by fluid pressure, e.g. through-the-flow-line tool systems
E21B 47/01 - Devices for supporting measuring instruments on drill bits, pipes, rods or wirelines; Protecting measuring instruments in boreholes against heat, shock, pressure or the like
A system and method for producing bitumen or heavy oil from a clastic or carbonate reservoir. The mobility of the bitumen or heavy oil is increased by conductive heating to reduce the viscosity. The bitumen or heavy oil is heated to temperatures below the thermal cracking temperature of the bitumen or heavy oil. As the bitumen or heavy oil is produced, evolved gases or evaporated connate water or both form a gas chamber which acts to replace the volume of the produced fluid required for the gravity drainage process.
E03B 3/11 - Obtaining and confining water by means of wells by means of pit wells in combination with tubes, e.g. perforated, extending horizontally, or upwardly inclined, exterior to the pits
E21B 36/00 - Heating, cooling, or insulating arrangements for boreholes or wells, e.g. for use in permafrost zones
E21B 43/24 - Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons using heat, e.g. steam injection
A system and method for producing bitumen or heavy oil from a clastic or carbonate reservoir. The mobility of the bitumen or heavy oil is increased by conductive heating to reduce the viscosity. The bitumen or heavy oil is heated to temperatures below the thermal cracking temperature of the bitumen or heavy oil. As the bitumen or heavy oil is produced, evolved gases or evaporated connate water or both form a gas chamber to at least partially the voids left by the produced bitumen or heavy oil.
A method of producing hydrocarbons from a subterranean reservoir at least partially overlain by a low pressure zone or loss zone. The method comprises: providing a SAGD well pair; providing a lateral drainage (LD) well, laterally offset from the SAGD well pair within the reservoir; initiating operation of the SAGD well pair and the LD well to create a common steam chamber within the reservoir; injecting steam into the steam chamber via at least one of the injection well and the LD well and withdrawing produced fluids from the steam chamber via at least one of the production well and the LD well; and selectively co-injecting non-condensable gas (NCG) with the steam into the steam chamber at a selected rate and reducing the pressure of the steam chamber to create or promote an NCG buffer zone between the steam chamber and the low pressure zone or loss zone.
patents
