Pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus

Abstract

A pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus that has a pulsating effect unit, a multiphasic flow meter, and a production lift system that passes through a wellbore up to an oil reservoir. The pulsating effect unit has a control valve and a smart control unit. The production lift system has production tubing and a wellhead. The pulsating effect unit is connected to the production lift system. The multiphasic flow meter is connected to the production tubing to obtain well production parameters data. The control valve opens and closes having an opening/closing predetermined frequency. When the control valve opens and closes, it generates pressure variations along the production tubing. The pressure variations create a pulsating effect on walls of the wellbore. The multiphasic flow meter and the pulsating effect unit set an optimal opening/closing frequency of the control valve.

Claims

1. A pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus comprising: A) a pulsating effect unit; B) a multiphasic flow meter; and C) a production lift system that passes through a wellbore to an oil reservoir, said production lift system comprises production tubing and a wellhead, said multiphasic flow meter is removably connected to said production tubing, whereby said multiphasic flow meter is removed when said optimal opening/closing frequency of said control valve is determined.

2. The pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus set forth in claim 1, further characterized in that said pulsating effect unit comprises a unit housing.

3. The pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus set forth in claim 2, further characterized in that said unit housing comprises a solar panel at a top.

4. The pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus set forth in claim 2, further characterized in that said pulsating effect unit comprises a control valve, a pressure transmitter, a temperature transmitter, and a smart control unit.

5. The pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus set forth in claim 4, further characterized in that said unit housing houses said control valve, said pressure transmitter, said temperature transmitter, and said smart control unit.

6. The pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus set forth in claim 4, further characterized in that said multiphasic flow meter connects to said smart control unit.

7. The pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus set forth in claim 4, further characterized in that said multiphasic flow meter and said smart control unit comprise wired or wireless connections.

8. The pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus set forth in claim 4, further characterized in that said control valve opens and closes with a predetermined opening/closing frequency.

9. The pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus set forth in claim 1, further characterized in that said pulsating effect unit is connected to said production lift system.

10. The pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus set forth in claim 1, further characterized in that said control valve is connected to said production tubing.

11. The pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus set forth in claim 1, further characterized in that said pressure transmitter and said temperature transmitter are connected to said production tubing.

12. The pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus set forth in claim 1, further characterized in that said multiphasic flow meter is connected to said production tubing to obtain well production parameters including temperature, pressure, initial content of water, and initial content of oil.

13. The pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus set forth in claim 12, further characterized in that said multiphasic flow meter provides said smart control unit, said well production parameters including said temperature, said pressure, said initial content of water, and said initial content of oil.

14. The pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus set forth in claim 12, further characterized in that when said control valve opens and closes, pressure variations along said production tubing are generated.

15. The pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus set forth in claim 14, further characterized in that said pressure variations create a pulsating effect on walls of said wellbore.

16. The pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus set forth in claim 15, further characterized in that said oil reservoir is an exploited oil reservoir, which comprises said initial content of water, and said initial content of oil.

17. The pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus set forth in claim 16, further characterized in that said pulsating effect allows that said oil reservoir gets a final content of water, and a final content of oil, whereby said final content of water is lesser than said initial content of water, and said final content of oil is greater than said initial content of oil.

18. The pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus set forth in claim 1, further characterized in that said multiphasic flow meter and said pulsating effect unit set an optimal opening/closing frequency of said control valve.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) With the above and other related objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 represents a system of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 2 is a front view of a pulsating effect unit as part of the system of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 3 is a graphic that represents an initial content of water and an initial content of oil in a wellbore.

(5) FIG. 4 is a graphic that represents the content of water and the content of oil in the wellbore after implementation and operation the present invention.

(6) FIG. 5 is a graphic that represents oil production before and after pulsing effect of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(7) Referring now to the drawings, the present invention is a pressure assisted oil recovery system and apparatus, and is generally referred to with numeral 10. It can be observed that it basically includes pulsating effect unit 20, multiphasic flow meter 60, and production lift system 80.

(8) As seen in FIG. 1, pulsating effect unit 20 and multiphasic flow meter 60 are connected to production lift system 80, whereby production lift system 80 passes through wellbore W up to oil reservoir R. Production lift system 80 comprises production tubing 82 and wellhead 84.

(9) As seen in FIG. 2, pulsating effect unit 20 comprises unit housing 22. Unit housing 22 comprises solar panel 24 at a top. Pulsating effect unit 20 also comprises control valve 30, pressure transmitter 26, temperature transmitter 28, and smart control unit 32. Unit housing 22 houses pressure transmitter 26, temperature transmitter 28, control valve 30, and smart control unit 32. Solar panel 24 provides energy to pulsating effect unit 20. Pressure transmitter 26 and temperature transmitter 28 are connected to control valve 30. Control valve 30 is connected to production tubing 82. Pressure transmitter 26 and temperature transmitter 28 are also connected to production tubing 82.

(10) Multiphasic flow meter 60 is connected to production tubing 82 to obtain well production parameter data such as temperature, pressure, initial content of water, and initial content of oil. Pulsating effect unit 20 communicates with multiphasic flow meter 60. Specifically, multiphasic flow meter 60 connects to smart control unit 32. Multiphasic flow meter 60 and smart control unit comprise a wired or wireless connection. In a preferred embodiment, multiphasic flow meter 60 connects to smart control unit 32 through a “MODBUS” Ethernet protocol or other Ethernet protocol having a similar functionality. Multiphasic flow meter 60 provides smart control unit 32 well production parameters data including temperature, pressure, initial content of water, and initial content of oil.

(11) Control valve 30 opens and closes having an opening/closing predetermined frequency. When control valve 30 opens and closes, it generates pressure variations along production tubing 82. The pressure variations create a pulsating effect on walls of wellbore W. The opening/closing frequency of control valve 30 is determined through multiphasic flow meter 60. Multiphasic flow meter 60 and smart control unit 32 establish an optimal opening/closing frequency of control valve 30 by which oil reservoir R increases oil production. Multiphasic flow meter 60 is removable connected to production tubing 82, whereby multiphasic flow meter 60 is removed when the optimal opening/closing frequency of control valve 30 is found. Optimal opening/closing frequency of control valve 30 is the frequency at which wellbore W increases the oil production, due to the pulsating effect created by pressure variations. Optimal opening/closing frequency of control valve 30 depends of the type of wellbore W and oil reservoir R.

(12) As seen in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, oil reservoir R is an exploited oil reservoir R, which comprises the initial content of water, and the initial content of oil. The pulsating effect allows that oil reservoir R gets a final content of water, and a final content of oil, whereby the final content of water is lesser than the initial content water, and the final content of oil is greater than the initial content of oil. Usually, the initial content of oil is approximately zero.

(13) The pulsating effect causes that the fraction of water and the fraction of oil changes in the rocks of oil reservoir R. The pulsating effect acts on capillary pressures in the rock of oil reservoir R and this causes fractional flows of oil and water to be modified, whereby the content of oil increases and content of water decreases.

(14) Once optimal opening/closing frequency of control valve 30 is found, smart control unit 32, as seen in FIG. 2, keeps replicating that opening/closing frequency of control valve 30 and this effect is maintained over time while it is operating. If pulsating effect unit 20 is removed from production lift system 80, wellbore W returns to its initial production condition. Multiphasic flow meter 60 and smart control unit 32, both seen in FIG. 2, perform an automated search for the optimal point of production where wellbore W produces the largest volume of oil. The optimal opening/closing frequency is sought by generating various pulsating patterns at different pressures. Once the optimal pattern, wherein oil production increases is found, smart control unit 32 and multiphasic flow meter 60 initiate a pattern replication process by modifying the pressure in production lift system 80.

(15) The foregoing description conveys the best understanding of the objectives and advantages of the present invention. Different embodiments may be made of the inventive concept of this invention. It is to be understood that all matter disclosed herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.