Wells – With means for separately pumping from plural sources in well
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-22
2001-12-04
Neuder, William (Department: 3672)
Wells
With means for separately pumping from plural sources in well
C166S106000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325143
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to systems for raising fluids from wells, and particularly to a dual electric submergible pumping system for use in a narrowly confined wellbore to produce or move fluids with respect to at least two zones and without commingling of the fluids.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In producing petroleum and other useful fluids from production wells, it is generally known to provide a submergible pumping system for raising the fluids collected in a well. Production fluids enter a wellbore via perforations formed in a well casing adjacent a production formation. Fluids contained in the formation collect in the wellbore and may be raised by the submergible pumping system to another zone or to a collection point above the surface of the earth. Submergible pumping systems also are used to inject fluids into the formation to contain or move a reservoir of production fluid so that it may be produced more readily from a given location.
In an exemplary electric submergible pumping system, the system includes several components, such as a submergible pump, a submergible electric motor and motor protector. The submergible electric motor typically supplies power to the submergible pump by a drive shaft, and the motor protector serves to isolate the internal motor oil from the well fluids. A deployment system, such as deployment tubing in the form of coiled tubing or production tubing, is used to deploy the submergible pumping system within a wellbore. Generally, power is supplied to the submergible electric motor or motors by one or more power cables supported along the deployment system.
Some wells have the capability of producing from two or more zones or reservoirs. However, because of constraints, such as incompatibility of fluids, differential pressures in the reservoirs, and other constraints, it sometimes is undesirable to commingle the fluids produced from separate production zones.
Production from the separate zones or reservoirs can be accomplished by running separate electric submergible pumping systems along side of one another and deployed on separate tubing strings. In some applications, however, this may be problematic due to space constraints. In other words, the wellbore must be of substantial diameter to accommodate two separate systems that are deployed along side of one another. These problems are equally applicable if one of the systems is used for injection of fluids, while the other is used for production of fluids.
It would be advantageous to have a dual electric submergible pumping system that could be deployed either on a single tubing deployment system within a narrowly confined wellbore, or on a pair of tubing deployment systems with the two or more electric submergible pumping systems arranged generally axially. Additionally, it would be advantageous to utilize separate fluid flow paths to prevent commingling of fluids pumped from or injected into separate zones.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention features a system for producing fluids from two different zones within a wellbore. The system includes a first electric submergible pumping system coupled to a first intake that is disposed in a first zone. A second electric submergible pumping system is coupled to a second intake that is disposed in a second zone. A packer separates the first electric submergible pumping system from the second electric submergible pumping system. This packer is disposed within the wellbore between a first zone fluid and a second zone fluid.
According to another aspect of the invention, a system is provided for producing fluids from two different zones within a wellbore. The system includes a first electric submergible pumping system coupled to a first intake that is disposed in a first zone. The system also includes a second electric submergible pumping system coupled to a second intake disposed in a second zone. A lower packer is disposed to separate the first zone from the second zone and is disposed beneath the first and the second electric submergible pumping systems. Additionally, an upper packer is disposed between the first and the second submergible pumping systems.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a system is provided for producing fluid from two different zones within a wellbore. A first electric submergible pumping system is coupled to a first intake that is disposed in a first zone. A second electric submergible pumping system is coupled to a second intake that is disposed in a second zone. The second electric submergible pumping system is suspended from the first electric submergible pumping system. Additionally, a first packer is disposed between the first electric submergible pumping system and the second electric submergible pumping system. A second packer also is disposed between the first electric submergible pumping system and the second electric submergible pumping system to create a zone therebetween in which the first intake is deployed.
According to another aspect of the invention, a system is provided for use in a downhole, wellbore environment to manage fluid flow with respect to a plurality of zones. The system includes a first electric submergible pumping system coupled to a first intake that is disposed in a first zone. The system also includes a second electric submergible pumping system coupled to a second intake that is disposed in a second zone. A first packer is disposed between the first electric submergible pumping system and the second electric submergible pumping system. Also, a second packer is disposed to separate the second zone from a third zone. The arrangement allows the first electric submergible pumping system to produce a first zone fluid from the first zone, while the second electric submergible pumping system moves a second zone fluid from the second zone to the third zone.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a system is provided for use in a downhole, wellbore environment to simultaneously inject one fluid and to produce another fluid. The system includes first and second electric submergible pumping systems. The first electric submergible pumping system is coupled to a first intake disposed in a production zone. The second electric submergible pumping system is coupled to a second intake that may be supplied with an injection fluid. The first electric submergible pumping system is suspended from the second electric submergible pumping system. Further, a deployment tubing is coupled to the second electric submergible pumping system, and a bypass is connected between the first electric submergible pumping system and the deployment tubing. When a production fluid is produced from the production zone, the first electric submergible pumping system moves the production fluid through the bypass and up through the deployment tubing.
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Camco International Inc.
Fletcher Yoder & Van Someren
Neuder William
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