Wells – Submerged well – Means removably connected to permanent well structure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-10
2001-10-02
Neuder, William (Department: 3672)
Wells
Submerged well
Means removably connected to permanent well structure
C166S267000, C385S015000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06296060
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to methods and systems for producing off-shore deep-water oil and gas wells where gas pipelines or other gas handling facilities are unavailable.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
In undeveloped off-shore deep-water areas, there are generally no gas production pipelines or processing facilities available. As a result, the developer of such areas must either pay the high cost of building pipelines to far away existing gas and oil processing facilities or build expensive floating processing and off-loading facilities for oil and gas products.
Without pipeline infrastructure, the handling of natural gas off-shore is especially difficult because it must be converted to a liquid form and transported by tanker vessel or the like. The alternatives available are to convert the natural gas to liquefied natural gas, to methanol or to a liquid hydrocarbon mixture using the Fischer-Tropsch process. All of these natural gas liquification methods involve the construction of expensive and complex off-shore processing facilities.
Processing facilities known as “early production systems” have heretofore been utilized to produce smaller off-shore deep-water fields as well as to place wells in large fields on production whereby operating parameter data can be developed for use in designing large scale pipeline and processing facilities. However, such early production systems have heretofore been very expensive and often cost more money to operate than they produce. In addition, most early production systems currently in use flare the natural gas rather than processing it which is not permitted in the Gulf of Mexico and other off-shore deep-water areas.
Thus, there is a need for a simple and relatively inexpensive production system whereby natural gas can be produced in an inexpensive environmentally safe manner and the oil or oil and water produced with the natural gas can be separated and transported to processing facilities by way of tanker vessels or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides methods of placing off-shore gas producing wells on production which meet the needs described above and overcome the deficiencies of the prior art. The methods of the invention are basically comprised of the steps of separating gas produced by an off-shore well from oil or oil and water produced by the well, introducing the gas into the water surrounding the well at a depth where the temperature and pressure of the water are such that solid gas hydrates are formed when the gas is mixed with the water, mixing the gas with water whereby the gas is converted to solid gas hydrates and depositing the solid gas hydrates on the sea floor.
The oil or oil and water separated from the produced gas can be deposited in a floating container such as a tanker vessel for transport to a processing or pipeline facility. The apparatus for separating the gas from oil or oil and water produced by the well, i.e., a gas-liquid separator; a gas compressor for elevating the pressure of the gas, if required; and piping and the like can also be mounted on the tanker vessel. Also, if considerable water is produced, the water can be separated from the oil, treated in a water treating unit to make it environmentally acceptable and disposed of in the water surrounding the well. In order to provide excess water for carrying the solid gas hydrates formed, a water pump can be provided on the tanker vessel for pumping water from a depth where the temperature of the water is such that solid gas hydrates are formed when gas is mixed with the water. A reactor vessel for mixing the gas with the water is provided to insure that the gas fully reacts with the water and forms solid gas hydrates. The reactor vessel can be located on the tanker vessel or it can be located at the end of a conduit at the depth where the pressure and temperature are suitable for the formation of solid gas hydrates.
In an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the invention, the entire system for separating the gas from oil or oil and water produced by the well, pumping water at a pressure and temperature suitable for forming gas hydrates and mixing the gas and water can be located on the sea floor. This arrangement can be used in locations where the oil or oil and water produced can be conducted to a nearby oil or oil and water pipeline or processing facility.
In yet another arrangement of the apparatus, a spar buoy or similar floating structure which contains a water pump and reactor vessel is connected to the well. A tanker vessel having a gas-liquid separator and compressor, if required, mounted thereon is connected to the spar buoy or floating structure whereby the gas is separated from produced oil or oil and water. The produced oil or oil-water mixture is deposited in the tanker and the separated gas is then compressed, if required, and conducted to the reactor vessel. The water pump in the floating structure is operated to provide water to the reactor vessel and the solid gas hydrates produced are conducted to near the sea floor so that the solid gas hydrates are deposited on the sea floor. Upon becoming fully loaded, the tanker vessel can off load to a shuttle tanker or disconnect from the floating structure and transport the oil or oil and water to a processing or pipeline facility while another tanker vessel equipped with the same apparatus takes its place.
It is, therefore, a general object of the present invention to provide improved methods and systems for economically producing off-shore deep-water gas wells.
Other and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the description of preferred embodiments which follows when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Dougherty, Jr. C. Clark
Kerr-McGee Corporation
Neuder William
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