Liquid Phase Propane Butane EOR System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) methods for shale and extra tight rock formations require high-pressure gas injection, leading to costly compressor systems and extensive pipeline infrastructure, limiting their applicability due to high capital expenditures and operational challenges.
Innovation Solution
A cyclic pumping method using a mixture of C3 (propane) and C4 (butane) in a liquid phase is introduced, allowing for stimulation treatment at lower pressures, eliminating the need for high-pressure compressors and pipelines, and enabling the use of modular, transportable equipment for efficient hydrocarbon fluid recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high-pressure gas injection is used for EOR, then oil recovery effectiveness is improved, but capital expenditures and device complexity increase due to costly compressor systems and pipeline infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of the injection fluid from gas phase to liquid phase. By injecting liquid propane and butane instead of compressed gas, the system eliminates the need for high-pressure compressor systems and extensive pipeline infrastructure, directly resolving the contradiction between recovery effectiveness and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from pneumatic (gas-based) injection to hydraulic (liquid-based) injection. By using liquid phase propane and butane that can be pumped through standard wellbores, the system replaces complex gas compression and delivery infrastructure with simpler liquid pumping systems, reducing both capital expenditures and operational complexity
2Productivity
If high-pressure gas injection is used for EOR, then oil recovery effectiveness is improved, but operational costs and environmental impact increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service system where the produced hydrocarbon gases (propane and butane) are directly reused as the injection fluid for subsequent EOR cycles. This closed-loop approach eliminates the need to purchase external gas supplies, reducing operational costs and environmental impact while maintaining effective oil recovery
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding the produced hydrocarbon gases as waste or flaring them, the system recovers and reuses these gases as the injection fluid for continued EOR operations. This recovery and reuse strategy reduces both operational costs and environmental impact while sustaining productivity
3Productivity
If cyclic Huff-and-Puff injection is used, then remaining hydrocarbon fluids are recovered, but production pressure must be maintained within narrow ranges limiting flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the pressure parameter characteristics by using liquid phase injection. Liquid propane and butane can be pumped at lower, more flexible pressures compared to gas injection, allowing the system to maintain effective EOR operations without being constrained to narrow pressure ranges, thereby improving adaptability while sustaining productivity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach increases the number of wells and reservoirs that can benefit from EOR by reducing capital expenditures, allowing for self-sustaining operations with recycled C3-C4, and achieving higher oil recovery rates with lower operational costs and environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
The pump delivers the liquid into the well at a pressure of around 3000 psi
Implementation Method 2
The fill portion of the cycle lasts approximately ten to sixty days (although other time periods are within the scope of the present invention)
Implementation Method 3
A pump is used to pump the mixture into the well at the desired pressure which is typically around 3000 psi
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid phase enhanced oil recovery system that, in a stimulation phase, pumps a liquid mixture of propane (C3) and butane (C4) having a starting ratio of C3 to C4 into a well. During a subsequent production phase, liquid C3 and liquid C4 is recovered by a stabilizer from the produced oil, and, in addition, C3 and C4 can be recovered from the produced hydrocarbon vapor and liquefied, The ratio of liquid C3 to liquid C4 can then be re-adjusted and may not be the same as the starting ratio. All of the liquid C3-C4 can be recycled back into the well in subsequent stimulation phases. The method works at relatively low pressures, so that a pump or pumps can be used for stimulation treatment. The site equipment is compact enough that it can be mounted on one or more skids to ensure transportability to be used on other wells.