Solvent Recovery in Enhanced Oil Recovery Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for improved systems and methods for enhanced oil recovery, particularly using solvent-enhanced water flood techniques, and for efficient recovery and recycling of solvents in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) operations.
Innovation Solution
The method involves injecting water and a solvent into an oil formation, producing a mixture that is separated into streams of oil, water, and solvent, with the solvent being further recovered from the gas stream by exposure to water, allowing for improved solvent recycling and enhanced hydrocarbon recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If solvent is injected into the formation for enhanced oil recovery, then hydrocarbon recovery is improved, but solvent loss in the gas stream increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a solvent recovery system where solvent is stripped from the gas stream using a stripper column, condensed, and recycled back to the injection system. This allows the solvent to be recovered and reused rather than discarded, resolving the contradiction between using solvent for enhanced recovery and losing it in the gas stream.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a closed-loop system where solvent recovery metrics are monitored and the recovery process adjusts accordingly. The stripped solvent is fed back into the injection system, creating a feedback loop that optimizes both recovery efficiency and solvent utilization, preventing excessive solvent loss while maintaining high hydrocarbon recovery.
2Productivity
If water and solvent are injected into the formation, then oil recovery is enhanced, but separation and recycling complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the separation and recovery process into distinct functional segments: a separator unit that divides the produced mixture into liquid and gas phases, a stripper unit that removes solvent from the gas stream, and a condenser that recovers the stripped solvent. This segmentation allows each unit to perform its function efficiently without overwhelming complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces water as an intermediary substance in the separation process. Water is used to strip the solvent from the gas stream in the stripper column, facilitating the separation of solvent from hydrocarbons. This intermediary approach simplifies the overall separation mechanism compared to direct condensation or complex chemical separation methods.
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 enhances oil recovery through improved solvent recycling and use of miscible additives in water floods, leading to increased hydrocarbon recovery and more efficient EOR processes.
Implementation Method 1
separating the mixture into a first stream comprising oil, water, and a first portion of the solvent, and a second stream comprising gas and a second portion of the solvent
Implementation Method 2
exposing the second stream to water to remove the second portion of the solvent from the gas
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing oil, comprising injecting water and a solvent into a formation; producing a mixture comprising water, solvent, oil, and gas from the formation; separating the mixture into a first stream comprising oil, water, and a first portion of the solvent, and a second stream comprising gas and a second portion of the solvent, and exposing the second stream to water to remove the second portion of the solvent from the gas.