Steam Diluent Generator for SAGD Operations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) methods for heavy oil recovery are water and energy intensive, and traditional boilers struggle with fouling due to impurities in produced water and brackish well water, leading to increased costs and environmental impacts.
Innovation Solution
A novel fluid bed combustor with controlled heat flux and a double-tube heat exchanger system uses minimally treated produced water to generate steam, absorbing heat from a fluidized bed combustion process, reducing fouling and eliminating the need for extensive water treatment, while also recycling byproducts for solvent recovery or diluent use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional boilers are used to generate steam from produced water, then steam can be supplied for SAGD operations, but boiler fouling increases due to impurities in the water
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes harmful impurities (silica, organic compounds, metals) from produced water through a multi-stage treatment process including filtration, chemical treatment, and evaporation, thereby preventing boiler fouling while maintaining steam generation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an intermediary steam generation system that uses treated water with controlled impurity levels, acting as a mediator between the contaminated produced water and the steam boiler, preventing direct contact between boiler components and harmful substances
2Object-affected harmful factors
If produced water is extensively treated to remove impurities, then boiler fouling is reduced, but treatment costs and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the parameter of water quality by controlling specific impurity concentrations rather than complete purification, using evaporation and chemical treatment to maintain impurity levels below fouling thresholds while simplifying the treatment system
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies different treatment methods to different impurity types locally - filtration for particulates, chemical treatment for organics, and evaporation for silica, optimizing each treatment stage for its specific target rather than using a single complex system
3Productivity
If solvent is injected to dilute bitumen and reduce viscosity, then oil recovery efficiency improves, but solvent consumption and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention recovers and reuses solvent from the produced water and oil mixture through separation processes, converting what would be waste into reusable diluent, thereby reducing the need for fresh solvent injection and lowering operational costs
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 method reduces water and solvent consumption, minimizes boiler fouling, and enhances crude quality by eliminating the need for extensive water treatment and solvent purchase, thereby improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of SAGD operations.
Implementation Method 1
a combustion chamber configured to burn hydrocarbon waste
Implementation Method 2
a heat exchanger configured to convert the produced water to steam by absorbing heat from the fluidized bed combustion process
Implementation Method 3
The heat from the steam reduces the hydrocarbon's viscosity, thus enabling the heated crude and condensed steam to flow down to the production well
Data Source
AI summary
A method for using untreated produced water to generate steam and simultaneously producing diluents is disclosed. The method includes a combustion process for generating steam for hydrocarbon recovery using untreated water and, an optional process for recovering combustion byproducts to assist in hydrocarbon recovery or solvent injections. Specifically, a novel combustion method and a double-tube heat exchanger are used to generate steam while minimizing or eliminating water treatment steps and boiler fouling. Low value pitch, also known as asphalt, is used for combustion fuel. In addition to the steam generation, byproducts of the combustion process can be utilized in solvent injections or as a diluent.