U.S. patent number 3,757,860 [Application Number 05/278,267] was granted by the patent office on 1973-09-11 for well heating.
Invention is credited to William C. Pritchett.
United States Patent |
3,757,860 |
Pritchett |
September 11, 1973 |
WELL HEATING
Abstract
A method for heating a well to thaw out a frozen portion of the
well or to protect permafrost surrounding the well from thermal
cycling due to variations in production rate from the well. Also, a
method for improving the pumpability of fluid which is produced
from a well which does or does not pass through a permafrost zone.
Further, a method for preventing the formation of hydrates in a gas
well which is in or out of permafrost. In this invention, an
alternating current is applied to at least one pipe in the well and
maintained at a desired voltage level, the frequency of the
alternating current is varied and controlled to cause a skin effect
and to increase the effective electrical impedance of said pipe,
and an electrical return is established from beneath the portion of
the well to be heated, e.g., from beneath a permafrost zone. By
this method the pipe is uniformly heated on its outer surface
throughout the portion of the well to be heated to a temperature
which prevents hydrate formation, or reduces the viscosity of
liquid produced through the wellbore, or causes thawing of ice, or
prevents freezing of water present to eliminate alternate freezing
and thawing of the permafrost and sloughing of permafrost due to
such thermal cycling.
Inventors: |
Pritchett; William C. (Plano,
TX) |
Family
ID: |
23064341 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/278,267 |
Filed: |
August 7, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
166/248; 166/302;
166/901 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21B
43/2401 (20130101); Y10S 166/901 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E21B
43/16 (20060101); E21B 43/24 (20060101); E21b
043/24 () |
Field of
Search: |
;166/302,248,DIG.1,250,57,65 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Novosad; Stephen J.
Claims
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or
privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A method of heating at least a portion of a first well in the
earth comprising applying to at least one string of pipe in said
first well an alternating current, varying the frequency of said
alternating current to cause a skin effect and to increase the
effective electrical impedance of said pipe to said alternating
current to at least about two times that of the normal electrical
impedance value of said pipe, controlling said frequency to
substantially maintain said impedance increase, and returning said
electrical current from beneath said portion of said well to be
heated.
2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said electrical return is
a pipe string in a second well which is spaced from said first
well, whereby both said first and second wells are protected at the
same time.
3. A method according to claim 1 wherein said portion of said first
well to be heated is in a permafrost zone, said heating is to thaw
out said first well from a frozen state or to protect said
permafrost from thermal cycling, and returning said electrical
current from beneath said permafrost zone.
4. A method according to claim 3 wherein said voltage is not
substantially greater than 75 volts.
5. A method according to claim 3 wherein said voltage is not
substantially greater than 50 volts.
6. A method according to claim 3 wherein said well is initially
frozen up and is thawed out by said method.
7. A method according to claim 6 wherein said voltage is at least
about 75 volts for fast thawing of said well.
8. A method according to claim 3 wherein said well is not initially
frozen up and is protected from freezing up during production of
the well by said method.
9. A method according to claim 3 wherein said well is shut in after
drilling of same and without production of same and is protected
from freezing up by said method.
10. A method according to claim 3 wherein said frequency is varied
sufficiently to cause said effective electrical resistance to be at
least about five times the normal electrical resistance value.
11. A method according to claim 3 wherein said frequency is at
least about 25 cycles per second.
12. A method according to claim 3 wherein said frequency is from
about 25 to about 70 cycles per second.
13. A method according to claim 1 wherein said frequency is varied
sufficiently to cause said effective electrical resistance to be at
least about five times the normal electrical resistance value.
14. A method according to claim 1 wherein said frequency is at
least about 25 cycles per second.
15. A method according to claim 1 wherein said frequency is from
about 25 to about 70 cycles per second.
16. A method according to claim 1 wherein said first well produces
natural gas wherein said gas contains hydrate forming water and
hydrocarbons, hydrate tends to form in said portion of said first
well which is to be heated, said heating being carried out to
prevent the formation of hydrates, and returning said electrical
current from beneath said hydrate forming portion of said first
well.
17. A method according to claim 16 wherein said hydrate forming
portion of said first well is in a permafrost zone.
18. A method according to claim 16 wherein said hydrate forming
portion of said first well is not in a permafrost zone but is at
temperature and pressure conditions which promote the formation of
hydrate in the gas produced from said first well.
19. A method according to claim 16 wherein said voltage is not
substantially greater than 75 volts.
20. A method according to claim 16 wherein said frequency is varied
sufficiently to cause said effective electrical resistance to be at
least about five times the normal electrical resistance value.
21. A method according to claim 16 wherein said frequency is at
least about 25 cycles per second.
22. A method according to claim 16 wherein said frequency is from
about 25 to about 70 cycles per second.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Heretofore, wells such as oil and gas wells have been successfully
drilled through a permafrost zone without causing substantial
damage to the permafrost itself. During drilling a warm fluid is
circulated through the wellbore thereby establishing a temperature
equilibrium between the well piping and the permafrost itself and
sometimes melting some permafrost. So long as warm fluid is
produced from the well, some permafrost may not refreeze near the
wellbore. The temperature equilibrium established is a function of
the flow rate and of the temperature and thermal properties of the
produced fluid. If the well is shut in or if the well's production
rate is restricted for a substantial time period either initially
after drilling or at any time during the productive life of the
well, the temperature equilibrium between the well and the
permafrost would be altered and as a result part or all of any
affected permafrost would refreeze. If any water is entrained in
the well in the permafrost zone, the water in the well can also
freeze and may cause damage to the well. Thereafter, when
production of the well does take place, or resumes, or increases,
thawing can again take place and if this thermal cycling is carried
on often enough and for a long enough period of time sloughing of
permafrost as well as damage to the well itself could occur.
Thus, once a temperature equilibrium is established between the
permafrost and the well, e.g., during the drilling of the well, it
is preferable to maintain this equilibrium essentially undisturbed
for the life of the well even though the production rate of the
well may vary considerably and, for a substantial period of time,
even be zero. In this way, a particular well could be shut in for
workover or any other desired purpose without fear of harm to the
well itself or the permafrost surrounding the well by substantially
disturbing the equilibrium previously established between the
producing well and the permafrost.
To substantially maintain the equilibrium between the well and the
permafrost means to maintain the well in a heated state even though
warm fluid is no longer circulated or produced through the well or
is produced through the well at such a low rate that freezing could
occur anyway. However, heating a producing well or a well that is
to be worked over is not a simple matter if the heating is to be
done safely, without obstructing the wellbore itself, or without
hindering the production rate of the well or any of the operations
that are normally carried out in a wellbore. It is even more
difficult to do this with an efficient rate of energy consumption
so that the process is also economically feasible. For example, a
downhole heater could be set in the wellbore in the permafrost zone
but this would be a localized type of heating which could cause
overheating at that point and insufficient heating at a point
further removed from the source. Downhole heaters can also take up
a substantial part of or even block the entire wellbore so that
normal production, workover and other operations could not take
place. A loop of wire could be passed down into the wellbore or
down into an annulus between two pipes of the wellbore to act as an
electrical resistance heater. But again this somewhat localized
heating obstructs some part of the interior of the wellbore and,
like the downhole heater, requires extra equipment and takes up rig
time for emplacement and removal. Electrical conduits could be
built into the pipe that extends into the wellbore itself but
electrically connecting a wire in one pipe to the next adjacent
pipe through the coupling is difficult, expensive, and can consume
rig time in just making sure that each pipe joint is made up in a
manner which preserves the desired electrical continuity.
If a well should become frozen up because it passes through a
permafrost zone or for any other reason, it must be thawed out in a
safe manner before it can be put on production again.
Also, natural gas or other hydrocarbon containing gas which is shut
into or produced through a wellbore (whether the wellbore does or
does not pass through a permafrost zone) can be sufficiently cooled
while passing through at least a portion of the well to cause the
formation of a hydrate. The hydrate is a solid ice-like material
containing both water and hydrocarbon which can form at
temperatures substantially above 32.degree.F. so that hydrate can
form in a wellbore that does not pass through any permafrost
zone.
Hydrate can be formed in the produced gas in such quantity that
plugging of the tubing through which the gas is produced and/or
pipes for carrying the gas over the earth's surface can occur. The
plugging is particularly troublesome wherever the flow path of the
gas has to change directions such as when passing through valves,
T's, and L's in the pipe system.
Further, the fluid produced from a well is sometimes quite viscous
and it is helpful to heat the fluid in the wellbore to reduce its
viscosity and generally to improve its pumpability for easier
production from the well. This applies to wells whether they pass
through a permafrost zone or not.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to this invention, an alternating electrical current is
applied directly to a pipe which extends longitudinally into the
wellbore, preferably to the outermost pipe in the well. According
to this invention, sufficient heating of the well pipe to maintain
at least the outer surface of the well pipe to which the
alternating current is applied at a temperature which causes
thawing of ice or which prevents freezing of the water adjacent
said pipe, or which prevents hydrate formation, or which reduces
the viscosity of the liquid produced, can be achieved by
controlling the frequency of the alternating current to cause a
skin effect, as hereinafter defined, and to increase the effective
electrical impedance of the pipe to the alternating current, and
returning said electrical current beneath the portion of the well
to be heated to the earth's surface.
By following the method of this invention, sufficient heating of
the pipe at least in a limited zone, e.g., a permafrost zone, is
achieved to prevent hydrate formation, to cause thawing, to prevent
thermal cycling above and below the freezing point of water, or to
render produced liquid more fluid while still using a safe voltage.
In this way, expensive and complicated electrical insulating
devices and equipment are not required but a commercially
acceptable consumption rate of electricity is maintained. The
heating achieved by this invention is uniform over the entire
surface of the pipe and therefore not localized in any way so that
there is substantially no risk of overheating in one part of the
well and underheating in another part. Also, extraneous wires and
heaters which take up space in and obstruct operations in the well
are avoided. Further, wires or electrical conductors carried
internally of a pipe wall which necessitate special electrical
connections through the coupling to maintain electrical continuity
are avoided.
The heating achieved by this invention is normally no greater than
the heating effected by normal production of warm fluid through the
well so that any permafrost that may be present is not subjected to
any greater degree of heat than that which is normal for the
producing well. Where the flow rate, temperature and thermal
properties of the produced fluid are such that the permafrost would
refreeze, then heating by the method of this invention can be
employed to prevent thermal cycling. In wells that do not pass
through a permafrost zone more heating can be tolerated and can be
provided by this invention to, for example, reduce hydrate
formation or render produced fluid more pumpable.
By employing the skin effect, as defined hereinafter, a loss of
current and short-circuiting problems are minimized because by
utilizing the skin effect the results of this invention are
achieved even if another pipe is touching or otherwise electrically
connected to the pipe which is carrying the alternating current
according to this invention. Also, by employing the skin effect,
where an inner pipe is touching the outer pipe or at other similar
points of contact along the outer pipe severe local heating and
even welding of the two pipes together is avoided. The avoidance of
local heating at any such point of contact is important to avoid
damage to the pipes or permafrost or both.
By this invention adequate heating of the well at moderate current
consumption rates is realized while at the same time minimizing the
electrical power lost during operation of the invention. This is
achieved by use of the skin effect to increase the alternating
current resistance and impedance in the well pipe but the skin
effect does not significantly increase the resistance and impedance
from one well to an electrical return below the heated area of the
well.
By practicing this invention, a well can be thermally protected
without heating permafrost or other heat susceptible material in
the well to any greater extent than that caused by normal
production of the well.
If the well has already frozen up due to a lack of production or
otherwise, the method of this invention can be employed to slowly
or rapidly thaw out the well and to establish a desired temperature
equilibrium between the well and any permafrost present.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and
improved method for protecting permafrost. It is another object to
provide a new and improved method for producing a well which is
completed through a permafrost zone. It is another object to
provide a new and improved method for substantially maintaining the
equilibrium set up between a producing well and surrounding
permafrost. It is another object to provide a new and improved
method for avoiding substantial thermal cycling of permafrost
without inhibiting desired production rate variances. It is another
object to provide a new and improved method for protecting the well
from freeze up when completed through a permafrost zone. It is
another object to provide a new and improved method for producing a
well through a permafrost zone. It is another object to provide a
new and improved method for thawing out a frozen well. It is
another object to provide a new and improved method for preventing
hydrate formation in a well. It is another object to provide a new
and improved method for improving the pumpability of fluid produced
from a well. It is another object to provide a new and improved
method for decreasing the viscosity of fluid in a wellbore.
Other aspects, objects, and advantages of this invention will be
apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure and the
appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The drawing shows one embodiment within this invention.
More specifically, the drawing shows the earth's surface 1 having a
first well 2 completed therein. Well 2, for sake of simplicity,
shows a simplified wellhead 3 composed of an outer longitudinally
extending pipe or casing 4 having substantially concentric therein
a longitudinally extending inner pipe or tubing 5, both pipes
extending through permafrost zone 6 into unfrozen earth 7. For
clarity, the invention will be described in reference to a
permafrost zone 6. However, it should be understood that this
invention is not limited to permafrost and that zone 6 could also
be a portion or region of a well which is desirably heated but in
which there is no permafrost. Wellbore 8 extends down to one or
more geologic producing zones (not shown).
The drawing shows a second similar well 10 composed of outer casing
11 which extends longitudinally into wellbore 12 with
longitudinally extending tubing 13 also extending into wellbore
12.
When one or both wells 2 and 10 are produced in a normal manner,
warm fluid such as natural gas or crude oil with or without
entrained natural gas and the like flows or is pumped from a
subterranean producing geological formation or formations either
through tubing 5 or 13, or in the annulus between the exteriors of
tubings 5 and 13 and the interiors of casings 4 and 11, or both, in
any of which cases some heat will be transferred from the well to
the surrounding earth, e.g., permafrost in permafrost zone 6 of the
well. When the well is produced for a substantial period of time, a
temperature equilibrium will be set up between the relatively warm
well and the surrounding permafrost and once this equilibrium is
established it is preferable to maintain it as such even if
production of oil from either well is substantially reduced or even
stopped. If, for example, either or both wells in the drawing is
shut in and not produced after drilling of same or production of
either or both wells in the drawing is stopped, or the production
of either or both wells is low or of relatively cool fluid, the
wells and the tubing and casing therein will cool thereby causing a
substantial change in the equilibrium set up between the producing
well and the permafrost and causing refreezing of part of the
permafrost as well as, possibly, causing freezing of water that
might be left in the wellbore or pipes in permafrost zone 6.
Thereafter, when warm oil is again circulated through or produced
from the well melting of various components will necessarily occur.
If this thermal cycling is carried out a number of times, it could
cause sloughing or other physical deterioration of the well and/or
permafrost which would not occur if the equilibrium initially
achieved between the producing well and the permafrost is
substantially maintained irrespective of the production rate of oil
from that well.
By this invention, an alternating current generator 15 is employed
on the earth's surface and connected to casings 4 and 11 by
electrical wire 16 so that the alternating current passes, for
example, at one point of time, down casing 4 across the earth below
permafrost zone 6 between casings 4 and 11 and up casing 11 back to
generator 15 by way of electrical wire 17. In this example, the
path of electrons from casing 4 to casing 11 in earth 7 will be a
field of flow represented by dotted lines 18.
The permafrost, being substantially completely frozen, will not
conduct substantial amounts of electricity so that the electricity
will not leak off to any great extent while passing through the
permafrost portion of the well. As soon as the electricity reaches
unfrozen earth below permafrost zone 6, it will migrate toward the
electrical return casing 11. Thus, it is important to the results
of this invention to return electricity from beneath the permafrost
zone. The electrical return need not be another well but rather can
be any electrically conductive element which extends below
permafrost zone 6 or below the zone of the well to be heated if no
permafrost is present. It is preferred that the electrical return
be another well because by utilizing casing 11 as a return conduit
that well is also heated so that the permafrost around both wells 2
and 10 is protected at the same time. It is emphasized, however,
that this invention does not require a minimum of two wells. One
well with a suitable electrical return is sufficient.
Alternating current is employed to avoid setting up an electrolytic
corrosion cell on one of the wells thereby avoiding corroding the
casing of either well. An economic advantage is thereby achieved in
that in transmitting electricity to a particular well or plurality
of wells a high voltage is employed for efficiency of transmission,
but at the site of actual use it is preferred that the electricity
received from the power line have its voltage stepped down and its
current stepped up, a result which is more readily achieved with
alternating current. Also, even though direct current might be
usable with sacrificial anodes, substantially higher current would
be required for the same power level.
The voltage employed with the alternating current is preferably
that which is substantially harmless to personnel working around
the well and is generally no greater than 75 volts, preferably no
greater than about 50 volts as initially applied to the wellhead.
With voltages no greater than 75 volts, slow thawing of a frozen
well can be achieved. Faster thawing can be achieved with voltages
greater than 75 volts but additional personnel safety features
should be used with these higher voltages. Any oil and gas gatherin
lines attached to the wellhead at the surface of the earth should
be electrically insulated from the wellhead but other than this
insulation no other electrical insulation or safety devices are
necessary when no more than 75 volts are used. Even the low
voltages of this invention are at a sufficiently efficient level of
voltage to keep the desired heating result commercially feasible.
Similar voltages can be employed for hydrate prevention and well
fluid pumpability improvement.
Another important reason for the use of alternating current is that
with the alternation of the current through the electrical circuit
there comes an inductance effect which causes the current, for
example, passing through casing 4, to tend to flow along the
surface of the casing rather than through the interior of the
casing. This inductance effect is often termed a "skin effect." An
additional result that accompanies the skin effect is that the
effective electrical impedance of the casing to the alternating
current being applied thereto increases above the normal impedance
value of that pipe.
The skin effect and the magnitude to which the electrical impedance
of the pipe increases can be controlled by the frequency of the
alternating current. Generally, as the frequency increases, the
skin effect and the electrical impedance increases so that by
proper use of the frequency of the alternating current employed,
the normal impedance of the pipe can be sufficiently increased to
obtain adequate but economical heating of the pipe even at low
voltages. Adequate heating is that necessary to prevent the
temperature of the well from falling below the freezing point of
the water adjacent the pipe or to thaw ice around or in the pipe,
or to prevent hydrate formation in the pipe, or to render a fluid
in the pipe more flowable.
By this invention, the frequency of the alternating current applied
to the well is controlled to cause the above-described skin effect
and to increase the effective electrical impedance of the pipe to
at least about two times, preferably at least about five times,
that of the normal electrical impedance value of the pipe. When
this is accomplished, sufficient heating of the well is achieved at
a commercially acceptable electrical consumption rate. All this can
be accomplished even when low voltages are used without making the
well dangerous to personnel even though a minimum of electrical
insulation is employed on the well.
The particular frequency used on a particular well to achieve any
of the results of this invention will vary extremely widely because
the frequency is dependent upon the chemical composition of the
pipe, the heat treatment history of the pipe, the size and/or
weight of the pipe, the specific voltage employed, the depth of
permafrost zone 6 or other zone to be heated, the spacing between
the well and its electrical return, whether thawing or permafrost
protection or hydrate prevention or liquid pumpability is desired,
and the like. Thus, it is impossible to quantify for all possible
cases the range of frequencies employed or employable to achieve
the desired results of this invention. However, generally the
frequency will be at least about 25, preferably from about 25 to
about 70, cycles per second.
Essentially all pipes in a well, be they tubing or casing and be
they of any type of steel, have too low a resistance to get
sufficient heating with moderate currents. Put another way, to
achieve adequate heating of pipes in a well, very high currents are
required if the teachings of this invention are not followed.
Furthermore, with these high currents comes the danger of severe
localized heating at points of contact as mentioned before. Thus,
by controlling the frequency and using the resulting skin effect
and increased impedance as a tool, electrical heating of the well
can be economically achieved even with safely low voltages and
without danger of severe localized heating in the well pipes.
Although substantially no electrical current will leak off in the
permafrost zone, should there be some leak off in this zone, it
would not be detrimental to the overall results of the invention.
This is so because in an area where permafrost exists, the
temperature at the surface of the earth in the winter and near the
top of the permafrost in the summer, i.e., T.sub.1 in the drawing,
is always much less than the temperature at or near the bottom of
the permafrost zone, T.sub.2 in the drawing. If there is leak off
of electrical current in the permafrost zone, it most likely would
occur at various points along the length of the zone. Even though
there may be some slight loss of current in the permafrost zone,
the maximum amount of current will be flowing through the upper
portion of the permafrost zone where more heating is necessary
since the upper portion is colder than the lower portion. Thus,
should there be leak off of current so that the magnitude of the
current as it reaches the vicinity of T.sub.2 is reduced, this is
not critical because temperature T.sub.2 is close to the freezing
point of water and sufficient heating can be achieved in the
vicinity of T.sub.2 with a reduced current, the larger current
having already been used in the vicinity of T.sub.1 where it is
needed most. Similar reasoning applies for the prevention of
hydrate formation and the improvement of fluid pumpability where
permafrost is or is not present in the well.
Below the lower surface of permafrost zone 6 the current density in
pipe 4 will decrease rapidly as the current leaves casing 4 for its
return trip by way of casing 11 and wire 17 to generator 15.
Current can be applied to wells 2 and 10 during drilling or
production of either or both wells if desired or can be employed
only when one or both wells' production rate is decreased or
stopped altogether.
A gas, such as natural gas, other hydrocarbon containing gas,
carbon dioxide, and the like, can be produced from a gas producing
geologic formation (not shown) into, for example, tubing 5 and up
the wellbore through a permafrost zone 6 (or through an unfrozen
but cool earth zone) to the earth's surface for further processing,
use, and the like.
The gas passing from tubing 5 at the earth's surface normally
passes through a piping system for further processing such as
dehydration, sulfur and sulfur compound removal, and the like.
Because of this, the gas passes through a large number of pipes and
changes direction by way of pipe T's and L's a large number of
times shortly after it leaves tubing 5.
The gas containing hydrate forming water and hydrocarbon can
initially be above the temperature and pressure at which
substantial amounts of hydrate form. By "initially" it is meant the
gas as produced from the geologic formation into the lower portion
of wellbore 8.
The substantially hydrate free gas is produced upwardly through
wellbore 8 and if the gas is not heated while passing through zone
6 or if the well is shut in and gas trapped in zone 6 of the
wellbore, the gas will be cooled sufficiently to cause substantial
hydrate formation. This can occur even if zone 6 is not a
permafrost zone but is sufficiently cool to cause hydrate formation
since, due to their composition, hydrates can form at temperatures
above 32.degree.F. as well as below.
The hydrate itself is a complex combination of hydrocarbons and
water. The chemical composition of the hydrate is presently
unknown. The hydrate is formed through the mechanism of water vapor
in the gas condensing and freezing in a manner which ties
hydrocarbon molecules in with the frozen water. The hydrate is
solid like ice but has a substantial hydrocarbon content. The
hydrate forms at temperatures above 32.degree.F. and can form at
temperatures up to about 80.degree.F. and higher in some
situations.
Any water present in the gas produced is a potential hydrate former
so that there is substantially no minimum amount of water in a
hydrocarbon containing gas below which the hydrate formation
potential is nonexistent. Normally, the gas produced from a
formation is saturated with water so that there is a very
substantial potential for the formation of large amounts of
hydrate.
The formation of a hydrate and its pipe plugging propensities are
especially significant in the production or shut in of gas wells
through or in a permafrost zone. The problem of hydrate formation
is not presently considered significant in the production of oil
wells. This is so because there is a smaller amount of gas
associated with the liquid oil and the liquid oil flowing through
the conduits and pipes carries the hydrate out rather than allowing
the hydrate to build up in the piping as was discovered to be the
case with gas wells.
When the portion of the wellbore to be heated by this invention is
not highly resistive to electrical current, e.g., the portion is
not permafrost, current leak off along the portion of the pipe to
be heated will be greater causing a current and heating gradient
along the piping. In this situation, the current and heating
gradients along the piping can be altered by varying the frequency
of the current. This way the heat along the piping can be
concentrated near the top of the piping to whatever extent desired
or needed.
In an exemplary situation, the gas, as initially produced, is above
about 80.degree.F. and above about 100 psig. In this situation the
hydrate normally forms in the gas at less than 80.degree.F. and
less than 10,000 psig. In this situation the gas in tubing 8 is
heated to maintain a temperature of that gas greater than
80.degree.F. while in permafrost zone 6. Of course, pressure plays
some role in the determination at which temperature hydrate
formation will occur. Generally, however, there is a temperature
such as 80.degree.F. for most natural gases, above which
substantially no hydrate will form at any practical pressure, i.e.,
less than about 10,000 psig.
In some wells permafrost may or may not be present but the fluid
produced into the wellbore is so viscous that it approaches or acts
like tar as far as its flowability and pumpability is concerned. To
decrease the viscosity of such a fluid or liquid to improve its
flowability and render it more easily pumpable through a downhole
or surface pipe, it is helpful to heat the produced fluid or liquid
in the wellbore before or while pumping same toward the earth's
surface. This invention is well suited for such a task by following
the teachings set forth hereinabove with respect to the invention
as applied to permafrost and hydrate prevention.
EXAMPLE
Apparatus substantially the same as that shown in the drawing is
employed wherein the depth of permafrost zone 6 is 2,000 feet and
the length of casings 4 and 11 is 2,600 feet so that casings 4 and
11 extend about 600 feet below the bottom of zone 6. Casings 4 and
11 are conventional 133/8 inch O.D., 0.514 inch wall thickness, API
grade N80 oil well casing, while tubings 5 and 13 are conventional
41/2 inch O.D., 0.271 inch wall thickness, API N80 oil well
tubing.
An alternating current of 250 amps is impressed on the outer
surface of casings 4 and 11 using 45.7 volts each and 52 cycles per
second frequency. The effective electrical resistance and impedance
of each of casings 4 and 11 under the impressed alternating current
are 0.112 ohms and 0.183 ohms, respectively. The distance between
casings 4 and 11 is 5,200 feet.
By following the above procedure the outer surface of casings 4 and
11 is kept at a temperature of at least about 32.degree.F. using 9
kilowatts of power per well of which 7 kilowatts is absorbed in the
permafrost surrounding each well.
For comparison purposes, if direct current were used, the
resistance of 2,000 feet of the same casing would be about 0.0071
ohms requiring about 993 amps of direct current to put 7 kilowatts
per well into the permafrost zone. The total input voltage and
input power per well would be 11 volts and 11 kilowatts,
respectively. The efficiency of the direct current would be reduced
by greater uphole losses resulting from the higher current
required. Capital costs would be greater and there would be risks
of hot spots at points of contact between the casing and
tubing.
Reasonable variations and modifications are possible within the
scope of this disclosure without departing from the spirit and
scope of this invention.
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