Water treatment method for heavy oil production
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IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
E21B-043/24
E21B-043/16
E21B-043/40
E21B-043/34
B01B-001/28
B01D-003/42
C02F-001/04
C02F-009/00
출원번호
US-0868745
(2004-06-09)
발명자
/ 주소
Heins,William F.
출원인 / 주소
GE Ionics, Inc.
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
59인용 특허 :
49
초록▼
A process for treating produced water to generate high pressure steam. Produced water from heavy oil recovery operations is treated by first removing oil and grease. If necessary, the pH is then adjusted, normally downward, releasing at least some carbonate alkalinity as free carbon dioxide. Pretre
A process for treating produced water to generate high pressure steam. Produced water from heavy oil recovery operations is treated by first removing oil and grease. If necessary, the pH is then adjusted, normally downward, releasing at least some carbonate alkalinity as free carbon dioxide. Pretreated produced water is then fed to an evaporator. Up to 95% or more of the pretreated produced water stream is evaporated to produce (1) a distillate having a trace amount of residual solutes therein, and (2) evaporator blowdown containing substantially all solutes from the produced water feed. The distillate may be directly used, or polished to remove the trace residual solutes before being fed to a steam generator. Steam generation in a packaged boiler, such as a water tube boiler having a steam drum and a mud drum with water cooled combustion chamber walls, produces 100% quality high pressure steam for down-hole use.
대표청구항▼
The invention claimed is: 1. A process for producing steam for downhole injection in the recovery of heavy oii, said process comprising: (a) providing an oil/water mixture gathered from oil/water collection wells; (b) substantially separating oil from said oil/water mixture to provide an oil produc
The invention claimed is: 1. A process for producing steam for downhole injection in the recovery of heavy oii, said process comprising: (a) providing an oil/water mixture gathered from oil/water collection wells; (b) substantially separating oil from said oil/water mixture to provide an oil product and an oil containing produced water; (c) de-oiling said oil containing produced water residue to at least partially provide an evaporator feedwater, said evaporator feedwater comprising water, dissolved gases, and dissolved solutes, said dissolved solutes comprising silica; (d) heating said evaporator feedwater to remove at least some of said dissolved gases; (e) injecting said evaporator feedwater into an evaporator, said evaporator having a plurality of heat transfer elements; (f) distributing said brine on a first surface of at least one of said plurality of heat transfer elements, concentrating said evaporator feedwater, and generating a steam vapor; (g) discharging at least some of said brine as an evaporator blowdown stream; (h) slightly compressing said steam vapor to produce a compressed steam vapor; (i) directing said compressed steam vapor to a second surface of at least one of said plurality of heat transfer elements to condense said compressed steam vapor and to form a distillate stream, said distillate stream having a volume of at least ninety five percent or more of said evaporator feedwater stream; (j) collecting said distillate stream; (k) introducing said distillate stream into a boiler, to produce (i) steam, (ii) a boiler blowdown stream which is five percent or less by volume of said treated water stream, said boiler blowdown stream comprising water and residual dissolved solids; (l) injecting said steam in an injection well to fluidize oil present in a selected geological formation, to produce an oil and water mixture; (m) gathering said oil/water mixture from a production well. 2. The process as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of removing said residual solutes from said distillate to produce a substantially solute free distillate stream. 3. The process as set forth in claim 2, wherein said residual solutes in said distillate are removed via ion exchange treatment. 4. The process as set forth in claim 2, wherein said residual solutes are removed via membrane separation, wherein a solute containing reject stream is produced. 5. The process as set forth in claim 4, wherein said membrane separation method comprises electrodeionization, and wherein a solute containing reject stream is produced. 6. The process as set forth in claim 4, wherein said membrane separation method comprises reverse osmosis, and wherein a solute containing reject stream is produced. 7. The process as set forth in claim 2, wherein said residual solutes in said distillate comprise non-volatile total organic carbon constituents. 8. The process as set forth in claim 2, wherein said residual solutes in said distillate comprise hardness. 9. The process as set forth in claim 8, wherein said boiler blowdown is added to said evaporator feedwater before heating said evaporator feedwater. 10. The process as set forth in claim 2, wherein the pH of said feedwater is adjusted, and wherein adjustment of the pH of said feedwater is accomplished by addition of sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acic. 11. The process as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of adding said boiler blowdown stream to said evaporator. 12. The process as set forth in claim 9, wherein said feedwater is injected into said concentrated brine at a location upstream of a recirculation pump. 13. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein said evaporator feedwater further comprises dissolved gases, and wherein said process further comprises heating said evaporator feedwater to remove at least some of said dissolved gases from said evaporator feedwater. 14. The process as set forth in claim 13, wherein said evaporator feedwater further comprises at least some alkalinity, further comprising the step, prior to step (d), of lowering the pH of said evaporator feedwater by the addition of acid thereto, so as to produce at least some free carbon dioxide, in order to remove at least some alkalinity from said evaporator feedwater. 15. The process as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of removing at least some residual solutes from said distillate to produce a substantially solute free boiler feedwater stream. 16. The process as set forth in claim 15, further comprising the step of cooling said evaporator distillate prior to removal of said residual solutes. 17. The process as set forth in claim 16, wherein said method further comprises the step of heating said substantially solute free treated boiler feedwater stream before introducing said stream into said boiler. 18. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein during concentration of said evaporator feedwater, the pH of brine circulating in said evaporator is maintained to at least 10.5. 19. The process as set forth in claim 18, wherein elevated pH is maintained by the addition of sodium hydroxide. 20. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein during concentration of said evaporator feedwater, the pH of brine circulating in said evaporator is maintained to between about 11 and about 12. 21. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein during concentration of said evaporator feedwater, the pH of brine circulating in said evaporator is maintained to 12 or above. 22. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein said evaporator feedwater further comprises calcium, and wherein a calcium salt precipitate is circulated in said evaporator, and wherein a seeded-slurry is maintained for preferential precipitation of said calcium to said calcium salt precipitate rather than to said heat transfer surfaces of said evaporator. 23. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein said evaporator is a falling-film type evaporator. 24. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein said evaporator is a forced-circulation type evaporator. 25. The process as set forth in claim 23 or in claim 24, wherein said heat transfer elements are tubular elements having an interior surface and an exterior surface. 26. The process as set forth in claim 25, wherein said evaporator feedwater is concentrated at the interior surface of said tubular heat transfer elements. 27. The process as set forth in claim 23 or in claim 24, wherein said evaporator comprises a mechanical vapor recompression evaporator. 28. The process as set forth in claim 1, further comprising, prior to step (d), the step of returning said boiler blowdown stream to said evaporator feedwater. 29. The process as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of removing said residual solutes from said distillate stream in an electrodeionization treatment unit to produce (a) a substantially solute free feedwater and (2) a solute containing reject stream. 30. The process as set forth in claim 29, further comprising, before step (d), the step of returning said electrodeionization reject stream to said evaporator feedwater stream for treatment in said evaporator. 31. The process as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of injecting said evaporator blowdown stream in a deep-well. 32. The process as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of treating said evaporator blowdown stream in a crystallizer. 33. The process as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of treating said evaporator blowdown stream in a spray dryer to dry solids in said evaporator blowdown stream. 34. The process as set forth in claim 1, further comprising, before step (d), the step of removing oil from said feedwater stream to a selected concentration. 35. The process as set forth in claim 34, wherein the selected concentration of oil in said feedwater stream comprises less than about twenty parts per million. 36. The process as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of removing residual solute in said evaporator distillate in an ion exchange resin. 37. The process as set forth in claim 36, further comprising the step of regenerating said ion exchange resin to generate an ion exchange regenerant stream, and still further comprising returning said ion exchange regenerant stream to said feedwater prior to step (d) of claim 1, so as to treat said ion exchange regenerant stream in said evaporator. 38. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein said boiler comprises a packaged boiler. 39. The process as set forth in claim 38, wherein said packaged boiler comprises a water tube boiler. 40. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein said boiler comprises a once-through steam generator to produce 80% quality steam. 41. The process as set forth in claim 40, further comprising, after said once through steam generator, the step of separating steam and liquid from said 80% quality steam, to produce a steam stream having substantially 100% quality. 42. The process as set forth in claim 41, wherein said 100% steam quality stream is injected in said injection wells. 43. The process as set forth in claim 42, further comprising the step, prior to step (d) of claim 1, of adding said concentrated liquid containing dissolved solutes from flashing to said evaporator feedwater. 44. The process as set forth in claim 41, wherein said step of separating said 80% steam comprising producing a liquid stream containing dissolved solutes, and wherein said liquid stream is flashed to produce a still further concentrated liquid containing dissolved solutes.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (49)
Awerbuch Leon (San Francisco CA) Rogers Alfred N. (Pleasanton CA), Apparatus and method for energy production and mineral recovery from geothermal and geopressured fluids.
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Hayes Michael E. (Fernandina Beach FL) Hass Gary R. (Amelia Island FL) Sharpe Robert (Fernandina Beach FL) Nestaas Eirik (Chestnut Hill MA) Ostrovsky Mikhail V. (Acton MA), Method for improved oil recovery.
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