Heavy oil presents well-known production challenges, and much industry research has focused on getting this thick, tar-like crude out of the reservoir. However, technology provider has focused on an equally important challenge, preventing the heavy crude from blocking production tubing as it travels to the surface.
We recently framed the common problems associated with heavy crude production, particularly paraffin deposition in production tubing and flowlines, and the solution that his company’s Heater Treater technology provides.
“The major problem with the most common heavy crude production scenario, steam injection to heat the crude and get it flowing to producing wells, is that the crude cools as it moves up the tubing. Once it hits the wax appearance temperature, paraffin begins dropping out on the tubing, and then you’re faced with expensive treatment scenarios to remove it and get production back up.”
The technology is designed to heat the crude at the point where paraffin deposition is expected to be a problem.
“This is a downhole heating tool, and can be placed directly into the production tubing below the deepest cool zone,”
The heating element is placed at the end of a tubing string that fits into the production tubing; as the crude comes up the production tubing, it comes into direct contact with the heating element. “As the fluid reaches the top of the tool, a temperature sensor transmits the fluid temperature to a computer at the surface,”. “The computer compares the actual temperature to a pre-set, desired temperature for the fluid.”
The heating element is placed at the end of a tubing string that fits into the production tubing; as the crude comes up the production tubing, it comes into direct contact with the heating element. “As the fluid reaches the top of the tool, a temperature sensor transmits the fluid temperature to a computer at the surface,”. “The computer compares the actual temperature to a pre-set, desired temperature for the fluid.”
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