Liquid or Hydrate Power System Applied To A Single Point Injection Gas Lift System

Abstract

This system stores and uses as needed Compressed Gas, Hydrates, or Liquified Gas to unload and add power in order to produce a well or transfer fluids from one place to another. It can also supply gas to run the system, or generate electricity or various other auxiliary functions. It has been proven successful and could increase production in America and the world by bringing back into production wells that are not economical any other way. One well at a time, or entire fields can be produced with a single compressor. Stripper wells account for 40% of total domestic production. There are 1000s of wells not being produced. Huge production OPEC type wells could be produced with this system better, faster, and less expensive than any other system. This is also environmentally cleaner as very little gas will escape to the atmosphere. I believe that generators and other engines could be operated with this expanding vapor renewable physical reaction which seems close to the level of energy created during the expansion of a diesel chemical reaction.

I as the sole inventor claim: 
     
         1 . A system which stores compressed natural gas and uses temperature, pressure, volume, and/or phase change of a gas, hydrate or liquid, and the expansion, pressure, temperature and volumetric energies that can be expelled to unload the static fluid column, and produce or transfer an oil, gas, liquid, and solids. 
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , comprising any or all of the following:
 a) a storage tank for compressed gas, hydrates or liquified gas,   b) a compressor to compress and cool the gas to the designed pressure, temperature, and volume,   c) a pump to transfer the liquified gas into the well in the high pressure side to match the hydrostatic head of the well and either go higher or add pressure to the column to unload the well when injection fluid flows into the hydrostatic column of fluid in the low pressure side of the production system,   d) Any mandrel or pump that can use a gas, hydrate, or liquid to operate downhole using a high pressure line or existing production tubing, especially the through tubing gas lift mandrel by this inventor,   e) A typical production system for gas lift which may include a continuous compressor, separator, dryer, and tanks for each type of fluid produced and separated.   f) A controller which monitors the components of the system including pressure, temperature and volume to make decisions about functionality and production cycle specifics. This is typical of computer controllers that are market standard only it can also control two PVT (Pressure, Volume, Temperature) levels one to unload and one to produce.   
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 1 , only a compressor, Injection Tank, Pump, Separator, Dryer, and Production Tank are required to operate the gas lift intermittently or continuously. 
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 1 , where gas is pressured and cooled to form hydrates and possibly to the point of a liquid and stored in a holding tank until the targeted production has filled the production side to a certain capacity which must be produced. The liquid height, hydrate volume, and gas pressure are then pumped into the well to create a force which offsets and overcomes the hydrostatic head in the well or low pressure production side of the system hence unloading the well. 
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 1 , where after the well is unloaded the injection gas, hydrates, or liquid begins to flow into the low pressure side of the gas lift mandrel and is less dense so it starts to rise to lower pressure. At some point it will cross the phase change boundary and turn to completely to gas with huge expansion displacing and flowing to the lower pressure at the end of the production system. 
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 1 , where the combination of all fluids and gases reach the field separator and are handled appropriately as far as is designed. The gas is sent to the scrubber then the LG compressor to be recompressed to a liquid and stored in the holding tank for the next production cycle, or is boosted and sent back down the well to continue production to a time when no more oil or whatever is left. At this time all the gas minus a trace pressure is pulled from the system and compressed into the designed pressure temperature and makeup all stored in the LG tank. 
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 1 , where the control unit determines if the system needs to continue producing or stop, and if gas needs to be skimmed off the system and liquified, or if a pressure drop is occurring which may signal a leak, how much gas and at what rate it needs to be pumped into the well. What lower pressure can the system be flowed after the system is initially unloaded and flowing. Basically every decision that needs to be made will be handled by the controller. 
     
     
         8 . The system according to  claim 1 , where the excess gas can be liquified to use as field gas to run the control valves, the compressors, the pumps, and the vapor recovery unit, as well as a generator, and other miscellaneous needs such as heating, etc. 
     
     
         9 . The system according to  claim 1 , where the excess gas can be liquified to use as field gas to run the control valves, the compressors, the pumps, and the vapor recovery unit, as well as a generator, and other miscellaneous needs such as heating, etc. 
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 1 , which can be used to unload wells with broken gas lift components or different loading heights since the gas conventional gas lift was first installed. 
     
     
         11 . The system according to  claim 1 , which in addition can use a two path or two procedure production enhancement which uses the high pressure gas, or partial hydrate from the storage tank to pump/cool then pump/heat an extremely hydrated gas into the well, and use a higher temperature lower pressure gas in a second path or at a controlled point in the process involving the cryo/pump, or to just bypass the cryo/pump at a time when the well has enough hydrates and needs a hot shot of compressed gas from the storage tank to spur the expansion of the hydrate in the high pressure side of the system to unload the fluid and get the production cycle going possibly to be used in a continuous system as this cooling could be very fast and only before the system is actually used to only compressed gas is actually stored. 
     
     
         12 . The system according to  claim 1 , which in addition can use a two path production enhancement which uses the high pressure gas, or partial hydrate from the storage tank to pump/cool and remove nitrogen to result with a liquified natural gas which is then pumped into the well or point of required expansion energy, and use a higher temperature lower pressure gas along with the required nitrogen in a second path past the cryo/pump to spur the expansion and phase change of the liquid in the high pressure side of the system to unload the fluid and get the production cycle going possibly to be used in a continuous system and would require a very small amount of liquified natural gas to unload and flow the well, economically, safely, and most environmentally green. 
     
     
         13 . The system according to  claims 11  and  12 , which use hydrates or liquified gas to power an engine or prime mover of any type without a chemical reaction but with only expansion and phase changes which are very efficient.