Systems and Methods for Oil and gas Recovery

Abstract

The present inventions are related to oil and gas recovery, and in particular to enhanced oil and gas separation during oil and gas recovery.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A oil recovery system, the system comprising:
 a separator device operable to receive an input fluid and to separate the input fluid into a gas portion and an emulsion portion;   a compression pump operable to receive a part of the emulsion portion and to increase the pressure from a first pressure to a second pressure to yield a high pressure fluid;   and a pressure reduction system operable to reduce the pressure of a prepared input to a third pressure to yield a return product, wherein the pressure reduction system flows the return product back into the separator device, and wherein the prepared input is derived from the high pressure fluid.   
     
     
         2 . The oil recovery system of  claim 1 , wherein the first pressure is approximately the pressure in the separator device. 
     
     
         3 . The oil recovery system of  claim 1 , wherein both the first pressure and the third pressure are approximately equal to the pressure in the separator device. 
     
     
         4 . The oil recovery system of  claim 1 , wherein the second pressure is at least five times greater than the first pressure. 
     
     
         5 . The oil recovery system of  claim 1 , wherein the first pressure is less than one hundred psi, and the second pressure is greater than five hundred psi. 
     
     
         6 . The oil recovery system of  claim 1 , wherein the gas portion is a first gas portion, the part of the emulsion portion is a first part of the emulsion portion, and wherein the system further comprises:
 a treater device operable to receive a second part of the emulsion portion and to separate the emulsion portion into a second gas portion, an oil portion, and a water portion; and   wherein the pump is further operable to receive a part of the oil portion mixed with the first part of the emulsion portion and to increase the pressure from the first pressure to the second pressure to yield the high pressure fluid.   
     
     
         7 . The oil recovery system of  claim 6 , the system further comprising:
 a storage tank;   a tank pump;   wherein the oil portion is stored to the storage tank; and   wherein the tank pump pumps the part of the oil portion to a tee fitting where the part of the oil portion mixes with the part of the emulsion portion.   
     
     
         8 . The oil recovery system of  claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises:
 a heater operable to heat the high pressure fluid to yield the prepared input.   
     
     
         9 . The oil recovery system of  claim 7 , wherein the prepared input is heated to between one hundred and one hundred, forty degrees Fahrenheit. 
     
     
         10 . The oil recovery system of  claim 1 , wherein the pressure reduction system includes a choke valve. 
     
     
         11 . A vapor processing system, the system comprising:
 a compression pump operable to increase a pressure of a processing fluid from a first pressure to a second pressure to yield a high pressure fluid;   an inlet valve operable to allow an input fluid to flow to the compression pump when open, wherein the processing fluid is derived from the input fluid;   a heater operable to heat the high pressure fluid to yield a heated and pressurized fluid;   an outlet value operable to allow the heated and pressurized fluid to flow when open; and   a lockable enclosure enclosing the compression pump and the heater, wherein the inlet valve and the outlet valve are accessible external to the enclosure.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , the system further comprising:
 a choke valve external to the enclosure, wherein the choke valve is operable to reduce the pressure of the heated and pressurized fluid to a third pressure to yield a return product, wherein the return product is introduced into a separator device.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the input fluid is at least in part derived from the separator device. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the first pressure is approximately equal to the third pressure, and wherein the second pressure is at least five times greater than the third pressure. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the second pressure is at least five times greater than the first pressure. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the high pressure fluid is heated to between one hundred and one hundred, forty degrees Fahrenheit. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 11 , the system further comprising:
 a system controller operable to allow operation of the vapor processing system from outside of the enclosure.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the input fluid is a first input fluid, wherein the inlet valve is a first inlet valve, and wherein the system further comprises:
 a second inlet valve operable to allow a second input fluid to flow to the compression pump when open, wherein the processing fluid is derived from a combination of the first input fluid and the second input fluid.   
     
     
         19 . A method for recovering oil and gas, the method comprising:
 flowing an input fluid into a separator device, wherein the input fluid separates into a gas portion and an emulsion portion in the separator device;   releasing the gas portion from the separator device;   flowing at least a part of the emulsion portion at a first pressure to a compression pump, wherein the compression pump increases a pressure to a second pressure to yield a high pressure fluid;   heating the high pressure fluid to yield a heated and pressurized fluid;   decreasing the pressure of the heated and pressurized fluid to a third pressure through a choke valve to yield a return product; and   flowing the return product into the separator device.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first pressure and the third pressure are approximately equal to the pressure in the separator device, and wherein the second pressure is at least five times greater than the first pressure.