Reduction of hydrogen ingress into vacuum insulated tubing

Abstract

A vacuum insulated tubing including an inner pipe, an outer pipe concentrically arranged about the inner pipe such that an annulus is defined between the inner and outer pipes. A vacuum is drawn within the annulus, and a hydrocarbon-based coating is applied to at least one of the surfaces of the inner pipe or one of the surfaces of the outer pipe to reduce a rate of hydrogen migration into the annulus.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A vacuum insulated tubing, comprising:
 an inner pipe;   an outer pipe concentrically arranged about the inner pipe such that an annulus is defined between the inner and outer pipes;   a vacuum drawn within the annulus; and   a hydrocarbon-based coating applied to at least one of an inner surface of the inner pipe or an outer surface of the outer pipe to reduce a rate of hydrogen migration into the annulus.   
     
     
         2 . The vacuum insulated tubing of  claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon-based coating is selected from the group consisting of an epoxy, a paint, polyurethane, urethane, acrylic, a resin, a wax, and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The vacuum insulated tubing of  claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon-based coating is further applied to at least one inner wall of the annulus. 
     
     
         4 . The vacuum insulated tubing of  claim 1 , wherein the inner and outer pipes are made of a material selected from the group consisting of carbon steel, mild steel, stainless steel, any alloy thereof, and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The vacuum insulated tubing of  claim 4 , wherein the inner and outer pipes are made of carbon steel. 
     
     
         6 . The vacuum insulated tubing of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more centralizers attached to the outer surface of the outer pipe. 
     
     
         7 . A method, comprising:
 flowing a heated fluid through a vacuum insulated tubing that includes:
 an inner pipe and an outer pipe concentrically arranged such that an annulus is defined between the inner and outer pipes; 
 a vacuum drawn within the annulus to create an evacuated annulus; and 
 a hydrocarbon-based coating applied to at least one of an inner surface of the inner pipe or an outer surface of the outer pipe; 
   preventing heat loss from the vacuum insulated tubing to a surrounding environment with the evacuated annulus; and   reducing a rate of hydrogen migration into the evacuated annulus with the hydrocarbon-based coating.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein reducing the rate of hydrogen migration into the evacuated annulus comprises changing a minimum spacing in the chemical lattice structure of one or both or the inner and outer pipes with the hydrocarbon-based coating and thereby reducing a rate of hydrogen ions traversing a wall of the inner or outer pipes on which the hydrocarbon-based coating has been applied to its surface. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the hydrocarbon-based coating is applied to the outer surface of the outer pipe, the method further comprising protecting the hydrocarbon-based coating from damage with one or more centralizers attached to the outer surface of the outer pipe. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein reducing the rate of hydrogen migration into the evacuated annulus comprises limiting corrosion of one or both or the inner and outer pipes with the hydrocarbon-based coating. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the hydrocarbon-based coating is selected from the group consisting of an epoxy, a paint, polyurethane, urethane, acrylic, a resin, a wax, and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the inner and outer pipes are made of a material selected from the group consisting of carbon steel, mild steel, stainless steel, any alloy thereof, and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the inner and outer pipes are made of carbon steel. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising flowing the heated fluid through the vacuum insulated tubing in a thermal recovery technique selected from the group consisting of steam assisted gravity drainage, expanding solvent steam assisted gravity drainage, steam flooding, steam drive, cyclic steam stimulation, liquid addition to steam for enhancing recovery with cyclic steam stimulation, heated light hydrocarbon injection, vapor extraction, heated vapor extraction, cyclic solvent processing, thermal-solvent injection, geothermal, and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the heated fluid is a fluid selected from the group consisting of steam, water, an oil, a solvent, carbon dioxide, methane, a light hydrocarbon, nitrogen, any fluid that contains a hydrogen atom, and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the vacuum insulated tubing (VIT) is a first VIT extended into an injector wellbore, the method further comprising:
 discharging the heated fluid from the first VIT and into a surrounding subterranean formation; and   heating oil present within the surrounding subterranean formation with the heated fluid.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 drawing the oil into the injector wellbore and conveying the oil to a surface location; and   preventing heat loss from the injector wellbore to the surrounding environment with the evacuated annulus as the oil travels to the surface location.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 flowing the oil in the surrounding subterranean formation toward a second VIT extended into a production wellbore, the second VIT including:
 a production inner pipe and a production outer pipe concentrically arranged such that an annulus is defined between the production inner and outer pipes; 
 a vacuum drawn within the annulus defined between the production inner and outer pipes to create a production evacuated annulus; and 
 the hydrocarbon-based coating applied to at least one of an inner surface of the production inner pipe and an outer surface of the production outer pipe; 
 receiving the oil within the second VIT and conveying the oil to a surface location; 
 preventing heat loss to the surrounding environment with the production evacuated annulus; and 
 reducing the rate of hydrogen migration into the production evacuated annulus with the hydrocarbon-based coating. 
   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein flowing the heated fluid through the vacuum insulated tubing comprises flowing the heated fluid to or from a subterranean formation in a geothermal application. 
     
     
         20 . A well system, comprising:
 a tubing extending within a wellbore, wherein at least a portion of the tubing comprises vacuum insulated tubing that includes:
 an inner pipe and an outer pipe concentrically arranged such that an annulus is defined between the inner and outer pipes; 
 a vacuum drawn within the annulus; and 
 a hydrocarbon-based coating applied to at least one of an inner surface of the inner pipe and an outer surface of the outer pipe, wherein the hydrocarbon-based coating operates to reduce a rate of hydrogen migration into the annulus. 
   
     
     
         21 . The well system of  claim 20 , wherein the tubing is used in a thermal hydrocarbon recovery technique selected from the group consisting of steam assisted gravity drainage, expanding solvent steam assisted gravity drainage, steam flooding, steam drive, cyclic steam stimulation, liquid addition to steam for enhancing recovery with cyclic steam stimulation, heated light hydrocarbon injection, vapor extraction, heated vapor extraction, cyclic solvent processing, thermal-solvent injection, geothermal, and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         22 . The well system of  claim 20 , wherein the hydrocarbon-based coating is further applied to at least one inner wall of the annulus. 
     
     
         23 . The well system of  claim 20 , wherein the inner and outer pipes are made of a material selected from the group consisting of carbon steel, mild steel, stainless steel, any alloy thereof, and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         24 . The well system of  claim 23 , wherein the inner and outer pipes are made of carbon steel. 
     
     
         25 . The well system of  claim 20 , wherein the hydrocarbon-based coating is selected from the group consisting of an epoxy, a paint, polyurethane, urethane, acrylic, a resin, a wax, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         26 . The well system of  claim 20 , wherein the wellbore is an injector wellbore and the tubing is an injector tubing used in a steam assisted gravity drainage application, the well system further comprising:
 a production wellbore extending from the surface location and having a portion extending parallel to and vertically offset from a corresponding portion of the injection wellbore;   a production tubing extending within the production wellbore, wherein at least a portion of the production tubing comprises VIT comprising:   a production inner pipe and a production outer pipe concentrically arranged such that an annulus is defined between the production inner and outer pipes;   a vacuum drawn within the annulus defined between the production inner and outer pipes; and   the hydrocarbon-based coating applied to at least one of a surface of the production inner pipe or a surface of the production outer pipe.   
     
     
         27 . The well system of  claim 20 , further comprising one or more centralizers attached to the outer surface of the outer pipe.