Systems and Methods for Artificial Lift Via a Downhole Positive Displacement Pump

Abstract

Systems and methods for artificial lift via a downhole positive displacement pump are disclosed herein. The methods include methods of removing a wellbore liquid from a wellbore that extends within a subterranean formation and/or methods of locating the downhole positive displacement pump within the wellbore. The systems include hydrocarbon wells that include the wellbore, a casing, a rotary electric motor, the downhole positive displacement pump, and a liquid discharge conduit, and the systems may be utilized with and/or configured to perform the methods.

1 . A method of removing a wellbore liquid from a wellbore that extends within a subterranean formation, the method comprising:
 electrically powering a downhole positive displacement pump; and   pumping the wellbore liquid from the wellbore with the downhole positive displacement pump, wherein the pumping includes:   (i) pressurizing the wellbore liquid with the downhole positive displacement pump to generate a pressurized wellbore liquid at a discharge pressure; and   (ii) flowing the pressurized wellbore liquid at least a threshold vertical distance to a surface region at a discharge flow rate of at least 0.75 cubic meters per day and less than 16 cubic meters per day.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the discharge pressure is at least 25 MPa. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pumping includes continuously pumping the wellbore liquid from the wellbore. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further includes producing a hydrocarbon gas from the subterranean formation at least partially concurrently with the pumping. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pumping includes pumping with at least a threshold pumping efficiency of at least 50%. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pumping includes pumping with an axial piston pump. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pumping includes pumping with a radial piston pump. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the electrically powering includes electrically powering with a rotary electric motor. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the electrically powering includes generating an electric current within the wellbore and conveying the electric current to the rotary electric motor. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further includes detecting a downhole process parameter. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the downhole process parameter includes at least one of a downhole temperature, a downhole pressure, the discharge pressure, a downhole flow rate, and the discharge flow rate. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further includes controlling at least one of the discharge flow rate and the discharge pressure. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the controlling includes regulating a rotational frequency of a rotary electric motor. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the method includes monitoring the discharge pressure, wherein the controlling includes regulating the discharge flow rate to control the discharge pressure, and further wherein the controlling includes at least one of:
 (i) increasing the discharge flow rate to increase the discharge pressure; and   (ii) decreasing the discharge flow rate to decrease the discharge pressure.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the downhole positive displacement pump includes a liquid inlet valve that is configured to selectively introduce the wellbore liquid into a compression chamber of the downhole positive displacement pump, wherein the method includes detecting a gas lock condition of the downhole positive displacement pump, and further wherein the method includes opening the liquid inlet valve responsive to detecting the gas lock condition. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the threshold vertical distance is at least 1000 meters. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the downhole positive displacement pump and a rotary electric motor together define a downhole assembly, and further wherein a length of the downhole assembly is less than 10 meters. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the downhole positive displacement pump includes fewer than three stages. 
     
     
         19 . A method of locating a downhole positive displacement pump within a wellbore that extends within a subterranean formation, the method comprising:
 locating the downhole positive displacement pump within a casing conduit of a casing that extends within the wellbore, wherein the locating includes placing the downhole positive displacement pump within a lubricator that is in selective fluid communication with the casing conduit; and   conveying the downhole positive displacement pump through the casing conduit until the downhole positive displacement pump is at least a threshold vertical distance from a surface region, wherein the casing conduit defines a nonlinear region, and further wherein the conveying includes conveying through the nonlinear region.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the nonlinear region includes at least one of a tortuous region, a curvilinear region, a deviated region, an L-shaped region, an S-shaped region, and a transition region between a horizontal region and a vertical region. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the conveying includes at least one of conveying without first supplying a kill weight fluid to the wellbore and conveying while containing wellbore fluids within the wellbore. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the conveying includes establishing a fluid flow from the surface region, through the casing conduit, and into the subterranean formation, and flowing the downhole positive displacement pump through the casing conduit with the fluid flow. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the threshold vertical distance is at least 1000 meters. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the downhole positive displacement pump and a rotary electric motor together define a downhole assembly, and further wherein a length of the downhole assembly is less than 10 meters. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the downhole positive displacement pump includes fewer than three stages. 
     
     
         26 . A hydrocarbon well, comprising:
 a wellbore that extends between a surface region and a subterranean formation;   a casing that extends within the wellbore and defines a casing conduit;   a rotary electric motor that is located within the casing conduit;   a downhole positive displacement pump that is configured to be powered by the rotary electric motor, wherein the downhole positive displacement pump is located within the wellbore at least a threshold vertical distance from the surface region, wherein the downhole positive displacement pump and the rotary electric motor together define a downhole assembly, and further wherein a length of the downhole assembly is less than 10 meters; and   a liquid discharge conduit that extends between the downhole positive displacement pump and the surface region and is in fluid communication with the casing conduit via the downhole positive displacement pump, wherein the downhole positive displacement pump is configured to convey a wellbore liquid from the casing conduit via the liquid discharge conduit; and   wherein at least one of:   (i) the threshold vertical distance is at least 1000 meters; and   (ii) the casing conduit defines a nonlinear region and the downhole assembly is located downhole from the nonlinear region.   
     
     
         27 . The well of  claim 26 , wherein the nonlinear region includes at least one of a tortuous region, a curvilinear region, a deviated region, an L-shaped region, an S-shaped region, and a transition region between a horizontal region and a vertical region. 
     
     
         28 . The well of  claim 26 , wherein the well further includes a controller that is programmed to control the operation of at least one of the rotary electric motor and the downhole positive displacement pump. 
     
     
         29 . The well of  claim 28 , wherein the controller is programmed to maintain a target wellbore liquid level within the wellbore above the downhole positive displacement pump. 
     
     
         30 . The well of  claim 28 , wherein the well further includes a sensor that is configured to detect a downhole process parameter. 
     
     
         31 . The well of  claim 30 , wherein the downhole process parameter includes at least one of a discharge flow rate from the downhole positive displacement pump and a discharge pressure from the downhole positive displacement pump. 
     
     
         32 . The well of  claim 30 , wherein the controller is programmed to control a rotational frequency of the rotary electric motor based, at least in part, on the downhole process parameter. 
     
     
         33 . The well of  claim 30 , wherein the downhole positive displacement pump includes an axial piston pump, and further wherein the controller is programmed to regulate a plate angle of a wobble plate of the axial piston pump based, at least in part, on the downhole process parameter. 
     
     
         34 . The well of  claim 30 , wherein the downhole positive displacement pump includes a liquid inlet valve that is configured to selectively introduce the wellbore liquid into a compression chamber of the downhole positive displacement pump, wherein the downhole process parameter is indicative of a gas lock condition of the downhole positive displacement pump, and further wherein the controller is programmed to open the liquid inlet valve responsive to the downhole process parameter indicating the gas lock condition. 
     
     
         35 . The well of  claim 28 , wherein the controller is programmed to regulate a discharge flow rate from the downhole positive displacement pump to control a discharge pressure from the downhole positive displacement pump, and further wherein the controller is programmed to at least one of:
 (i) increase the discharge flow rate to increase the discharge pressure; and   (ii) decrease the discharge flow rate to decrease the discharge pressure.   
     
     
         36 . The well of  claim 26 , wherein the well further includes a lubricator that is in fluid communication with the casing conduit, wherein the downhole positive displacement pump and the rotary electric motor together define a downhole assembly, and further wherein the downhole assembly is sized to be located within the lubricator. 
     
     
         37 . The well of  claim 26 , wherein the downhole positive displacement pump includes fewer than three stages.