System And Method For Recovering Hydrocarbons From A Subsurface Formation That Minimizes Surface Disturbance

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and method for recovering hydrocarbons that minimize surface disturbance. The system includes an electrical heater, electrical cables substantially within the subsurface formation that connect to the electrical heater, electrical pathways substantially within the subsurface formation that are configured to transmit power to the electrical heater, and a first local electrical room that is configured to (i) detect a pathway error within the electrical pathways based on pathway characteristics of pathway sensors and (ii) correct the pathway error by switching power transmitted from a first one of the electrical pathways to a second one of the electrical pathways that is separate from the first one of the electrical pathways.

1 . A system for recovering hydrocarbons, from a subsurface formation, that minimizes surface disturbance, comprising:
 an electrical heater within the subsurface formation that heats hydrocarbons within the subsurface formation;   electrical pathways substantially within the subsurface formation that are configured to transmit power to the electrical heater;   a first local electrical room that is configured to (i) detect a pathway error within the electrical pathways based on pathway characteristics of pathway sensors and (ii) correct the pathway error by switching power transmitted from a first one of the electrical pathways to a second one of the electrical pathways that is separate from the first one of the electrical pathways.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the electrical heater comprises electrical heaters. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , further comprising heater sensors, wherein each of the heater sensors is coupled to one of the electrical heaters. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein each of the heater sensors is configured to detect a heater characteristic of the one of the electrical heaters. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the heater characteristic comprises one of temperature, voltage, current and electrical resistance. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 ,
 wherein the first local electrical room is further configured to detect a heater error within a first electrical heater of the electrical heaters based on a first heater characteristic of the first electrical heater, and   wherein the first local electrical room is configured to correct the heater error by switching power from the first electrical heater to a second electrical heater of the electrical heaters.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least a first portion of the electrical heater is within a first wellbore within the subsurface formation. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the first wellbore is not configured to produce the hydrocarbons. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 ,
 further comprising an electrical cable substantially within the subsurface formation that connects to the electrical heater.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 ,
 wherein the electrical cable comprises a first wire, a second wire, and a third wire, and   wherein the first wire has a positive charge and the second wire has a negative charge.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein two of the first wire, the second wire and the third wire transmit power to the electrical heater at a time. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the first wire transmits the positive charge to the electrical heater via a first wire electrical pathway of the electrical pathways, and   wherein the second wire transmits the negative charge to the electrical heater via a second wire electrical pathway of the electrical pathways.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the pathway sensors comprise a first wire sensor and a second wire sensor coupled to the first wire, a third wire sensor and a fourth wire sensor coupled to the second wire and a fifth wire sensor and a sixth wire sensor coupled to the third wire. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the pathway characteristics comprise a first wire pathway characteristic of the first wire, a second wire pathway characteristic of the second wire and a third wire pathway characteristic of the third wire. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the first local electrical room is configured to detect the pathway error within at least one of the first wire based on the first wire pathway characteristic, the second wire based on the second wire pathway characteristic and the third wire based on the third wire pathway characteristics. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 9 ,
 wherein the electrical cable comprises electrical cables, and   wherein the electrical cables comprise at least a first electrical cable and a second electrical cable that is separate from the first electrical cable.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein one of the first electrical cable and the second electrical cable transmit power to the electrical heater at a time. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the first electrical cable comprises a first cable electrical pathway of the electrical pathways and the second electrical cable comprises a second cable electrical pathway of the electrical pathways. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the pathway sensors comprise a first cable sensor coupled to the first electrical cable and a second cable sensor coupled to the second electrical cable. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the pathway characteristics comprise a first cable pathway characteristic of the first electrical cable and a second cable pathway characteristic of the second electrical cable. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the first local electrical room is configured to detect the pathway error within at least one of the first electrical cable based on the first cable pathway characteristic and the second electrical cable based on the second cable pathway characteristic. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each of the pathway characteristics comprise one of temperature, voltage, current and electrical resistance. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein an entirety of the electrical cables are within the subsurface formation. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first electric room comprises a first local distribution circuit, having a switching mechanism that is configured to switch the power transmitted from the first one of the electrical pathways to the second one of the electrical pathways, and a first data acquisition system, that communicates with the first local distribution circuit. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a power source having a power cable that supplies power to the electrical pathways. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 25 ,
 wherein the power source is configured to communicate with a power input feeder circuit, and   wherein the power input feeder circuit is configured to feed power from the power source to the electrical pathways.   
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the power source is external to the subsurface formation. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein a substantial portion of the power cable is external to the subsurface formation. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the power cable comprises power cables. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the power cables extend and connect to a second local electrical room that is configured to detect and correct an error within the power cables. 
     
     
         31 . A method for recovering hydrocarbons, from a subsurface formation, that minimizes surface disturbance comprising:
 transmitting power to an electrical heater via at least one electrical pathway substantially within the subsurface formation;   generating heat within the electrical heater, wherein the electrical heater is substantially within the subsurface formation;   detecting a pathway characteristic from a pathway sensor within the subsurface formation;   detecting a pathway error of the power transmitted to the electrical heater; and   correcting the pathway error by switching power transmitted from the first one of the at least one electrical pathway to a second one of the at least one electrical pathway that is separate from the first one of the at least one electrical pathway.   
     
     
         32 . The method of any  claim 31 , wherein the pathway characteristic comprises one of temperature, voltage, current and electrical resistance. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein at least a portion of the electrical heater is within a first wellbore within the subsurface formation. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising producing the hydrocarbons from the subsurface formation. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising producing the hydrocarbons via a second wellbore that is separate from the first wellbore.