Integrated Pump and Compressor and Method of Producing Multiphase Well Fluid Downhole and at Surface

Abstract

An integrated system is disclosed to handle production of multiphase fluid consisting of oil, gas and water. The production stream is first separated into two streams: a liquid dominated stream (GVF <5% for example) and a gas dominated stream (GVF >95% for example). The separation can be done through shrouds, cylindrical cyclonic, gravity, in-line or the like separation techniques. The two streams are then routed separately to pumps which pump dissimilar fluids, such as a liquid pump and a gas compressor, and subsequently recombined. Both pumps are driven by a single motor shaft which includes an internal passageway associated with one of the pumps for reception of the fluid from the other pump, thereby providing better cooling and greater overall efficiency of all systems associated therewith. A method for providing artificial lift or pressure boosting of multiphase fluid is also disclosed.

1 - 13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . A method comprising:
 driving, by a first pumping device, a first phase-dominant stream in a direction;   while driving the first phase-dominant stream, driving, by a second pumping device, a second phase-dominant stream in the direction; and   flowing the first phase-dominant stream driven by the first pumping device through the second pumping device to cool the first pumping device.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising simultaneously driving, by a common power source, the first pumping device and the second pumping device. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the first single phase-dominant stream and the second single phase-dominant stream flow together in a multiphase fluid towards the first pumping device and the second pumping device, and wherein the method further comprises separating the multiphase fluid into the first single phase-dominant stream and the second single phase-dominant stream. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising combining the first phase-dominant stream driven by the first pumping device and the second phase-dominant stream driven by the second pumping device. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the first single phase-dominant stream is a gas phase-dominant stream, wherein the first pumping device comprises a gas compressor. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the second single phase-dominant stream is a liquid phase-dominant stream, wherein the second pumping device comprises a liquid pump. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the first single phase-dominant stream is a liquid phase-dominant stream, wherein the first pumping device comprises a liquid pump. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the second single phase-dominant stream is a gas phase-dominant stream, wherein the second pumping device comprises a gas compressor.