| CPC E21B 43/38 (2013.01) | 33 Claims |
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1. A system comprising a separator, emplaced within a wellbore string passage of a wellbore string that is lining a wellbore through which hydrocarbon material is producible from an oil reservoir within a subterranean formation, wherein:
the separator and the wellbore string are co-operatively configured such that, in response to inducement by a pump:
while reservoir fluid is disposed within a reservoir fluid-receiving zone, disposed within the wellbore string passage, the reservoir fluid is conducted upwardly, via an annular passage disposed between the separator and the wellbore string, from the reservoir fluid-receiving zone to a gas separation zone, disposed within the wellbore string passage, such that the reservoir fluid becomes emplaced within the gas separation zone, with effect that the reservoir fluid flow is separated into at least a downwardly-flowing gas-depleted reservoir fluid and an upwardly flowing gas-enriched reservoir fluid, wherein the separation includes separation in response to buoyancy forces within the gas separation zone; and
while the separated gas-depleted reservoir fluid is flowing downwardly from the gas separation zone, the separator diverts the downwardly-flowing gas-depleted reservoir fluid such that the downwardly-flowing gas-depleted reservoir changes direction and an upwardly-flowing gas-depleted reservoir fluid, being conducted via an upwardly-conducting gas-depleted reservoir fluid conductor, is established, such that the separator includes the upwardly-conducting gas-depleted reservoir fluid conductor;
wherein:
the gas separation zone co-operates with the reservoir fluid, emplaced within the gas separation zone, such that the reservoir fluid, emplaced within the gas separation zone, occupies the gas separation zone, such that the gas separation zone is occupied by the reservoir fluid only;
and
the wellbore string passage defines a separation-promoting cross-section, traversed by both of the gas separation zone and the upwardly-conducting gas-depleted reservoir fluid conductor, and the area of the separation-promoting cross-section of the wellbore string passage, occupied by the gas separation zone, includes a circular area, and the circular area defines at least 70% of the total cross-sectional area of the separation-promoting cross-section of the wellbore string passage.
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