CABLE-BASED WELL HEATER

摘要

A resistive cable-based well heater for providing heat to an oil or gas bearing formation. The well heater includes a length of coiled tubing having a sealed down-hole end and an open-ended cable support adapter attached to the up-hole end of the coiled tubing. A bundle of cables is contained within the coiled tubing and the cables are conductively connected to each other at their down-hole ends at a location above the sealed down- hole end of the coiled tubing. The cables extend from the upper opening of the adapter and have free upper ends. A wedging tube is placed in the open end of the adapter for supporting the weight of the cables against the interior sidewall of the adapter when the well heater is deployed in a well. The wedging tube has an inner surface shaped to conform to the shape of one or more of the cables and an outer surface configured for weight bearing frictional contact with the inner sidewall of the cable support adapter.