Patent ID: 7509036

Claim:
An apparatus for heating a wellbore fluid to treat a well bore in a cool zone, comprising: an elongated hollow body sized and configured for extending a production line therethrough, said hollow body being adapted for positioning in a pre-determined location within a cool zone of the well bore, said hollow body comprising an inner housing surrounding at least a portion of the production line and an outer housing retained in a surrounding spaced-apart relationship to said inner housing, with an annular space formed between the inner housing and the outer housing, said hollow body being divided into at least one wet zone in fluid communication with the wellbore fluid and at least one dry zone adjacent said at least one wet zone; a heating means extending longitudinally in said annular space through said at least one wet zone and said at least one dry zone in a heat-transferring relationship to production fluid flowing through said production line, said heating means being operationally connected to an above-the-surface power source; and a control means for controlling operation of said power means depending on current temperature conditions in the pre-determined location in the well bore.