Patent ID: 7909097

Claim:
An elongate well liner segment for upgrading hydrocarbons during collection thereof from an underground hydrocarbon reservoir, said liner segment having first and second mutually opposite ends and adapted to be coupled in a horizontal manner at both of said mutually opposite ends to another elongate well liner segment to form an elongate well liner, each well liner segment comprising: an elongate substantially hollow outer liner member, having a longitudinal axis and possessing a plurality of apertures in at least a portion of a periphery thereof, each of a size sufficient to allow flow therethrough of a flowable hydrocarbon; an elongate substantially hollow inner liner member, concentrically disposed within an interior of said outer member along said longitudinal axis thereof so as to form an interstitial space between said inner member and said outer member, likewise having a plurality of apertures disposed about periphery thereof to permit ingress of partially upgraded hydrocarbon from said interstitial space to within said inner member; said interstitial space adapted to be filled with a catalyst to upgrade and improve flowability of said hydrocarbon when said hydrocarbon flows through said interstitial passage and thereafter into said inner member via said apertures therein; said liner segment having coupling means coupling said inner liner member to said outer liner member; and wherein said coupling means coupling said inner liner member to said outer liner member includes means for allowing longitudinal slidable movement of said inner liner member relative to said outer liner member so as to accommodate differential thermal expansion.