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WO2007112199A3 - Enhanced hydrocarbon recovery by vaporizing solvents in oil sand formations - Google Patents

Enhanced hydrocarbon recovery by vaporizing solvents in oil sand formations Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2007112199A3
WO2007112199A3 PCT/US2007/063814 US2007063814W WO2007112199A3 WO 2007112199 A3 WO2007112199 A3 WO 2007112199A3 US 2007063814 W US2007063814 W US 2007063814W WO 2007112199 A3 WO2007112199 A3 WO 2007112199A3
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
bitumen
oil sand
well bore
hydrocarbon solvent
propped
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/US2007/063814
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2007112199A2 (en
Inventor
Grant Hocking
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
GeoSierra LLC
Original Assignee
GeoSierra LLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US11/277,789 external-priority patent/US20070199711A1/en
Application filed by GeoSierra LLC filed Critical GeoSierra LLC
Priority to CA002647973A priority Critical patent/CA2647973A1/en
Publication of WO2007112199A2 publication Critical patent/WO2007112199A2/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Publication of WO2007112199A3 publication Critical patent/WO2007112199A3/en
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
    • E21B43/16—Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons
    • E21B43/24—Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons using heat, e.g. steam injection
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
    • E21B43/16—Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons
    • E21B43/166—Injecting a gaseous medium; Injecting a gaseous medium and a liquid medium
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
    • E21B43/25—Methods for stimulating production
    • E21B43/26—Methods for stimulating production by forming crevices or fractures
    • E21B43/261—Separate steps of (1) cementing, plugging or consolidating and (2) fracturing or attacking the formation
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
    • E21B43/25—Methods for stimulating production
    • E21B43/26—Methods for stimulating production by forming crevices or fractures
    • E21B43/267—Methods for stimulating production by forming crevices or fractures reinforcing fractures by propping

Landscapes

  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Production Of Liquid Hydrocarbon Mixture For Refining Petroleum (AREA)

Abstract

The present invention involves a method and apparatus for enhanced recovery of petroleum fluids from the subsurface by injecting a hydrocarbon solvent vapor in contact with the oil sand formation and the heavy oil and bitumen in situ. Multiple propped vertical hydraulic fractures are constructed from the well bore into the oil sand formation. The hydrocarbon solvent vapor and a non-condensing diluent gas are injected into the well bore, fill the hydraulic fractures, and thus contact and diffuse into the in situ bitumen. The hydrocarbon solvent vapors diffuse into the bitumen from the vertical faces of the propped fractures. The bitumen softens and flows by gravity to the well bore, exposing fresh surface of bitumen for the process to progressively soften and mobilizes the bitumen in a predominantly circumferentially, i.e. orthogonal to the propped fracture, diffusion direction at a nearly uniform rate into the oil sand deposit.
PCT/US2007/063814 2006-03-29 2007-03-12 Enhanced hydrocarbon recovery by vaporizing solvents in oil sand formations Ceased WO2007112199A2 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA002647973A CA2647973A1 (en) 2006-03-29 2007-03-12 Enhanced hydrocarbon recovery by vaporizing solvents in oil sand formations

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US11/277,789 US20070199711A1 (en) 2006-02-27 2006-03-29 Enhanced hydrocarbon recovery by vaporizing solvents in oil sand formations
US11/277,789 2006-03-29
US11/379,825 US20070199705A1 (en) 2006-02-27 2006-04-24 Enhanced hydrocarbon recovery by vaporizing solvents in oil sand formations
US11/379,825 2006-04-24

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2007112199A2 WO2007112199A2 (en) 2007-10-04
WO2007112199A3 true WO2007112199A3 (en) 2009-02-12

Family

ID=38541788

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2007/063814 Ceased WO2007112199A2 (en) 2006-03-29 2007-03-12 Enhanced hydrocarbon recovery by vaporizing solvents in oil sand formations

Country Status (3)

Country Link
US (1) US20070199705A1 (en)
CA (1) CA2647973A1 (en)
WO (1) WO2007112199A2 (en)

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US7814978B2 (en) 2006-12-14 2010-10-19 Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. Casing expansion and formation compression for permeability plane orientation
US7640982B2 (en) * 2007-08-01 2010-01-05 Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. Method of injection plane initiation in a well
US7647966B2 (en) 2007-08-01 2010-01-19 Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. Method for drainage of heavy oil reservoir via horizontal wellbore
US7640975B2 (en) * 2007-08-01 2010-01-05 Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. Flow control for increased permeability planes in unconsolidated formations
US7832477B2 (en) * 2007-12-28 2010-11-16 Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. Casing deformation and control for inclusion propagation
EP2359305A4 (en) * 2008-11-20 2017-05-10 Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company Sand and fluid production and injection modeling methods
CA2688937C (en) 2009-12-21 2017-08-15 N-Solv Corporation A multi-step solvent extraction process for heavy oil reservoirs
US8955585B2 (en) 2011-09-27 2015-02-17 Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. Forming inclusions in selected azimuthal orientations from a casing section
US10125591B2 (en) * 2016-08-08 2018-11-13 Board Of Regents, The University Of Texas System Coinjection of dimethyl ether and steam for bitumen and heavy oil recovery
CA2972203C (en) 2017-06-29 2018-07-17 Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company Chasing solvent for enhanced recovery processes
CA2974712C (en) 2017-07-27 2018-09-25 Imperial Oil Resources Limited Enhanced methods for recovering viscous hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation as a follow-up to thermal recovery processes
CA2978157C (en) 2017-08-31 2018-10-16 Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company Thermal recovery methods for recovering viscous hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation
CA2983541C (en) 2017-10-24 2019-01-22 Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company Systems and methods for dynamic liquid level monitoring and control
CA3097037A1 (en) * 2018-04-12 2019-10-17 Lift Ip Etc, Llc Systems and processes for performing artificial lift on a well
US12163407B2 (en) 2022-01-13 2024-12-10 Lift Ip Etc., Llc Well production manifold for liquid assisted gas lift applications

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Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA2647973A1 (en) 2007-10-04
WO2007112199A2 (en) 2007-10-04
US20070199705A1 (en) 2007-08-30

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