Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110042359 | PLASMA HEATING DEVICE FOR AN OPTICAL FIBER AND RELATED METHODS - A heating device for an optical fiber may include a crucible body having an optical fiber receiving slotted passageway therein for receiving the optical fiber therein, and a heating element receiving passageway therein adjacent the optical fiber receiving slotted passageway and spaced apart therefrom. The heating device may further include a respective electrically powered plasma heating element enclosed within the heating element receiving passageway for heating the optical fiber within the optical fiber receiving slotted passageway. | 02-24-2011 |
20110042367 | FILAMENT HEATING DEVICE FOR AN OPTICAL FIBER AND RELATED METHODS - A heating device for an optical fiber may include a crucible body having an optical fiber receiving slotted passageway therein for receiving the optical fiber therein, and a heating element receiving passageway therein adjacent the optical fiber receiving slotted passageway and spaced apart therefrom. The heating device may include a respective electrically powered resistance heating element enclosed within the heating element receiving passageway for heating the optical fiber within the optical fiber receiving slotted passageway. | 02-24-2011 |
20120085533 | CYCLIC STEAM STIMULATION USING RF - A method of producing hydrocarbons from a well. The method begins by injecting steam into a well. The bitumen in the formation is then heated with the injected steam, followed by ceasing the injection of steam into the well and then by soaking the bitumen with the injected steam and collecting the heated oil. Steam that has condensed is revaporized by directing RF/MW radiation to the steam allowing for more bitumen to be produced without injecting more steam. In addition, some of the steam could become superheated, wherein the temperature of the superheated steam is greater than the temperature of the steam. The bitumen is heated by the revaporized steam and the superheated steam, followed by soaking the bitumen with the revaporized steam and the superheated steam. Hydrocarbons are then produced from the well. | 04-12-2012 |
20120090844 | SIMULTANEOUS CONVERSION AND RECOVERY OF BITUMEN USING RF - The present invention provides a method of producing upgraded hydrocarbons in-situ from a production well. The method begins by operating a subsurface recovery of hydrocarbons with a production well. An RF absorbent material is heated by at least one RF emitter and used as a heated RF absorbent material, which in turn heats the hydrocarbons to be produced. Hydrocarbons are upgraded in-situ and then produced from the production well. | 04-19-2012 |
20120234536 | ENHANCED RECOVERY AND IN SITU UPGRADING USING RF - A method for heating heavy oil inside a production well. The method raises the subsurface temperature of heavy oil by utilizing an activator that has been injected below the surface. The activator is then excited with a generated non-microwave frequency from 0.1 MHz to 300 MHz such that the excited activator heats the heavy oil. | 09-20-2012 |
20130008651 | METHOD FOR HYDROCARBON RECOVERY USING SAGD AND INFILL WELLS WITH RF HEATING - A method for hydrocarbon resource recovery in a subterranean formation may include forming spaced apart injector/producer well pairs in the subterranean formation, with each well pair including a laterally extending producer well and a laterally extending injector well spaced thereabove. The method may also include forming laterally extending infill wells in the subterranean formation, with each infill well being located between respective adjacent injector/producer well pairs. The method may also include recovering hydrocarbon resources from the producer wells based upon Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) via the injector/producer well pairs, and recovering hydrocarbon resources from the infill wells based upon RF heating regions of the subterranean formation surrounding the respective infill wells. | 01-10-2013 |
20130098610 | METHOD FOR HYDROCARBON RECOVERY USING HEATED LIQUID WATER INJECTION WITH RF HEATING - A method for hydrocarbon resource recovery in a subterranean formation includes forming a laterally extending injector well in the subterranean formation and forming a laterally extending producer well spaced below the injector well. The method may also include radio frequency (RF) heating the subterranean formation to establish hydraulic communication between the injector well and the producer well. The method may further include injecting heated liquid water into the injector well to recover hydrocarbon resources from the producer well based upon the hydraulic communication therebetween. | 04-25-2013 |
20140090834 | EM AND COMBUSTION STIMULATION OF HEAVY OIL - A method of producing heavy oil from a heavy oil formation by combining electromagnetic heating to achieve fluid communication between wells, following by in situ combustion to mobilize and upgrade the heavy oil. | 04-03-2014 |
20150068706 | HYDROCARBON RESOURCE PROCESSING APPARATUS FOR GENERATING A TURBULENT FLOW OF COOLING LIQUID AND RELATED METHODS - A device for processing hydrocarbon resources in a subterranean formation may include a radio frequency (RF) source, a dielectric cooling liquid source, and an RF applicator in the subterranean formation and coupled to the RF source to supply RF power to the hydrocarbon resources. The RF applicator may include concentric tubular conductors defining cooling passageways therebetween coupled to the dielectric cooling fluid source. At least one property of the dielectric cooling liquid, a flow rate of the dielectric cooling liquid, and a configuration of the cooling passageways may be operable together to generate a turbulent flow of the dielectric cooling liquid adjacent surfaces of the plurality of concentric tubular conductors to enhance thermal transfer. | 03-12-2015 |