Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
166263000 | Cyclic injection then production of a single well | 24 |
20090078414 | CHEMICALLY ENHANCED THERMAL RECOVERY OF HEAVY OIL - Described herein are methods for removing heavy oils from underground reservoirs. The methods involve the use of chemical compositions in combination with steam techniques for the efficient removal of heavy oils. | 03-26-2009 |
20090078415 | IN SITU EXTRACTION OF HYDROCARBONS FROM HYDROCARBON-CONTAINING MATERIALS - Hydrocarbon-containing organic matter is extracted from a hydrocarbon-containing material that is a viscous liquid, liquid or gaseous fossil fuel material. A turpentine liquid is contacted with a hydrocarbon-containing material in-situ in an underground formation containing the fossil fuel material to form an extraction mixture so as to extract hydrocarbon-containing organic matter into the turpentine liquid and form an extraction liquid. The extraction liquid is removed from the formation, the extraction liquid including the turpentine liquid containing the extracted hydrocarbon-containing organic matter. The extracted hydrocarbon-containing organic matter is separated from a residual material not extracted. | 03-26-2009 |
20090126929 | TREATING NAHCOLITE CONTAINING FORMATIONS AND SALINE ZONES - A method for treating a nahcolite containing subsurface formation includes removing water from a saline zone in or near the formation. The removed water is heated using a steam and electricity cogeneration facility. The heated water is provided to the nahcolite containing formation. A fluid is produced from the nahcolite containing formation. The fluid includes at least some dissolved nahcolite. At least some of the fluid is provided to the saline zone. | 05-21-2009 |
20090288825 | Surfactant method for improved oil recovery from subterranean reservoirs - A method to enhance oil recovery from a subterranean reservoir, the reservoir being accessible via a production well. The method includes injecting a surfactant solution that includes surfactants into the production well. The surfactant solution selected to increase an oil-to-water ratio of oil recovery from a porous matrix portion of the reservoir. The method also includes injecting a well-servicing volumetric solution into the production well to perform a second well treatment process. The second well treatment process is selected from the group consisting of a scale inhibition squeeze process, a well acidizing process, a chemical process to reduce water production rate, an acid fracturing process, and a hydraulic fracturing process. In the method, the surfactant solution and the second well treatment solution are injected into the production well within less than about six months of one another. | 11-26-2009 |
20090288826 | Enzyme enhanced oil recovery (EEOR) for cyclic steam injection - The present disclosure relates to the release or recovery of subterranean hydrocarbon deposits and, more specifically, to a system for enhanced oil recovery (EOR), by utilizing stabilized enzymatic fluid and cyclic injection of steam or heated fluid into subterranean formations. | 11-26-2009 |
20100108313 | COILED TUBING CONVEYED COMBINED INFLOW AND OUTFLOW CONTROL DEVICES - Methods and systems of hydrocarbon production where wellbore stimulation and production is achieved in a single wellbore run-in, and inflow control devices are installed in an existing wellbore completion. A coiled tubing string is conveyed into a substantially horizontal portion of a wellbore, where the coiled tubing string has a production tubular configured to execute both stimulation and recovery operations. The production tubular can include an inflow control device to be installed in an existing wellbore. | 05-06-2010 |
20100163225 | System, Method, and Apparatus for Post-Fracture Treatment - A method includes hydraulically fracturing a subterranean formation with a first treatment fluid and allowing the hydraulic fracture to close. The method includes preparing a second treatment fluid having a damage removal agent including carbon dioxide. The second treatment fluid further includes a proppant pack damage removal agent including an oxidizer, a radical initiator, an acid, a solvent, and/or other damage removal agents. The method further includes injecting the second treatment fluid into the subterranean formation at a downhole pressure below a fracturing pressure for the subterranean formation. The method includes holding pressure on the formation while the second treatment fluid enhances formation and proppant pack permeability, and flowing the second treatment fluid back to the surface. | 07-01-2010 |
20110226471 | USE OF A SOLVENT AND EMULSION FOR IN SITU OIL RECOVERY - Described is a way to reduce solvent usage in solvent-dominated oil recovery processes through the use of an emulsion. Injection of an emulsion into an oil reservoir is performed as an alternative or supplement to solvent injection to minimize solvent usage per unit amount of oil recovered. The emulsion may contain solvent and the solvent may form an external-phase of the emulsion. A solvent-external emulsion may be injected and formed using an aqueous liquid or a gas as the internal phase. The emulsion may be an aqueous-external, vapor-internal emulsion with solvent being injected separately or simultaneously. Polymer may be added to viscosify the emulsions and use them for flow diversion in a solvent-dominated process. | 09-22-2011 |
20120145385 | Downhole Fluid Flow Control System and Method Having Direction Dependent Flow Resistance - A downhole fluid flow control system ( | 06-14-2012 |
20120186810 | METHOD FOR MOBILITY CONTROL IN OIL-BEARING CARBONATE FORMATIONS - A method for enhancing recovery of oil from an oil-bearing carbonate formation within a reservoir. The method has the steps of (a) introducing a viscous gel under pressure into the oil-bearing carbonate formation and (b) extracting oil. The aqueous viscous gel has water and an amount of a non-polymeric viscosifying surfactant sufficient to provide the flooding fluid with an oil/water interfacial surface tension of about 10 mN/m or less and a viscosity of about 10 cP or more of the one or more non-polymeric surfactants. The one or more non-polymeric, viscosifying surfactants is selected from the group of one or more cationic surfactants, one or more zwitterionic surfactants, one or more anionic surfactants, one or more amphoteric surfactants, and combinations thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the aqueous viscous gel is also substantially free of solids. | 07-26-2012 |
20120234535 | Method Of Injecting Solvent Into An Underground Reservoir To Aid Recovery Of Hydrocarbons - Described is a method of operating a cyclic solvent-dominated recovery process (CSDRP) for recovering viscous oil from a subterranean reservoir of the viscous oil. The cyclic solvent process involves using an injection well to inject a viscosity-reducing solvent into a subterranean viscous oil reservoir. Reduced viscosity oil is produced to the surface using the same well used to inject solvent. The process of alternately injecting solvent and producing a solvent/viscous oil blend through the same wellbore continues in a series of cycles until additional cycles are no longer economical. To improve solvent efficiency, the injection includes at least one restriction duration, where injection is restricted, between two continuous injection periods. | 09-20-2012 |
20120261118 | Method and apparatus to transport subterranean oil to the surface - A method to extract oil for a pool of oil in the ground utilizes an interconnected series of rotating helical blades extending from the surface of the ground through a canted bore to the pool of oil. The blades can be staggered and interconnected with a gear arrangement that moves oil from pool to pool and up to the surface of the ground. | 10-18-2012 |
20120298356 | Dual-Purpose Steam Injection and Production Tool - A dual-purpose tool can be used for steam injection and production in a wellbore. A mandrel deploys in the wellbore to communicate steam in a steam injection operation and to communicate production fluid from the wellbore during production operations. A distributor on the mandrel has nozzles for injecting steam into the wellbore and has production valves for producing fluids from the wellbore. A screen can be used to screen production fluids as they are produced through the production valves. The nozzles can also allows produced fluids to flow into the mandrel, or backflow valves can be used to restrict flow of produced fluids through the nozzles while permitting the flow of steam out of the nozzles. | 11-29-2012 |
20120325467 | Method of Controlling Solvent Injection To Aid Recovery of Hydrocarbons From An Underground Reservoir - A method of operating a cyclic solvent-dominated recovery process (CSDRP) for recovering viscous oil from a subterranean reservoir of the viscous oil. The cyclic solvent process involves using an injection well to inject a viscosity-reducing solvent into a subterranean viscous oil reservoir. Reduced viscosity oil is produced to the surface using the same well used to inject solvent. The process of alternately injecting solvent and producing a solvent/viscous oil blend through the same wellbore continues in a series of cycles until additional cycles are no longer economical. Aspects of the invention relate to the particular volume of solvent injected in each cycle, when to switch from production to injection, the injection pressure to be used, the production pressure to be used, and to middle and late life operation. | 12-27-2012 |
20130098608 | TEMPORARY FIELD STORAGE OF GAS TO OPTIMIZE FIELD DEVELOPMENT - Methods are provided for managing the production of fluids from a low-permeability subsurface formation in a field. The subsurface formation may be a coalbed formation. The method involves producing formation fluids from a first zone in the subsurface formation for a period of time so as to at least partially dewater the first zone. The formation fluids are separated into a liquid stream that primarily comprises water, and a gas stream that primarily comprises methane gas. The water is sent for disposal, such as into a subsurface formation, while the gas is temporarily stored or flared. A gas processing facility is constructed for the field. In order to manage the outlay of capital for the field development, construction of the gas processing facility is spread out or delayed until the field is ready to produce enough gas to allow the gas processing facility to operate at a substantially greater capacity than would be provided at the beginning of field development. | 04-25-2013 |
20130105151 | STEAM SUPPLY FOR ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY | 05-02-2013 |
20140027114 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR OILFIELD MATERIAL DELIVERY - An embodiment of a method of operating at least two pressure vessels to inject a particulate slurry into a high-pressure line, comprises a first operating cycle comprising: isolating a pressure vessel from the high-pressure line, introducing, under low-pressure conditions, particulate solids into the pressure vessel through a particulate solids inlet aperture, a second operating cycle comprising: providing high-pressure flow into the pressure vessel, and providing a high-pressure slurry flow from the pressure vessel into the high-pressure line. The method further comprises causing a pressure vessel to operate in the first operating cycle while operating a pressure vessel in the second operating cycle, and synchronizing switching a first vessel from the first operating to a second operating cycle and switching a second vessel from the second operating cycle to the first operating cycle such that at least one of the vessels is operating in the second operating cycle. | 01-30-2014 |
20140326450 | PNEUMATIC FRACTURING METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR EXPLOITING SHALE GAS - A pneumatic fracturing method for exploiting shale gas, the method including: 1) applying a compressed gas for a first period of time at a first pressure to a shale formation; 2) applying the compressed gas for a second period of time at a second pressure to the shale formation; and 3) repeating steps 1) and 2) to produce fissures in the shale formation. A temperature of the compressed gas is at least 80° C. A maximum pressure of the compressed gas is at least 25 megapascal, and a minimum pressure of the compressed gas is between ¼ and ⅓ of the maximum pressure. | 11-06-2014 |
20140338899 | Completing a Well in a Reservoir - Methods and systems for completing a well including injecting a stimulation fluid to stimulate a first interval in the reservoir. The stimulation fluid is at a pressure sufficient to open a number of check valves in the first interval, allowing stimulation fluid to flow into the first interval. A number of ball sealers configured to block flow through the check valves are dropped into the well to stop the flow of the stimulation fluid into the first interval and begin treatment of a second interval. The stimulation fluid is injected to stimulate a subsequent interval with pressure sufficient to open a number of check valves in the subsequent interval, allowing stimulation fluid to flow into the subsequent interval. The dropping of ball sealers is repeated until all intervals are treated. | 11-20-2014 |
20150007987 | METHOD FOR CHEMICAL TREATMENT OF A SUBSURFACE WELLBORE - A method for injecting treatment chemical into a well includes selecting times at which to operate a chemical dispenser to inject a selected amount of treatment chemical into a well. At each selected time whether a wellbore pump is operating is determined. If the pump is operating the selected amount of treatment chemical is dispensed into the well. If the pump is not operating, no chemical is dispensed and a counter is incremented. At each subsequent selected time, the determining whether the well pump is operating is repeated. When a subsequent selected time coincides with a time at which the well pump is determined to be operating, the chemical dispenser is operated to inject a product of the number in the counter plus one, and the selected amount of treatment chemical into the well. | 01-08-2015 |
20150041126 | BYPASS STEAM INJECTION AND PRODUCTION COMPLETION SYSTEM - A completion for steam injection and production includes a production tubing connected to a stinger, the production tubing having a continuous conduit extending from a Y-tool to an inverted Y-tool, a downhole steam generator (DSG) having a discharge conduit extending from the DSG to the inverted Y-tool, a bypass conduit extending from the Y-tool to the DSG, and a fuel supply tubing connected to the DSG. An artificial lift device may be incorporated into the completion. | 02-12-2015 |
20150114635 | PROCESS FOR IN SITU UPGRADING OF A HEAVY HYDROCARBON USING ASPHALTENE PRECIPITANT ADDITIVES - Disclosed is a process for in situ upgrading of a heavy hydrocarbon comprising the steps of: (a) positioning a well in a reservoir containing a heavy hydrocarbon having an initial API gravity of less than or equal to about 20, an n-heptane asphaltene content as measured by the ASTM D-6560 of at least about 1 wt. %, and a viscosity at 35° C. greater than about 350 centistokes (cSt); (b) injecting one or more hydrocarbon solvents and one or more asphaltene precipitant additives into the well in any order at a ratio by volume of the solvent to the heavy hydrocarbon of at least from about 0.1:1 to about 20:1 under reservoir conditions so as to provide an upgraded hydrocarbon in the reservoir, wherein the upgraded hydrocarbon has an improved API gravity greater than the initial API gravity, a reduction in the asphaltene content, and a lower viscosity; and (c) producing the upgraded hydrocarbon from the well. The process of the present invention can be also carried out at higher temperatures such as by injecting steam with the one or more hydrocarbon solvents and the one or more asphaltene precipitant additives into the well in any order. | 04-30-2015 |
20160053594 | METHOD FOR CO2 EOR AND STORAGE AND USE THEREOF - A method of Enhanced Oil Recovery from oil zones in a subterranean geological formation, and from oil zones, the method comprising: a first injecting step of injecting a first composition comprising CO | 02-25-2016 |
20160115371 | LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYACRYLATES FOR EOR - The disclosure is directed to low molecular weight polyelectrolyte complex nanoparticles that can be used to deliver agents deep into hydrocarbon reservoirs. Methods of making and using said polyelectrolyte complex nanoparticles are also provided. | 04-28-2016 |