Hydrocarbon recovery process

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON MATERIAL FROM A SUBTERRANEAN FORMATION CONTAINING HYDROCARBONS AND HAVING AN INPUT WELL LEADING THERETO AND AT LEAST ONE OUTPUT WELL LEADING THEREFROM WHEREIN COMBUSTION OF HYDROCARNON MATERIAL WITHIN SAID SUBTERRANEAN FORMATION IS INITIATED, COMBUSTION SUPPORTING GAS CONTAINING A COMBUSTION SUPPORTING MEDIUM IS PASSED INTO SAID SUBTERRANEAN FORMATION THEROUGH SAID INPUT WELL IN THE DIRECTION OF AN OUTPUT WELL AND AS A RESULT THEREOF A FLAME FRONT PRECEDED BY COMBUSTION GAS AND HYDROCARBON PRODUCTS RECOVERABLE FROM AN OUTPUT WELL MIGRATE THROUGH SAID SUBTERRANEAN FORMATION FROM SAID INPUT WELL IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID OUTPUT WELL AND GAS ISSUES FROM SAID SUBTERRANEAN FORMATION THROUGH SAID OUTPUT WELL, THE STEPS COMPRISING DETERMING THE TIME REQUIRED FOR GAS TO PASS THROUGH SAID SBTERRANEAN FORMATION FROM SAID INPUT WELL TO SAID OUTPUT WELL, PASSING INTO SAID SUBTERRANEAN FORMATIOM THROUGH SAID INPUT WELL IN ADDITION TO SAID COMBUSTION SUPPORTING GAS TRITIUM IN KNOWN AMOUNT WITH RESPECT TO SAID COMBUSTION SUPPORTING GAS WHEREBY SAID TRITIUM IN ADMIXTURE IN KNOWN AMOUNT WITH SAID GAS ADVANCES THROUGH SAID SUBTERRANEAN FORMATION FROM SAID INPUT WELL IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID OUTPUT WELL, ANALYZING AT A TIME SUBSEQUENT TO PASSING SAID TRITIUM INTO SAID SUBTERRANEAN FORMATION AND EQUAL TO SAID TIME REQUIRE FOR GAS TO PASS THROUIGH SAID SUBTERRANEAN FORMATION FROM SAID INPUT WELL TO SAID OUTPUT WELL GAS ISSUING FROM SAID OUTPUT WELL FOR THE AMOUNT WITH RESPECT TO SAID GAS OF TRITIUM CONTAINED THERIN WHEREBY THE PRESENCE OF TRITIUM IN UNDIMINISHED AMOUNT WITH RESPECT TO SAID GAS COMPARED WITH THE AMOUNT OF TRITIUM WITH RESPECT TO SAID COMBUSTION SUPPORTING GAS PASSED INTO SAID INPUT WELL INDICATES THE ABSENCE OF A FLAME FRONT WITHIN AID SUBTERRANEAN FORMATION ACROSS THE ENTIRE PATH OF FLOW OF GAS BETWEEN SAID INPUT WELL AND SAID OUTPUT WELL, THE PRESENCE OF TRITIUM IN PARTIALLY DIMINISHED AMOUNT WITH RESPECT TO SAID GAS COMPARED WITH THE AMOUNT OF TRITIUM WITH RESPECT TO SAID COMBUSTION SUPPORTING GAS PASSED INTO SAID INPUT WELL INDICATES THE PRESENCE OF A FLAME FRONT IN SAID SUBTERRANEAN FORMATION ACROSS A PORTION OF THE PATH OF FLOW OF GAS BETWEEN SAID INPUT WELL AND SAID OUTPUT WELL, AND THE ABSENCE OF TRITIUM IN SAID GAS INDICATES THE PRESENCE OF A FLAME FRONT IN SAID SUBTERRANEAN FORMATION ACROSS THE ENTIRE PATH OF FLOW OF GAS BETWEEN SAID INPUT WELL AND SAID OUTPUT WELL, AND THEREAFTER CHANGING THE RATE OF FLOW OF SAID COMBUSTION SUPPORTING MEDIUM INTO SAID INPUT WELL THROUGH SAID SUBTERRANEAN FORMATION IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID OUTPUT WELL SUCH THAT SAID RATE OF FLOW MAY BE INCREASED TO ELIMINATE DISCONTINUITY IN THE FLAME FRONT IN SAID SUBTERRANEAN FORMATION BETWEEN SAID INPUT WELL AND SAID OUTPUT WELL IN THE EVENT THE FLAME FRONT HAS ANY SUCH DISCONTINUITY ACROSS THE PATH OF FLOW OF GAS BETWEEN SAID INPUT WELL ND SAID OUTPUT WELL AND SAID RATE OF FLOW MAY BE DECREASED TO CREATE DISCONTINUITY IN THE FLAME FRONT IN SAID SUBTERRANEAN FORMATION BETWEEN SAID INPUT WELL AND SAID OUTPUT WELL IN THE EVENT THE FLAME FRONT IS PRESENT ACROSS THE ENTIRE PATH OF FLOW OF GAS BETWEEN SAID INPUT WELL AND SAID OUTPUT WELL.