Consolidation of incompetent subsurface formations

Claim 1

A METHOD OF STABILIZING AN IMCOMPETENT FORMATION PENETRATED BY A WELL COMPRISING HEATING SAID FORMATION ADJACENT THE WELL TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO INTITATE AND MAINTAIN REVERSE COMBUSTION OF A COCKABLE LIQUID TO BE SUBSEQUENTLY INJECTED INTO SAID FORMATION UPON CONTACT WITH AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS, THEREAFTER DISPLACING SAID COKABLE LIQUID FROM THE WELL INTO THE FORMATION TO DISPLACE HEAT IN THE FORMATION ADJACENT THE WELL OUTWARDLY FROM THE WELL WHEREBY THE TEMPERATURE AT THE OUTER BOUNDARY OF THE COKABLE LIQUID EXCEEDS THE IGNITION TEMPERATURE OF SAID COKABLE LIQUID UPON CONTACT WITH SAID OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS AND THE TEMPERATURE OF THE COKABLE LIQUID ADACENT THE WELL IS LOWER THAN SAID IGNITION TEMPERATURE, THEREAFTER AND BEFORE THE FORMATION COOLS AT THE OUTER BOUNDARY OF THE COKABLE LIQUID TO A TEMPERATURE BELOW SAID IGNITION TEMPERATURE INJECTING AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS FROM THE WELL INTO THE FORMATION TO INITIATE REVERSE COMBUSTION AT A POSITION SPACED FROM THE WELL, AND CONTINUING THE INJECTION OF THE OXYGENCONTAINING GAS TO CAUSE REVERSE COMBUSTION TO PROCEED SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE WELL.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF STABILIZING AN IMCOMPETENT FORMATION PENETRATED BY A WELL COMPRISING HEATING SAID FORMATION ADJACENT THE WELL TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO INTITATE AND MAINTAIN REVERSE COMBUSTION OF A COCKABLE LIQUID TO BE SUBSEQUENTLY INJECTED INTO SAID FORMATION UPON CONTACT WITH AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS, THEREAFTER DISPLACING SAID COKABLE LIQUID FROM THE WELL INTO THE FORMATION TO DISPLACE HEAT IN THE FORMATION ADJACENT THE WELL OUTWARDLY FROM THE WELL WHEREBY THE TEMPERATURE AT THE OUTER BOUNDARY OF THE COKABLE LIQUID EXCEEDS THE IGNITION TEMPERATURE OF SAID COKABLE LIQUID UPON CONTACT WITH SAID OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS AND THE TEMPERATURE OF THE COKABLE LIQUID ADACENT THE WELL IS LOWER THAN SAID IGNITION TEMPERATURE, THEREAFTER AND BEFORE THE FORMATION COOLS AT THE OUTER BOUNDARY OF THE COKABLE LIQUID TO A TEMPERATURE BELOW SAID IGNITION TEMPERATURE INJECTING AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS FROM THE WELL INTO THE FORMATION TO INITIATE REVERSE COMBUSTION AT A POSITION SPACED FROM THE WELL, AND CONTINUING THE INJECTION OF THE OXYGENCONTAINING GAS TO CAUSE REVERSE COMBUSTION TO PROCEED SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE WELL.