Secondary recovery process

Claim 1

A METHOD OF RECOVERING HYDROCARBONS FROM HYDROCARBON-BEARING, EARTHEN FORMATIONS COMPRISING: (A) PENETRATING A HYDROCARBON-BEARING FORMATION WITH A PLURALITY OF BOREHOLES SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER; (BB) INJECTING HOT AQUEOUS FLUIDS INTO A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF SAID FORMATION THROUGH SAID BOREHOLES AT A PRESSURE WHICH IS LESS THAN OVERBURDEN PRESSURE AT THE INJECTION LEVELS, SAID HOT AQUEOUS FLUIDS HAVING A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO VAPORIZE ONLY SOME OF THE HYDROCARBONS IN SAID RESERVOIR; (C) RETAINING SAID HOT AQUEOUS FLUIDS INJECTED INTO SAID FORMATING WITHIN SAID FORMATION FOR A PERIOD PERMITTING ADSORPTION OF HEAT BY SAID FORMATION FROM SAID AQUEOUS FLUIDS AND CONDENSATION OF SOME OF THE VAPORIZED HYDROCARBONS WITHIN SAID FORMATION; (D) BACKFLOWING EFFLUENTS IN SAID FORMATION TO SAID BOREHOLES THROUGH THE SAME PORTION OF SAID FORMATION WHICH WAS INJECTED WITH SAID HOT AQUEOUS FLUID BY REDUCING THE PRESSURES IN SAID BOREHOLES TO LESS THAN SAID HOT AQUEOUS FLUID INJECTION PRESSURES; (E) RECOVERING HYDROCARBONS ENTERING SAID BOREHOLED; AND (F) SUBSEQUENTLY INJECTING ADDITIONAL HOT AQUEOUS FLUIDS INTO SOME OF SAID BOREHOLES AND RECOVERING HYDROCARBONS FROM ADJACENT BOREHOLES DRIVEN THEREINTO BY SAID SUBSEQUENT INJECTION.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF RECOVERING HYDROCARBONS FROM HYDROCARBON-BEARING, EARTHEN FORMATIONS COMPRISING: (A) PENETRATING A HYDROCARBON-BEARING FORMATION WITH A PLURALITY OF BOREHOLES SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER; (BB) INJECTING HOT AQUEOUS FLUIDS INTO A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF SAID FORMATION THROUGH SAID BOREHOLES AT A PRESSURE WHICH IS LESS THAN OVERBURDEN PRESSURE AT THE INJECTION LEVELS, SAID HOT AQUEOUS FLUIDS HAVING A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO VAPORIZE ONLY SOME OF THE HYDROCARBONS IN SAID RESERVOIR; (C) RETAINING SAID HOT AQUEOUS FLUIDS INJECTED INTO SAID FORMATING WITHIN SAID FORMATION FOR A PERIOD PERMITTING ADSORPTION OF HEAT BY SAID FORMATION FROM SAID AQUEOUS FLUIDS AND CONDENSATION OF SOME OF THE VAPORIZED HYDROCARBONS WITHIN SAID FORMATION; (D) BACKFLOWING EFFLUENTS IN SAID FORMATION TO SAID BOREHOLES THROUGH THE SAME PORTION OF SAID FORMATION WHICH WAS INJECTED WITH SAID HOT AQUEOUS FLUID BY REDUCING THE PRESSURES IN SAID BOREHOLES TO LESS THAN SAID HOT AQUEOUS FLUID INJECTION PRESSURES; (E) RECOVERING HYDROCARBONS ENTERING SAID BOREHOLED; AND (F) SUBSEQUENTLY INJECTING ADDITIONAL HOT AQUEOUS FLUIDS INTO SOME OF SAID BOREHOLES AND RECOVERING HYDROCARBONS FROM ADJACENT BOREHOLES DRIVEN THEREINTO BY SAID SUBSEQUENT INJECTION.