Flood-aided hot fluid soak method for producing hydrocarbons

Claim 1

The method of claim 1 in which said relatively mobile hot fluid is steam.

Claim 6

A method for producing liquid hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon-bearing subterranean earth formation comprising steps of: extending at least one well borehole into fluid communication with substantially the bottom of said subterranean earth formation; opening a second well borehole spaced from said first well borehole into fluid communication with substantially the bottom of said earth formation; injecting steam through said first well borehole and into said earth formation for a period of time sufficient to thermally mobilize fluids present in said earth formation, thereby forming a hot soaking zone therein; producing formation fluids from said hot soaking zone back into said first well borehole; and injecting an essentially non-vaporous substantially non-combustible hydrocarbon-displacing fluid down said second well borehole for a period of time sufficient to drive a substantial amount of the hydrocarbons present in said earth formation outside of said hot soaking zone directly into said hot soaking zone.

Claim 9

A method for producing liquid hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon-bearing subterranean earth formation comprising the steps of: extending at least one well borehole into communication with said subterranean earth formation; providing fluid communication between said well borehole and at least two spaced locations within said earth formation; injecting steam through said well borehole and into one of said locations in said earth formation for a period of time sufficient to thermally mobilize fluids present in said earth formation, thereby forming a hot zone therein; producing formation fluids from said hot zone; injecting a hydrocarbon-displacing fluid into the other of said locations within said earth formation for a period of time sufficient to displace hydrocarbons in said earth formation into said hot zone; and mixing said hydrocarbon-displacing fluid with a gas and sufficient foaming agent to form a foam having a density below about the average density of the formation fluids prior to injecting said hydrocarbon-displacing fluid into the other of said locations within the formation.

Claim 10

A method for producing liquid hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon-bearing subterranean earth formation comprising the steps of: extending at least one well borehole into communication with said subterranean earth formation; providing fluid communication between said well borehole and at least two spaced locations within said earth formation; injecting steam through said well borehole and into one of said locations in said earth formation for a period of time sufficient to thermally mobilize fluids present in said earth formation, thereby forming a hot zone therein; producing formation fluids from said hot zone; injecting a thickened water containing viscosity-increasing components into the other of said locations within said earth formation for a period of time sufficient to displace hydrocarbons in said earth formation into said hot zone; and heating said thickened water to a temperature about that at which said steam is injected into one of said locations in said earth formation but below the temperature at which the viscosity-increasing components of the thickened water are thermally degraded prior to injecting said thickened water into the other of said locations within said earth formation.