US3871453A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Mobility controlled caustic flooding process for highly heterogeneous reservoirs
Assignee: Union Oil Company of California
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Filing: 1974-03-01
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Granted: 1975-03-18
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Expires: 1994-03-01
Abstract
Abstract A process for the recovery of oil from highly heterogeneous petroleum reservoirs wherein a stable oil-in-water emulsion formed by emulsifying crude oil with alkaline alkali metal silicate is injected into the reservoir through one or more injection wells, and followed by the alternate injection of small slugs of a dilute aqueous alkaline alkali metal silicate solution and a dilute aqueous solution of an agent that reacts with the alkali metal silicate to form a gelatinous precipitate. Oil is recovered from production wells spaced apart in the reservoir from the injection wells. A small slug of water is injected between successive slugs of the reactant solutions to separate the reactants during injection.
Inventors
- 👤 Amir M Sarem
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 02:57
CPC Classifications
C; C09; C09K; C09K8/00; C09K8/60; C09K8/84; C09K8/845; C09K8/58; E; E21; E21B; E21B43/00; E21B43/16
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
138 words
A PROCESS FOR RECOVERING PETROLEUM FROM A SUBTERRANEAN RESERVOIR PENETRTED BY ONE OR MORE INJECTION WELLS AND AT LEAST ONE PRODUCTION WELL SPACED APART IN THE RESERVOIR, WHICH COMPRISES INJECTING THROUGH AT LEAST ONE OF SAID INJECTION WELLS AND INTO SAID RESERVOIR AN OIL-IN-WATER EMULSION OF A CRUDE PETROLEUM AND A DILUTE AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF ALKALIME ALKALI METAL SILICATE HAVING A MOLAR RATIO OF M2O/SIO2 OF 1 OR ABOVE WHEREIN M IS AN ALKALI METAL ATOM, AND THEREAFTER INJECTING A SERIES OF SMALL SLUGS OF (1) A DILUTE AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF SAID ALKALINE ALKALI METAL SILICATE, (2) WATER, (3) A DILUTE AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A WATER-SOLUBLE MATERIAL THAT REACTS WITH THE ALKALINE ALKALI METAL SILICATE TO FORM A PRECIPITATE, AND (4) WATER; REPEATING STEPS 1 THROUGH 4 A PLURAITY OF TIMES; AND RECOVERING PETROLEUM FROM SAID PRODUCTION WELL.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
138 words
A PROCESS FOR RECOVERING PETROLEUM FROM A SUBTERRANEAN RESERVOIR PENETRTED BY ONE OR MORE INJECTION WELLS AND AT LEAST ONE PRODUCTION WELL SPACED APART IN THE RESERVOIR, WHICH COMPRISES INJECTING THROUGH AT LEAST ONE OF SAID INJECTION WELLS AND INTO SAID RESERVOIR AN OIL-IN-WATER EMULSION OF A CRUDE PETROLEUM AND A DILUTE AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF ALKALIME ALKALI METAL SILICATE HAVING A MOLAR RATIO OF M2O/SIO2 OF 1 OR ABOVE WHEREIN M IS AN ALKALI METAL ATOM, AND THEREAFTER INJECTING A SERIES OF SMALL SLUGS OF (1) A DILUTE AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF SAID ALKALINE ALKALI METAL SILICATE, (2) WATER, (3) A DILUTE AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A WATER-SOLUBLE MATERIAL THAT REACTS WITH THE ALKALINE ALKALI METAL SILICATE TO FORM A PRECIPITATE, AND (4) WATER; REPEATING STEPS 1 THROUGH 4 A PLURAITY OF TIMES; AND RECOVERING PETROLEUM FROM SAID PRODUCTION WELL.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method defined in claim 1 wherein said petroleum in said reservoir is of the type having reduced interfacial tension with water at high pH, and wherein the concentration of alkaline alkali metal silicate is sufficient to reduce the interfacial tension to less than about 5 dynes/cm.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
129 words
thereafter injecting the following sequence of aqueous fluids through said injection well and into said reservoir; a. a dilute aqueous solution containing an amount of sodium orthosilicate between about 0.01 and 0.8 weight percent sufficient to reduce the interfacial tension of said petroleum to less than 2 dynes/cm, said solution being injected for a period of about 1 hour to 7 days, b. water for a period of about 1 hour to 1 day, c. a dilute aqueous calcium chloride solution containing a concentration of calcium chloride approximately equivalent to that required to stoichiometrically react with said sodium orthosilicate, said solution being injected for a time period approximately equal to the sodium orthosilicate solution injection period, and d. water for a period of about 1 hour to 1 day;
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
129 words
thereafter injecting the following sequence of aqueous fluids through said injection well and into said reservoir; a. a dilute aqueous solution containing an amount of sodium orthosilicate between about 0.01 and 0.8 weight percent sufficient to reduce the interfacial tension of said petroleum to less than 2 dynes/cm, said solution being injected for a period of about 1 hour to 7 days, b. water for a period of about 1 hour to 1 day, c. a dilute aqueous calcium chloride solution containing a concentration of calcium chloride approximately equivalent to that required to stoichiometrically react with said sodium orthosilicate, said solution being injected for a time period approximately equal to the sodium orthosilicate solution injection period, and d. water for a period of about 1 hour to 1 day;
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
60 words
thereafter sequentially injecting a series of small slugs of (a ) a dilute aqueous solution containing from about 0.01 to 0.8 weight percent of said alkaline alkali metal silicate, (b) water, (c) a dilute aqueous solution containing approximately a stoichiometric quantity of a water-soluble material that reacts with the alkaline alkali metal silicate to form a precIpitate, and (d) water;
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
60 words
thereafter sequentially injecting a series of small slugs of (a ) a dilute aqueous solution containing from about 0.01 to 0.8 weight percent of said alkaline alkali metal silicate, (b) water, (c) a dilute aqueous solution containing approximately a stoichiometric quantity of a water-soluble material that reacts with the alkaline alkali metal silicate to form a precIpitate, and (d) water;
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
13 words
repeating the injection cycle defined in step 2 a plurality of times; and
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
13 words
repeating the injection cycle defined in step 2 a plurality of times; and
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
repeating the injection sequence of step 2 a plurality of times during the recovery process; and
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
repeating the injection sequence of step 2 a plurality of times during the recovery process; and
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method defined in claim 1 wherein said petroleum in said reservoir is a viscous petroleum having a viscosity above about 5 centipoises at reservoir conditions of temperature and pressure.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method defined in claim 1 wherein said reservoir is a heterogeneous reservoir having strata of different permeabilities varying by more than about 1,000 millidarcies.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
8 words
simultaneously therewith recovering petroleum from said production well.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
8 words
simultaneously therewith recovering petroleum from said production well.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
8 words
simultaneously therewith recovering petroleum from said production well.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
8 words
simultaneously therewith recovering petroleum from said production well.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method defined in claim 1 wherein said emulsion injected into said reservoir is characterized by an emulsion stability factor above about 20.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
42 words
A process for recovering petroleum of the type that exhibits decreased interfacial tension with water at high pH from a subterranean reservoir penetrated by one or more injection wells and at least one production well spaced apart in the reservoir, which comprises:
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
42 words
A process for recovering petroleum of the type that exhibits decreased interfacial tension with water at high pH from a subterranean reservoir penetrated by one or more injection wells and at least one production well spaced apart in the reservoir, which comprises:
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method defined in claim 6 wherein said emulsion is comprised of about 0.3 to 3 volumes of said crude petroleum per volume of said alkaline alkali metal silicate solution.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method defined in claim 6 wherein said emulsion injected into said reservoir is characterized by an emulsion stability factor above about 20.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method defined in claim 6 wherein the concentration of said alkaline alkali metal silicate in said aqueous solution injected into said reservoir is adjusted to provide a pH sufficient to reduce the interfacial tension between said petroleum and water to less than about 5 dynes/cm.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method defined in claim 6 wherein said alkaline alkali metal silicate is sodium or potassium orthosilicate, sodium or potassium meta silicate, sodium or potassium meta silicate pentahydrate, or sodium or potassium sesquisilicate.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method defined in claim 6 wherein said material that reacts with said alkali metal silicate is a water-soluble salt of a divalent metal.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
53 words
The method defined in claim 6 wherein said aqueous alkaline alkali metal silicate solution and said aqueous reactant solution are injected in each cycle for a period of about 1 hour to about 7 days, and said water slugs are each injected for a period of about 1 hour to about 1 day.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method defined in claim 6 wherein said reservoir is a heterogeneous reservoir having strata of different permeabilities varying by more than about 1,000 millidarcies.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method defined in claim 6 including the additional steps of interrupting the injection cycle of step 3 and injecting an additional quantity of said emulsion through at least one of said injection wells and thereafter continuing the injection cycle of step 3.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
42 words
A process for recovering petroleum of the type that exhibits decreased interfacial tension with water at high pH from a subterranean reservoir penetrated by one or more injection wells and at least one production well spaced apart in the reservoir, which comprises:
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
42 words
A process for recovering petroleum of the type that exhibits decreased interfacial tension with water at high pH from a subterranean reservoir penetrated by one or more injection wells and at least one production well spaced apart in the reservoir, which comprises:
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-03-17 | 1978-09-16 | 1979-03-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-03-17 | 1982-09-16 | 1983-03-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-03-17 | 1986-09-16 | 1987-03-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |