US3908762A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method for establishing communication path in viscous petroleum-containing formations including tar sand deposits for use in oil recovery operations
Assignee: Texaco Exploration Canada Ltd
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Filing: 1973-09-27
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Granted: 1975-09-30
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Expires: 1993-09-27
Abstract
Abstract Many oil recovery techniques for viscous oil recovery such as recovery of bitumen from tar sand deposits, including steam injection and in situ combustion, require establishment of a high permeability interwell fluid flow path in the formation. The method of the present invention comprises forming an initial entry zone into the formation by means such as noncondensible gas sweep or hydraulic fracturing and propping, or utilizing high permeability streaks naturally occurring within the formation, and expanding the zone by injecting steam and a noncondensible gas into the gas swept zone, propped fracture zone or high permeability streak. The mixture of steam and noncondensible gas is injected into the formation at a pressure in pounds per square inch not exceeding numerically the overburden thickness in feet, and the steam-noncondensible gas-bitumen mixture is produced either from the same or a remotely located well. The operation may be repeated through several cycles in order to enlarge the flow channel. Suitable noncondensible gases include nitrogen, air, carbon dioxide, flue gas, exhaust gas, methane, natural gas, ethane, propane, butane and mixtures thereof. Saturated or supersaturated steam may be used.
Inventors
- 👤 David Arthur Redford
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 11:05
CPC Classifications
E; E21; E21B; E21B43/00; E21B43/16; E21B43/166; E21B43/168; E21B43/24; E21B43/2405; E21B43/34; E21B43/40
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
179 words
IN A METHOD OF RECOVERING VISCOUS PETROLEUM INCLUDING BITUMEN FROM A SUBTERRIANEAN, VISCOUS PETROLEUM-CONTAINING FORMATION INCLUDING A TAR SAND DEPOSIT, SAID FORMATION BEING PENETRATION BY AT LEAST ONE INJECTION WELL AND BY AT LAST ONE PRODUCTION WELL, SAID RECOVERY METHOD BEING OF THE TYPE WHEREIN A FLUID INJECTED INTO THE INJECTION WELL FOR THE PURPOSE OF INCREASING THE MOBILITY OF THE PETROLEUM CONTAINED IN THE FORMATION, THE IMPROVEMENT FOR CREATING A PERMEABLE, STABLE, FLUID COMMUNICATION PATH BETWEEN THE INJECTION WELL AND PRODUCTION WELL WHICH COMPRISES, A. FRACTURING TE FORMATION ADJACENT TO AT LEAST ONE OF THE WELLS BY HYDRAULIC FRACTERING AND INJECTING INTO THE FRACTURED ZONE A PROPPING AGENT TO ESTABLISHED A PERMEABLE, PROPPED FRACTURE ZONE EXTENDING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE WAY INTO THE TAR SAND DEPOSIT TOWARD THE OTHER WELL. B. INJECTING STREAM AND A GAS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF METHANE, ETHANE, PROPANE AND BUTANE INTO THE PROPPED FRACTURED ZONE VIA THE WALL ADJACENT THERETO AT A PRESELECTED PRESSURE. AND C. RECOVERING BITUMEN, STREAM AND STREAM CONDENSATE FROM AT LEAST ONE OF SAID WELLS.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
179 words
IN A METHOD OF RECOVERING VISCOUS PETROLEUM INCLUDING BITUMEN FROM A SUBTERRIANEAN, VISCOUS PETROLEUM-CONTAINING FORMATION INCLUDING A TAR SAND DEPOSIT, SAID FORMATION BEING PENETRATION BY AT LEAST ONE INJECTION WELL AND BY AT LAST ONE PRODUCTION WELL, SAID RECOVERY METHOD BEING OF THE TYPE WHEREIN A FLUID INJECTED INTO THE INJECTION WELL FOR THE PURPOSE OF INCREASING THE MOBILITY OF THE PETROLEUM CONTAINED IN THE FORMATION, THE IMPROVEMENT FOR CREATING A PERMEABLE, STABLE, FLUID COMMUNICATION PATH BETWEEN THE INJECTION WELL AND PRODUCTION WELL WHICH COMPRISES, A. FRACTURING TE FORMATION ADJACENT TO AT LEAST ONE OF THE WELLS BY HYDRAULIC FRACTERING AND INJECTING INTO THE FRACTURED ZONE A PROPPING AGENT TO ESTABLISHED A PERMEABLE, PROPPED FRACTURE ZONE EXTENDING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE WAY INTO THE TAR SAND DEPOSIT TOWARD THE OTHER WELL. B. INJECTING STREAM AND A GAS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF METHANE, ETHANE, PROPANE AND BUTANE INTO THE PROPPED FRACTURED ZONE VIA THE WALL ADJACENT THERETO AT A PRESELECTED PRESSURE. AND C. RECOVERING BITUMEN, STREAM AND STREAM CONDENSATE FROM AT LEAST ONE OF SAID WELLS.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein steam and gas are injected into at least one well and travels through the propped fracture to at least one remotely located well.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein repetitive cycles are performed with injection alternating between the wells.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method as recited in claim 3 wherein repetitive cycles of injecting steam and gas and producing fluids from the same wells are continued until communication between wells is established.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein steam and gas are injected into injection and production wells simultaneously.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
49 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the pressure at which the steam and gas are injected into the formation is equal to a value between the original formation pressure and a value in pounds per square inch numerically equal to the thickness of the overburden in feet.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the recovery fluid injected into the communication path is steam.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the recovery fluid injected into the communication path is a mixture of steam and an alkaline material including caustic.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
165 words
In a method of recovering viscous petroleum including bitumen from a viscous petroleun containing formation including a tar sand deposit, the formation being permeable to gas, the formation being penetrated by at least one injection well and by at least one production well, the recovery method being of the type wherein a fluid is injected into the formation to increase the mobility of the petroleum contained in the formation, the improvement for creating a permeable, stable communication path between the injection and production well which comprises: a. introducing a first gas which is noncondensible at formation conditions into the formation via the injection well and recovering the gas from the formation via the production well for a preselected period of time to create a gas swept zone in the formation; b. introducing a mixture of steam and a second gas which is noncondensable at formation conditions into the gas swept zone; and c. recovering bitumen, steam condensate and the noncondensible gas from the production well.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
165 words
In a method of recovering viscous petroleum including bitumen from a viscous petroleun containing formation including a tar sand deposit, the formation being permeable to gas, the formation being penetrated by at least one injection well and by at least one production well, the recovery method being of the type wherein a fluid is injected into the formation to increase the mobility of the petroleum contained in the formation, the improvement for creating a permeable, stable communication path between the injection and production well which comprises: a. introducing a first gas which is noncondensible at formation conditions into the formation via the injection well and recovering the gas from the formation via the production well for a preselected period of time to create a gas swept zone in the formation; b. introducing a mixture of steam and a second gas which is noncondensable at formation conditions into the gas swept zone; and c. recovering bitumen, steam condensate and the noncondensible gas from the production well.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method as recited in claim 9 wherein the first noncondensible gas is selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, flue gas, exhaust gas, methane, natural gas, ethane, propane, butane, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method as recited in claim 9 wherein the second noncondensible gas is selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, flue gas, exhaust gas, methane, natural gas, ethane, propane, butane, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method as recited in claim 9 wherein the first noncondensible gas and second noncondensible gas are the same.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
199 words
In a method of recovering viscous petroleum including bitumen from a subterranean, viscous petroleum-containing formation including a tar sand deposit, said formation being penetrated by at least one injection well and by at least one production well, said recovery method being of the type wherein a fluid is injected into the injection well for the purpose of increasing the mobility of the petroleum contained in the formation, the improvement for creating a stable, permeable fluid communication path between the injection well and production well which comprises: a. hydraulically fracturing and introducing a propping agent into the formation adjacent the injection well and the production well to form a propped fracture zone adjacent each well extending only part way from that well to the fracture adjacent the other well; b. injected steam and a gas selected from the group consisting of methane, ethane, propane and butane into the fracture zone adjacent each well until the injection pressure reaches a predetermined value; c. maintaining Steam and the gas in each fracture for a predetermined soak period; d. reducing the pressure in each well to permit steam, non-condensible gas and viscous petroleum to flow from each propped fracture zone into each well.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
199 words
In a method of recovering viscous petroleum including bitumen from a subterranean, viscous petroleum-containing formation including a tar sand deposit, said formation being penetrated by at least one injection well and by at least one production well, said recovery method being of the type wherein a fluid is injected into the injection well for the purpose of increasing the mobility of the petroleum contained in the formation, the improvement for creating a stable, permeable fluid communication path between the injection well and production well which comprises: a. hydraulically fracturing and introducing a propping agent into the formation adjacent the injection well and the production well to form a propped fracture zone adjacent each well extending only part way from that well to the fracture adjacent the other well; b. injected steam and a gas selected from the group consisting of methane, ethane, propane and butane into the fracture zone adjacent each well until the injection pressure reaches a predetermined value; c. maintaining Steam and the gas in each fracture for a predetermined soak period; d. reducing the pressure in each well to permit steam, non-condensible gas and viscous petroleum to flow from each propped fracture zone into each well.
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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) | 1978-09-29 | 1979-03-31 | 1979-09-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-09-29 | 1983-03-31 | 1983-09-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-09-29 | 1987-03-31 | 1987-09-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |