Oil recovery process which provides for the treatment of produced water before it is reinjected to drive oil toward the production wells

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY OF OIL FROM SUBTERRANEAN FORMATION COMPRISING: A. INJECTING WATER INTO THE FORMATION VIA AN INJECTION WELL, B. PRODUCING A MIXTURE OF OIL AND SOUR WATER CONTAMINATED WITH HYDROGEN SULFIDE THROUGH A PRODUCTION WELL, C. SEPARATING THE OIL AND SOUR WATER CONTAMINATED WITH HYDROGEN SULFIDE, D. DISSOLVING A CATALYTIC AMOUNT OF A SOLUBLE TRANSITION METAL SALT IN THE HYDROGEN SULFIDE LADENED WATER, E. INTRODUCING THE HYDROGEN SULFIDE LADENED WATER AND CATALYST INTO A COVERED CONTAINER WHICH IS GAS TIGHT AND IS AT ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, F. INTRODUCING AN OMUNT OF OXYGEN INTO THE WATER IN THE CONTAINER WHICH IS AT LEAST STIOCHIOMETRIC WITH THE AMOUNT OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE DISSOLVED IN THE WATER, G. DISSOLVING THE OXYGEN IN THE WATER BY MIXING TO EFFECT A REACTION BETWEEN THE OXYGEN AND HYDROGEN SULFIDE, H. COLLECTING ANY HYDROGEN SULFIDE WHICH EVOLVES FROM THE WATER IN THE CONTAINER, I. DISSOLVING THIS COLLECTED HYDROGEN SULFIDE INTO WATER FROM SAID COVERED CONTAINER CONTAINING DISSOLVED CATALYST IN A SECOND CONTAINER, J. DISSOLVING SUFFICIENT ADDITONAL OXYGEN INTO THE WATER IN THE SECOND CONTAINER TO AT LEAST STIOCHIOMETRICALLY CONVERT ALL THE SAID COLLECTED HYDROGEN SULFIDE TO ELEMENTAL SULFUR, AND K. REPEATING STEPS H THROUGH J IN ADDITIONAL CONTAINERS, AS NEEDED, UNTIL ESSENTIALL OF THE HYDROGEN SULFIDE IS REACTED, AND I. INJECTING THE HYDROGEN SULFIDE FREE WATER INTO THE FORMATION AS IN STEP (A).