Patent US4202168A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4202168A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method for the recovery of power from LHV gas
Assignee: Chevron USA Inc
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Filing: 1978-07-18
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Granted: 1980-05-13
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Expires: 1998-07-18
Abstract
Abstract A method is disclosed for the utilization of energy in gas of low heating value discharged from a production well of an in-situ combustion process for the production of oil. The low heating value gas is mixed with an amount of air that will provide oxygen in an amount that will limit the maximum temperature rise in a catalytic combustion chamber to avoid excessive temperatures regardless of changes in composition of the low heating value gas. The mixture is preheated and delivered into the catalytic combustion chamber at a temperature exceeding about 400 DEG F. that will cause ignition of the combustibles on contact with the catalyst. In a preferred embodiment, combustion is accomplished in two combustion chambers connected in series with a heat exchanger between the combustion chambers for cooling the combustion products discharged from the first combustion chamber before they are delivered to the next combustion chamber. Approximately fifty percent of the total combustion air is mixed with the combustible gas before delivery into each of the combustion chambers. Effluent from the second combustion chamber is used to drive a gas turbine for generation of power or direct driving of air compressors.
Inventors
- 👤 Willard P. Acheson
- 👤 Richard A. Morris
- 👤 Raymond J. Rennard
- 👤 Thiagarajan Viswanathan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 20:09
CPC Classifications
E; E21; E21B; E21B43/00; E21B43/16; E21B43/24; E21B43/243; F; F02; F02C; F02C3/00; F02C3/20; F02C3/22; F02C6/00; F23; F23R; F23R3/00; F23R3/40; F23R2900/00; F23R2900/00002
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
158 words
A method for the in-situ recovery of oil from a subsurface carbonaceous deposit comprising igniting the carbonaceous deposit to form a combustion front, delivering air into the carbonaceous deposit under pressure and displacing it through the combustion front to burn a portion of the carbonaceous deposit and drive oil and LHV gas ahead of the combustion front, delivering produced oil and LHV gas to the surface, mixing air with the LHV gas and passing the mixture in contact with an oxidation catalyst to oxidize combustibles in the LHV gas to produce hot combustion products, the amount of air mixed with the LHV gas being less than the stoichiometric equivalent of the combustibles in the LHV gas and limiting the maximum temperature reached on oxidation to the maximum operating temperature of the catalyst, generating power with the hot combustion products from the oxidation, and driving a compressor with power generated to compress the air delivered into the carbonaceous deposit.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
158 words
A method for the in-situ recovery of oil from a subsurface carbonaceous deposit comprising igniting the carbonaceous deposit to form a combustion front, delivering air into the carbonaceous deposit under pressure and displacing it through the combustion front to burn a portion of the carbonaceous deposit and drive oil and LHV gas ahead of the combustion front, delivering produced oil and LHV gas to the surface, mixing air with the LHV gas and passing the mixture in contact with an oxidation catalyst to oxidize combustibles in the LHV gas to produce hot combustion products, the amount of air mixed with the LHV gas being less than the stoichiometric equivalent of the combustibles in the LHV gas and limiting the maximum temperature reached on oxidation to the maximum operating temperature of the catalyst, generating power with the hot combustion products from the oxidation, and driving a compressor with power generated to compress the air delivered into the carbonaceous deposit.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method as set forth in claim 1 characterized by the generation of power with the hot combustion products being accomplished by expansion in a gas turbine and the gas turbine driving the compressor.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method as set forth in claim 1 in which the subsurface carbonaceous deposit is a petroleum reservoir and the oil produced is a petroleum oil.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as set forth in claim 1 in which the subsurface carbonaceous deposit is oil shale and the oil produced is shale oil.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
193 words
A method as set forth in claim 2 in which the carbonaceous deposit is a petroleum reservoir, the oil and LHV gas are separated at the surface, the pressure of the LHV gas is at least 75 psig, the air is mixed with the LHV gas in two substantially equal increments and the oxidation of the combustibles is accomplished in a primary stage and a secondary stage, the first increment of air is mixed with the LHV gas before delivery to the primary oxidation stage to form a primary oxidation mixture, the second increment of air is mixed with the effluent from the first oxidation stage to form a secondary oxidation mixture, the primary oxidation mixture is passed in heat exchange with the secondary oxidation mixture to raise the temperature of the primary oxidation mixture to a temperature at which oxidation occurs on contact with an oxidation catalyst, after said heat exchange the primary oxidation mixture is delivered to the primary oxidation stage and the secondary oxidation mixture is delivered to the secondary oxidation stage, and the effluent from the secondary combustion stage is the hot combustion products delivered to the gas turbine.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
144 words
A method for the recovery of energy from LHV gas of variable heating value produced in an in-situ combustion process for the production of oil comprising: (a) mixing with the LHV gas air in an amount less than the stoichiometric equivalent of the combustibles in the LHV gas, the amount of air limiting the temperature reached on oxidation in step (c) to a temperature lower than the maximum operating temperature of the catalyst; (b) heating the mixture from step (a) to a temperature higher than 400° F. at which combustion is initiated on contact of the mixture with an oxidation catalyst; (c) oxidizing combustibles in the LHV gas by passing the hot mixture from step (b) in contact with an oxidation catalyst to produce hot combustion gas; and (d) passing the hot combustion gas from step (c) through a gas turbine to generate power.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
144 words
A method for the recovery of energy from LHV gas of variable heating value produced in an in-situ combustion process for the production of oil comprising: (a) mixing with the LHV gas air in an amount less than the stoichiometric equivalent of the combustibles in the LHV gas, the amount of air limiting the temperature reached on oxidation in step (c) to a temperature lower than the maximum operating temperature of the catalyst; (b) heating the mixture from step (a) to a temperature higher than 400° F. at which combustion is initiated on contact of the mixture with an oxidation catalyst; (c) oxidizing combustibles in the LHV gas by passing the hot mixture from step (b) in contact with an oxidation catalyst to produce hot combustion gas; and (d) passing the hot combustion gas from step (c) through a gas turbine to generate power.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method as set forth in claim 6 characterized by the LHV gas containing methane and hydrocarbons of higher boiling point and the unburned hydrocarbons in the hot combustion gas from step (c) being principally methane.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method as set forth in claim 6 characterized by the LHV gas with which the air is mixed being at a pressure of at least 75 psig.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
80 words
A method as set forth in claim 7 characterized by the oxidation of the combustibles in the LHV gas being accomplished in a primary stage and a secondary stage with intercooling between the primary stage and secondary stage and air being mixed with the LHV gas delivered to each stage, and the amount of air mixed with the LHV gas for each stage being less than the stoichiometric equivalent of the combustibles in the LHV gas delivered to the stage.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
55 words
A method as set forth in claim 7 characterized by the oxidation of the combustibles being accomplished in a primary stage and a secondary stage with intercooling between the two stages and approximately one-half of the total amount of air mixed with the LHV gas being mixed with the gas before delivery into each stage.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method as set forth in claim 6 characterized by the hot combustion gas from step (c) being cooled by dilution with air to a temperature below the maximum operating temperature of the gas turbine before being passed through the gas turbine.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
128 words
A method as set forth in claim 9 characterized by: (1) mixing air for the primary stage of oxidation with the LHV gas; (2) passing the mixture from step (1) in heat exchange with combustion products from the primary stage of oxidation for the intercooling of such combustion products; (3) passing the mixture of air and LHV gas from step (1) in contact with an oxidation catalyst in the primary stage of combustion oxidation; (4) mixing air for the secondary stage of oxidation with combustion products discharged from the primary oxidation stage before passing such combustion products in heat exchange with the mixture from step (1); and (5) passing the intercooled combustion products from step (2) in contact with an oxidation catalyst in the secondary stage of oxidation.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
44 words
A method as set forth in claim 12 in which the amount of air mixed with LHV gas before delivery into the primary stage of oxidation and secondary stage of oxidation is controlled to limit the maximum temperature in each stage to 2,000° F.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
46 words
A method as set forth in claim 12 in which the amount of air mixed with the LHV gas before delivery into the primary stage and the secondary stage of oxidation is controlled to limit the maximum temperature of oxidation in each stage to 1600° F.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method as set forth in claim 12 in which the total amount of air mixed with the LHV gas is approximately stoichiometrically equivalent to the combustibles in LHV gas having a heating value of 50 BTU/SCF.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method as set forth in claim 13 characterized by diluting hot combustion gas discharged from the secondary stage of oxidation with air to produce a mixture having a temperature not exceeding the maximum operating temperature of the gas turbine.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method as set forth in claim 6 in which the LHV gas is from the in-situ combustion of petroleum.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method as set forth in claim 6 in which the LHV gas is from the in-situ combustion of oil shale.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as set forth in claim 18 in which the LHV gas produced by in-situ combustion of oil shale is compressed to a pressure of at least 75 psig before oxidation.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
69 words
A method as set forth in claim 6 characterized by the oxidation of the combustibles being accomplished in a primary, secondary and tertiary oxidation stage with intercooling between the primary and secondary stages and between the secondary and tertiary stages, and air in an amount less than the stoichiometric equivalent of the combustibles in the mixture delivered to each stage being mixed with the gas delivered to each stage.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
49 words
A method as set forth in claim 20 in which the intervening cooling between the secondary and tertiary stages is accomplished by passing the hot combustion gas from the secondary stage through the gas turbine and the gas discharged from the gas turbine is delivered to the tertiary stage.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method as set forth in claim 6 in which the hot combustion gas from step (c) is delivered to a boiler.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the power is generated by delivering the hot combustion products from the oxidation to a boiler.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
154 words
A method for the in-situ recovery of oil from a subsurface carbonaceous deposit comprising igniting the carbonaceous deposit to form a combustion front, delivering air into the carbonaceous deposit under pressure and displacing it through the combustion front to burn a portion of the carbonaceous deposit and drive oil and LHV gas ahead of the combustion front, delivering produced oil and LHV gas to the surface, mixing air with the LHV gas and passing the mixture in contact with an oxidation catalyst to oxidize combustibles in the LHV gas to produce hot combustion products, the amount of air mixed with the LHV gas being less than the stoichiometric equivalent of the combustibles in the LHV gas and limiting the maximum temperature reached on oxidation to the maximum operating temperature of the catalyst, delivering the hot combustion products to a boiler to generate steam, and driving a turbine with the steam to generate electric power.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
154 words
A method for the in-situ recovery of oil from a subsurface carbonaceous deposit comprising igniting the carbonaceous deposit to form a combustion front, delivering air into the carbonaceous deposit under pressure and displacing it through the combustion front to burn a portion of the carbonaceous deposit and drive oil and LHV gas ahead of the combustion front, delivering produced oil and LHV gas to the surface, mixing air with the LHV gas and passing the mixture in contact with an oxidation catalyst to oxidize combustibles in the LHV gas to produce hot combustion products, the amount of air mixed with the LHV gas being less than the stoichiometric equivalent of the combustibles in the LHV gas and limiting the maximum temperature reached on oxidation to the maximum operating temperature of the catalyst, delivering the hot combustion products to a boiler to generate steam, and driving a turbine with the steam to generate electric power.
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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) | 1983-05-13 | 1983-11-12 | 1984-05-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1987-05-13 | 1987-11-12 | 1988-05-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1991-05-13 | 1991-11-12 | 1992-05-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |