Texaco Inc.

Carlos W Pardo

Billy W Surles

Philip D Fader

Kevin Rush Bowlin

Robert H Friedman

Howard L McKinzie

Lon A Stuebinger

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for reducing lifting costs in a producing hydrocarbon well by injecting produced water into a set of injection perforations located lower in the well borehole from a set of production perforations. A plunger pump and a cage-ball valve system are placed above a production packer which is located between the production and injection perforations. The valve system and pump are arranged to take produced water from above the packer and pump into the injection perforations only on the downstroke of the rod string activated plunger pump.

Method and apparatus for reducing gas well production costs using

A system for improving the economics of production by reducing lifting costs of a producing well utilizes the upstroke of a pump to produce a fluid mixture of primarily oil with only a fraction of the produced water and the downstroke to inject the remaining produced water beneath a packer into a lower formation.

Dual action pumping system

A method for fluid control or plugging of a well by injecting a mixture of an acid polymerizable resin, a polar organic diluent, and an acid catalyst, and later injecting an acidic fluid to quick-set a portion of the resin and hold it in place while the pre-mixed catalyst sets the resin. In an alternate sand consolidation embodiment, a fluid slug is injected between the resin and acidic fluid injections to create permeability in the resin saturated area of the formation prior to final set of the resin.

Quick-set formation treating methods

Disclosed are processes for treating a subterranean formation to improve the permeability distribution by reducing the permeability in high permeability zones, so fluids injected for oil recovery purposes will sweep more uniformly through the formation. The processes involve injecting a polymerizable compound, preferably a monomer or oligomer of furfuryl alcohol, together with a diluent, preferably an ester such as butyl acetate, and a suitable acid catalyst for the formation conditions, generally toluenesulfonic acid. The fluid may be injected in a liquid phase or mixed with steam or non-condensable gas to form an aerosol, which is injected then into the formation prior to the injection of the oil recovery fluid, which may be water, surfactant fluid, polymer fluid, or steam.

Formation treating

Methods are provided for consolidating unconsolidated mineral grains such as sand within a subterranean oil formation to form a fluid permeable barrier which restrains the movement of sand particles when oil passes through the barrier. A quantity of an organic solvent, preferably an ester such as butyl acetate is injected into the formation as a preflush. Next, a liquid comprising a polymerizable oligomer such as furfuryl alcohol oligomer, an ester such as butyl acetate, and an acid catalyst such as toluene sulfonic acid is provided, then mixed with a noncondensable gas to form a multiphase or aerosol treating fluid, and the treating fluid is injected into the formation to be consolidated. The well is shut in for sufficient period of time for polymerization to convert the injected fluids into a permeable barrier around the wellbore.

Sand consolidation methods

An external packer assembly for isolating well bores has an inflatable member initially containing a catalyst or activator solution. An insertion assembly introduces a resin to the inflatable member which then inflates, under the influence of the expanding resin, into sealing engagement with the bore hole walls.

Growing community of inventors

Missouri City, TX, United States of America

Carlos W Pardo