Alberta Research Council Incorporated

Other

Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority

Alberta Innovates-technology Futures

Alberta Science and Research Authority

Douglas A Lillico

Ernest H Perkins

Kevin Rispler

Karl T Chuang

Karl Tze-Tang Chuang

Haibo Huang

Varagur S Rajan

Bernard Tremblay

Varagur S V Rajan

Cathal Tunney

Ron Sawatzky

Zhihong (John) Zhou

Techien Chen

Justo Neda

Theodore J Frauenfeld

Zhihong (john) Zhou

A system for recovering a fluid from a subterranean formation, including a production wellbore having a substantially horizontal production length extending through the formation, and a trench extending through the formation. A method of constructing a trench section in a subterranean formation, including providing within the formation an access wellbore having a substantially horizontal access wellbore length, introducing a trench cutting tool into the access wellbore, and advancing and retracting the trench cutting tool through the access wellbore in order to cut slots in the formation in a trench direction away from the access wellbore, repeatedly until a number of slots required to complete the trench section has been cut.

Enhanced permeability subterranean fluid recovery system and methods

A method of blocking a high permeability channel in communication with a wellbore, including the steps of introducing an amount of an unreinforced gel into the high permeability channel via the wellbore and introducing an amount of a reinforced gel comprising an amount of a reinforcing material into the high permeability channel via the wellbore. The method may further include the step, after introducing the unreinforced gel and the reinforced gel into the high permeability channel, of introducing an amount of a chaser fluid into the wellbore.

Method for controlling water influx into wellbores by blocking high-permeability channels

A method and an apparatus for injecting a fluid into a borehole. The method includes the step of injecting an injection fluid into a primary injection zone in a borehole at an injection fluid pressure. The primary injection zone is bounded by a proximal injection zone interface and a distal injection zone interface. The proximal injection zone interface and the distal injection zone interface are maintained at pressures which are substantially balanced with the injection fluid pressure. The apparatus includes a body adapted for passage through a borehole, at least four radially extendable and retractable zone interface elements spaced longitudinally along the body which when extended define at least three zones along the body, a zone interface element actuator for selectively extending and retracting the zone interface elements, and a fluid delivery system for delivering a fluid to each zone. The central zone defined by the zone interface elements is the primary injection zone and the zones on either side of the primary injection zone are balancing zones which are used to achieve substantial pressure balancing with the fluid injection pressure at the proximal injection zone interface and the distal injection zone interface.

Method and apparatus for injecting one or more fluids into a borehole

Structured packing for mass-exchange or energy-exchange processes uses a stack of parallel, flat sheets forming flat channels therebetween. A number of tabs extends between adjacent pairs of sheets to form both bridges for fluid flow and spacers for structural rigidity of the packing. Some of the tabs serve predominantly to divert fluid over the entire surface of a given sheet to prevent so-called channeling, while other tabs are disposed to predominantly enhance fluid transfer between the adjacent sheets. Fluid communication between both sides of each sheet is facilitated due to slots caused by the punching of the tabs. Preferably, the tabs or even entire sheets are perforated as well to facilitate fluid wetting of downward-faced portions of the tabs thus reducing &ldquo;dry zones&rdquo; on the packing.

Structured packing assembly

Structured packing for mass-exchange or energy-exchange processes uses a stack of parallel, flat sheets forming flat channels therebetween. A number of tabs extends between adjacent pairs of sheets to form both bridges for fluid flow and spacers for structural rigidity of the packing. Some of the tabs serve predominantly to divert fluid over the entire surface of a given sheet to prevent so-called channeling, while other tabs are disposed to predominantly enhance fluid transfer between the adjacent sheets. Fluid communication between both sides of each sheet is facilitated due to perforations caused by the manufacturing of the tabs. The design allows for the use of very thin sheets resulting in a light-weight packing assembly.

The invention provides a solvent-assisted method for mobilizing viscous heavy oil or bitumen in a reservoir under reservoir conditions without the need to adjust the temperature or pressure. The invention utilizes mixtures of hydrocarbon solvents such as ethane, propane and butane, which dissolve in oil and reduce its viscosity. Two or more solvents are mixed in such proportions that the dew point of the solvent mixture corresponds with reservoir temperature and pressure conditions. The solvent mixture, when injected into a reservoir, exists predominantly in the vapor phase, minimizing the solvent requirement. The invention can be practised in the context of paired injector and producer wells, or a single well cyclic system.

Solvent-assisted method for mobilizing viscous heavy oil

Growing community of inventors

Edmonton, Canada

Douglas A Lillico