Alberta Research Council Incorporated

Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority

Alberta Science and Research Authority

Ezra Eddy Isaacs

Haibo Huang

Jian-Yang Yuan

Richard Anthony McFarlane

Ross Chow

Dmytro Vassily Prudkyy

Alexander Joseph Babchin

Tawfik Noaman Nasr

Daniel R Prowse

Deborah G Vandenhoff

Richard Anthony Mcfarlane

Ross Sam Chow

This invention relates to the enhancement of chemical reactions by applying a high frequency electric field to a material. The frequency and amplitude of the electric field are selected in accordance with the properties of the reacting components in the bulk of chemical reactor. In general, the high frequency range is determined by the dielectric properties of reactant(s), that is, at any given temperature, when, for example, the specific conductivity starts to grow from its low frequency value. Typically, frequencies in the range of 100 kHz to 200 MHz or greater are suitable for the enhancement of the reactions. An electric field of any shape having Fourier components that when applied to a chemical process exhibits growth in the real part of conductivity relative to the low frequency value is of particular importance.

Dielectric breakdown chemical reactor for liquids

A wet electric heating (&ldquo;WEH&rdquo;) process involves establishing electrode zones (&ldquo;e-zones&rdquo;) around conductors (e.g., wells) for distributing electric current and thereby generating and distributing heat accordingly through a target region in a subterranean formation having hydrocarbons. The inventive WEH process takes into account e-zone geometric shape, spacing and/or spatial orientation to provide a more diffuse distribution of increased temperature values within the target region, compared to conventional electric heating processes, during at least the first 10% of a time interval when an electric potential is applied. The most significant source of heating for diffuse distribution of increased temperature values in the inventive WEH process arises from electric energy delivered directly to and throughout the target region, namely an electric heating distribution effect, which significantly reduces reliance on thermal conduction and/or fluid convection in distributing heat relatively early in the process of generating heat by electric ohm-heating.

Wet electric heating process

A method for producing hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation comprises injecting steam and an additive into the formation. The additive has at least one nonaqueous fluid, which is selected so that the evaporation temperature of the additive is within about &plusmn;150&deg; C. of the steam temperature at the operating pressure. Suitable additives include C,to C,hydrocarbons, and combinations thereof. At least a portion of the additive condenses in the formation. The mobility of the hydrocarbons is greater than that obtained using steam alone under substantially similar formation conditions.

Process for enhancing hydrocarbon mobility using a steam additive

An improvement is provided in an in situ steamflooding process for recovering oil from a subterranean, heavy oil-containing reservoir. An organic sulfonate surfactant, for example a petroleum sulfonate surfactant, is injected with the steam into the reservoir. The steam-surfactant injection stream is introduced to the reservoir at a temperature in the range of about 180.degree. C. to 260.degree. C. The process may be practised in a single well or multi-well pattern using any of a continuous steam drive, steam soak or cyclic steam recovery program. A substantial increase in oil recovery is achieved by this process, as compared to a steam-only injection scheme.

Use of surfactants to improve oil recovery during steamflooding

Growing community of inventors

Edmonton, Canada

Ezra Eddy Isaacs