Shell Oil Comapny

Kenneth B Owens

Richard E Dilgren

In a steam-foam-displacement of oil within a reservoir formation having a significant ion-exchange capacity for releasing multivalent cations, the rate of the steam foam propagation is increased by injecting a mixture of steam and a steam-foaming surfactant mixture comprising an independently effective steam-foaming sulfonate surfactant mixed with a lesser amount of an alkyl or alkylarylpolyalkoxyalkylene sulfonate cosurfactant.

Steam-foaming surfactant mixtures which are tolerant of divalent ions

A steam-foam-forming surfactant effective for displacing the oil in a particular reservoir is selected by comparing the capabilities of foams formed by different surfactants for both flowing preferentially into permeable porous materials which contain that reservoir oil and displacing that oil from those materials.

Process for selecting a steam foam forming surfactant

Steam mobility-reducing capability of an olefin sulfonate-containing surfactant formulation for reducing the mobility of steam of a selected quality within a selected subterranean oil-containing reservoir is tested. Steam of the selected quality and a steam-containing fluid which has substantially the same quality containing the surfactant formulation, an electrolyte and a noncondensable gas upflow through columns of permeable porous mediums containing the reservoir oil. The mass flow rates through the columns are substantially equivalent to a selected flow rate in a near-well portion of the reservoir. Steady-state pressure within the columns are measured and the permeability reducing factor of the surfactant formulation is calculated from the pressure measurements.

Olefin sulfonate-improved steam foam drive

A steam foam drive process for displacing oil within a subterranean reservoir is improved by injecting into the reservoir a steam-foam-forming mixture of steam, and an olefin sulfonate-containing surfactant component.

A relatively viscous oil is produced from a subterranean reservoir by establishing a channel of preferential permeability through the reservoir between injection and production locations, then flowing through the reservoir a hot foam of aqueous liquid, noncondensable gas and surfactant, and controlling the mobility of the foam so that heated oil is produced and hot fluid is flowed through portions of the reservoir within and outside the channel of preferential permeability.

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Spring, TX, United States of America

Kenneth B Owens