Husky Oil Operations Limited

Wavefront Technology Solutions Inc.

Sunrise Oil Sands Partnership

Lawrence J Frederick

Brett Charles Davidson

Tor Meling

Brett C Davidson

William Cody Wollen

Derek Lamb

Karl Miller

A method for recovering hydrocarbons from an underground formation having a first exploited or partially exploited region and a second less exploited region in at least partial fluid communication with said first region. Electrical heating means is provided in the first region, and electrical energy supplied to the first region to raise or sustain its pressure to mitigate the loss of fluids and pressure from the second region due to hydraulic interaction with the first region. The electric heating affects the pressure by thermal expansion of the liquids and vapors present in or added to the first region and/or flashing of those liquids to vapors. The use of electric means is advantageous over the prior art by allowing for the redirection of injection fluids to more active regions of exploitation, and allows for more timely reclamation of the equipment and surface area above the first region.

Method to maintain reservoir pressure during hydrocarbon recovery operations using electrical heating means with or without injection of non-condensable gases

A method for determining along relatively uniformly spaced apart parallel first and second wellbores situated in an underground hydrocarbon-containing formation, regions within the formation, including in particular regions between such wellbores, to inject a fluid at a pressure above formation dilation pressure, to stimulate production of oil into the second of the two wellbores, and subsequently injecting fluid at pressures above formation dilation pressures at the discrete regions along such wellbores determined to be in need. An initial information-gathering procedure is conducted, wherein fluid is supplied under a pressure less than formation dilation or fracture pressure, to discrete intervals along a first wellbore, and sensors in the second wellbore measure and data is recorded regarding the ease of penetration of such fluid into the various regions of the formation intermediate the two wellbores. Regions of the formation exhibiting poor ease of fluid penetration are thereafter selected for subsequent dilation, at pressures above formation dilation pressures. Where initial fluid pressures and/or formation dilation pressures are provided in cyclic pulses, a downhole tool is disclosed for such purpose.

Method for determining regions for stimulation along two parallel adjacent wellbores in a hydrocarbon formation

A method for determining along a length of a wellbore situated in an underground hydrocarbon-containing formation, regions within the formation to inject a fluid at a pressure above formation dilation pressure, to stimulate production of oil into the wellbore. An initial information-gathering procedure is conducted prior to formation dilation/fracturing, wherein fluid is supplied under a pressure less than formation dilation or fracture pressure, to discrete intervals along the wellbore, and sensors measure and data is recorded regarding the ease of penetration of such fluid into the various regions of the formation. Regions of the formation exhibiting poor ease of fluid penetration or regions of higher oil saturation, are thereafter selected for subsequent stimulation or dilation, at pressures above formation dilation pressures. Where initial fluid pressures and/or formation dilation pressures are provided in cyclic pulses, a downhole tool is disclosed for such purpose.

Method for determining regions for stimulation along a wellbore within a hydrocarbon formation, and using such method to improve hydrocarbon recovery from the reservoir

A steam-assisted gravity drainage or cyclic steam injection method for recovering oil from a development region of an underground reservoir, further employing water injection along one or more peripheral side edges of the development region via a horizontal well or wells to thereby bound the development region on at least one side edge thereof, and preferably along two or more side edges, with water to thereby reduce steam loss from the development region and thus reduce steam-to-recovered oil ratio (SOR). The water may be combined with diluents. The water which is injected into the horizontal well or wells may comprise produced water recovered from said reservoir.

Water injection method for assisting in recovery of heavy oil

A method of modelling a hydrocarbon-containing reservoir which is representative of such reservoir in at least one physical characteristic such as reservoir porosity or permeability. Data, such as reservoir porosity is firstly determined. Such data is then transformed into printing instructions for a 3D printer. The 3D printer is used to print a reduced-scale model which is representative of the reservoir in respect of the at least one physical characteristic, such as reservoir porosity. A method of comparative testing of different hydrocarbon recovery techniques on a single hydrocarbon-containing reservoir is also disclosed and claimed.

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Calgary, Canada

Lawrence J Frederick