Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company

Imperial Oil Resources

Mauro Lo Cascio

Robin Gupta

Peter Griffin Smith, Jr

Thomas W Willingham

Jung-gi Jane Shyeh

Diana Y Castellanos Duarte

Robert D Kaminsky

Michael Thomas Hecker

Pavlin B Entchev

Timothy J Hall

P Matthew Spiecker

Dragan Stojkovic

Andrey A Troshko

John Timothy Cullinane

Matthew Scott Jackson

Chris E Shuchart

Richard E Beckham

Shawn Fullmer

J Timothy Cullinane

William L Esch

Edward C Wanat

Adam P Johnson

Samer F Farjo

Michael A Marr

Olivier Gervais

An oil-water fractionation system is positioned within a wellbore on a subsurface end of a production tubing proximate to a production region. The fractionation system includes a permeable hydrophobic media for preferentially conveying an oil-enriched stream (reduced water-cut presence) from the production region into the production tubing, and a permeable oleophobic media for preferentially conveying a water-enriched stream (reduced oil-cut presence) into a second flow path. The permeable hydrophobic media and the permeable oleophobic media are in simultaneous hydraulic communication with the production region. The permeable hydrophobic media is manufactured with a relatively high effective permeability to oil, allowing the oil-enriched stream to flow through the permeable hydrophobic media into the production tubing. In contrast, the permeable oleophobic media is manufactured with a relatively high effective permeability to water, allowing the water-enriched stream to flow through the permeable oleophobic media into the second flow path.

Downhole production fluid fractionation system

Chelating acid blends for stimulation of a subterranean formation, methods of utilizing the chelating acid blends, and hydrocarbon wells that include the chelating acid blends are disclosed herein. The chelating acid blends include an acid mixture and a chelating agent or set of chelating agents. The acid mixture includes hydrochloric acid and hydrofluoric acid. The methods include providing the chelating acid blends to a wellbore of a hydrocarbon well, flowing the chelating acid blends into a subterranean formation, dissolving a fraction of a formation mineralogy of the subterranean formation with the acid mixture, and chelating poly-valent metal ions with the chelating agent. The hydrocarbon wells include a wellbore that extends within a subterranean formation, a downhole tubular that extends within the wellbore, a fracture that extends into the subterranean formation, and a chelating acid blend positioned within the fracture.

Chelating acid blends for stimulation of a subterranean formation, methods of utilizing the chelating acid blends, and hydrocarbon wells that include the chelating acid blends

Described herein are methods and techniques for deep reservoir stimulation of a hydrocarbon-containing subsurface formation. The methods may comprise introducing or injecting a formation-dissolving fluid, such as a wet acid-forming gas, into the subsurface formation; allowing the formation-dissolving fluid, such as the wet acid-forming gas, to react with the subsurface formation for a period of time; and producing hydrocarbons from the subsurface formation.

Methods for deep reservoir stimulation using acid-forming fluids

Method for characterizing a heavily biodegraded oil sand ore sample by microwave-assisted bitumen extraction. Vacuum-filtration of solvent-extracted bitumen and sediments provides a means to recover sediment fines down to a particle size of 0.8 &#x3bc;m, which is the analytical requirement for accurate mineralogical analysis of the clay mineral fraction. The method may be completed in hours, making it suitable for 'just-in-time' analyzes at the mine site. The recovered sediment and sediment fines are suitable for characterization using traditional analytical techniques to understand mineralogy, petrology, and reservoir properties.

Microwave-assisted bitumen extraction with vacuum-assisted sediment filtration

Methods for enhanced oil recovery from a subterranean formation including adding a first salt to a first aqueous stream to form a first injection stream with an increased concentration of a first ion. A second salt is added to a second aqueous stream to form a second injection stream with an increased concentration of a second ion. The second injection stream is of different composition than the first injection stream and the first injection stream and the second injection stream have substantially the same interfacial tension with a hydrocarbon and substantially the same kinematic viscosity. The first injection stream is injected into the formation at a first time and the second injection stream is injected into the formation at a second time. The first injection stream and second injection stream contact at least some overlapping portion of the formation. Oil is recovered from the overlapping portion of the formation.

Systems and methods for enhanced waterfloods

Methods and systems for enhanced oil recovery from a subterranean formation are provided. An exemplary includes separating fluid produced from the subterranean formation into a first fluid stream that includes an aqueous stream containing multivalent ions. At least a portion of the multivalent ions in the first fluid are removed to form a second fluid stream and the second fluid stream is injected into the subterranean formation. The first fluid stream and the second fluid stream have substantially the same interfacial tension with a hydrocarbon and substantially the same kinematic viscosity, and the second fluid stream has a total concentration of ions greater than about 100,000 ppm.

Methods and systems for enhancing oil recovery from a subterranean formation comprising at least a first region and a second region are provided. An exemplary method includes creating an injection stream by adding a salt to a water stream to increase a concentration of an ion and injecting the injection stream into the subterranean formation through a first injection well in the first region of the subterranean formation. Fluid is produced from the subterranean formation and separated to generate an aqueous stream comprising at least a portion of the ion. The salt is added to the aqueous stream to adjust the concentration of the ion in the aqueous stream to a desired level. The aqueous stream is injected into the subterranean formation through a second injection well in the second region of the subterranean formation.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Mauro Lo Cascio