Conocophillips Company

Phillips Petroleum Company

Michael E Vienot

Lee Chin

Dennis B Neff

Scott A Runnestrand

Edgar L Butler

Riley Bryan Needham

David R Zornes

Michael L Fraim

Daniel R Maloney

Dennis C Wegener

The proposed method is an improved method of flooding weak reservoirs and avoiding premature breakthrough of the displacing fluid used in the flooding operation by first modeling the performance of the reservoir under a rage of flooding pressures in a couple geomechanic and multiphase flow model. Ideal pressures are thus selected from use in a flooding operation, thus avoiding rock failure and fluid breakthrough.

Avoiding water breakthrough in unconsolidated sands

Methods and systems are provided for sulfur disposal through preparation of a micro-sized sulfur slurries. Micro-sized sulfur slurries are created for downhole disposal by forming sulfur particulates, which are then combined with a carrier fluid. The micro-sized sulfur slurries may be introduced to a subterranean formation, in some cases, to an unconsolidated sand formation by way of a dilation mechanism. Some embodiments comprise forming micro-sized sulfur slurries through a conversion process that converts molten sulfur to powder sulfur by gas cooling of atomized sprays of molten sulfur. Advantages of the embodiments disclosed herein as compared to many conventional methods include higher efficiencies, lower cost, and enhanced disposal of sulfur material. Furthermore, forming a micro-sized sulfur slurry allows for a more convenient form of transport. Additionally, high sulfur loading rates may be achieved, ultimately allowing for more economical sulfur transport.

Methods and systems for sulfur disposal

Methods and systems are provided for converting molten sulfur to powder sulfur by gas cooling of atomized sprays of molten sulfur. Certain embodiments contemplate a vertical tower that allows molten sulfur to produce an atomized spray or mist of molten sulfur descending from the top of the vertical tower. Gas introduced to the bottom of the vertical tower flows upward intimately interfacing with the descending atomized molten sulfur spray. The molten sulfur in the form of an atomized sulfur spray is cooled by the gas to form a sulfur powder. In certain embodiments, the sulfur powder formed is sufficiently small to be suitable for combination with a base fluid for producing a slurry for convenient transport of the sulfur particulates. Advantages of certain embodiments include higher efficiencies, lower cost, and production of much smaller solid sulfur average particulate sizes, which in turn allows for easier sulfur transport.

Methods and systems for conversion of molten sulfur to powder sulfur

Fluid profile in an oil field waterflood operation is controlled after water breakthrough occurs by injecting a hydrate forming hydrocarbon gas into the highly permeable breakthrough zone. The injected gas on contact with water in the breakthrough zone forms a solid gas hydrate to restrict fluid flow in the breakthrough zone.

Fluid profile control in enhanced oil recovery

This invention provides an apparatus and process for producing heavy crude oil from a subterranean formation penetrated by a well bore. In accordance with the process, an aqueous alkaline chemical solution is introduced into or formed in the well bore penetrating the formation. The aqueous alkaline chemical solution mixes and reacts with produced heavy crude oil in the well bore and ultrasonic waves are emitted into the mixture whereby an emulsion is formed. The viscosity of the formed emulsion is less than that of the crude oil or the crude oil and water mixture flowing into the well bore which allows the oil to be more efficiently pumped to the surface and transported for further processing.

Heavy oil viscosity reduction and production

A method and apparatus for predicting barriers to fluid flow in a subterranean reservoir using well data and 3-D seismic data are disclosed, where a preferred first step in the method models petrophysical properties of the reservoir to provide model logs which are expressible as continuous curves of a reservoir property as a function of depth. The next step selects individual data points on the continuous curves, which traverse a subterranean layer, and assigns a flow or nonflow state to each data point based on comparing a threshold value of a reservoir property with the value predicted by the data point. The layer is divided into a multitude of subvolumes each containing a single data point, and then a connectivity factor, which considers multiple flow paths around each data point, is calculated for each subvolume. The subvolumes are then grouped into larger volumes called simulation cells, and directional flow numbers are assigned to the cells relative to three mutually perpendicular x, y and z coordinate axes, such that display of the directional flow numbers for a group of cells demonstrates flow barriers and flow paths in the reservoir.

Method for determining barriers to reservoir flow

A method and apparatus for predicting distribution of reservoir permeability or porosity and pseudo relative permeability using well data and 3-D seismic data are disclosed, where a preferred first step in the method models the reservoir property of interest to provide model logs which are expressible as continuous curves of a reservoir property as a function of depth. The next step selects individual data points on the continuous curves traversing a reservoir layer and determines permeable trends for a multitude of column-like subvolumes which each enclose a portion of the selected data points. The subvolumes are then divided into a desired number of horizontal slices, with each slice containing a number of the model data points. An average value for the property in each slice is calculated, and the average values are plotted versus depth for each subvolume, thus providing a derived curve of depth versus the reservoir property. The thus derived plots are compared with typical trend curves for layering in a reservoir, and the typical trend curve most nearly matching the derived plot is selected for representing the subvolume. A display of the subvolume trends demonstrates vertical distribution of the property in the reservoir, and can be used to direct the arrangement of pseudo relative permeability throughout a reservoir simulation model.

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Glenview, IL, United States of America

Michael E Vienot