Phillips Petroleum Company

Etrema Products, Inc.

Michael L Fraim

Stephen D McCoy

David R Zornes

Daniel Dobson

Daniel R Maloney

Dennis C Wegener

Rick Alan McGee

Michael E Vienot

Julie C Slaughter

Dave E Reese

John Ely

Jean-Marc Grindatto

A method of oil production after water flooding includes the steps of: forming at least one injection well and at least one production well in a reservoir; pumping enriched air (at least 30-100 mole-% oxygen with fogged water droplets) into the injection well, so as to maximize gravity segregation of gas/steam and gravity drainage of oil from an attic and/or pinch-out volume of the reservoir; and recycling produced carbon dioxide by injection into a man-made gas cap created around the at least one injection well. The enriched air preferably includes a mixture of 30-100 mole-% oxygen, 0-4 mole-% argon, 0-67 mole-% nitrogen and 0-70 mole-carbon dioxide gas.

Fog enhanced air transportation injection well for in-situ steam/carbon dioxide generation

A method for enhanced oil recovery in a tilted reservoir includes the steps of: providing an injection well and at least one production well, the at least one production well provided at a greater depth in the tilted reservoir than the injection well; injecting carbon dioxide or nitrogen gas into the injection well; injecting enriched air into the injection well so as to cause ignition in the tilted reservoir; reducing production by the at least one production well; draining fluid from an area in the tilted reservoir up-dip of the injection well; and recovering the drained fluid by the at least one production well.

Structural enriched air recovery (SEAR) for oil reservoirs

A method for fracking a well to reorient vertical fractures into horizontal fractures throughout a target reservoir, including target reservoirs having multiple thin heterogeneous target production zones. The method involves sequentially fracking and injecting proppant at periodic vertical intervals, while monitoring in real time, at least until a dip of an adjacent hydraulic fracture has rotated to a horizontal orientation.

Method for well re-stimulation with hydraulic fracture treatments

A hydraulic underreamer for enlarging a wellbore includes improved packer, cutting, jet pump, and mill sections. Each of the sections and their associated advantages are described herein in detail. The packer section is designed to minimize wear on its sealing elements, the cutting and jet pump sections are designed to minimize pressure requirements and optimize hydraulic efficiency, and the mill section has a removable center assembly which allows effective well control when pulling the underreamer out of a &ldquo;live&rdquo; well filled with a gas, such as methane.

Hydraulic underreamer and sections for use therein

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

Hydraulic underreamer and sections for use thereof

An apparatus for use down a bore hole to reduce the viscosity of a hydrocarbon-containing fluid in the bore hole. The apparatus includes a housing having a size for disposition in the bore hole. At least one ultrasonic transducer is carried by the housing. The ultrasonic transducer preferably has an active element changeable from a first shape to a second shape in the presence of an electromagnetic field. An electromagnetic field is provided through at least a portion of the active element to change the shape of the active element. An acoustic element is coupled to the active element for providing ultrasonic energy to the hydrocarbon-containing fluid in the bore hole. A method for reducing the viscosity of a hydrocarbon-containing fluid in a bore hole is additionally provided.

Ultrasonic downhole radiator and method for using same

The present invention provides methods and apparatus for enhancing the production of liquid hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation penetrated by a well bore. The methods basically comprise placing one or more electric powered sonic energy transducers actuated by magnetostrictive actuators which preferably have drive rods formed of terfenol alloy in the well bore, and causing sonic energy to be emitted from the transducers in the form of pressure waves through the liquid hydrocarbons in the well bore and/or in the formation thereby causing the liquid hydrocarbons to flow into the well bore and to the surface more freely.

Methods and apparatus for enhancing well production using sonic energy

A hydraulic underreamer for enlarging a wellbore includes improved packer, cutting, jet pump, and mill sections. Each of the sections and their associated advantages are described herein in detail. The packer section is designed to minimize wear on its sealing elements, the cutting and jet pump sections are designed to minimize pressure requirements and optimize hydraulic efficiency, and the mill section has a removable center assembly which allows effective well control when pulling the underreamer out of a 'live' well filled with a gas, such as methane.

Growing community of inventors

Bakersfield, CA, United States of America

Michael L Fraim