Shell Oil Comapny

Other

Shell Canada Limited

Shell Explorer Limited

Michael Prats

Ramon Elias

Harold J Vinegar

Carlos A Glandt

Gary Drinkard

Paul B Ritter

Stephen Michael O'Brien

Alexander S Williamson

A method has been invented for recovering hydrocarbons from an earth formation containing hydrocarbons, the method including injecting a recovery injectant into the earth formation at a plurality of injection points spaced apart by about 14 to about 208 feet, and producing hydrocarbons from the formation with at least one producer well. In one aspect the method includes injecting steam into an earth formation which contains oil bearing diatomite at a plurality of injection points spaced apart by about 14 to about 208 feet, and producing hydrocarbons from the formation with a one or more producer wells extending into the oil bearing diatomite formation, with a plurality of producer wells spaced apart by a distance ranging between about 14 to about 149 feet, injecting steam into the oil bearing diatomite at an injection rate of between about 10 to about 149 barrels of steam per day per hundred feet thickness of diatomite, and injecting the steam at a pressure between about 10 p.s.i. to about 260 p.s.i. The present invention also discloses a method for treating a hydrocarbon-bearing diatomite formation including applying an artificial overburden over at least a portion of the formation and applying a variable well spacing as needed. A field on an earth formation has been invented for recovering hydrocarbons, the earth formation having an earth surface above it, the field including a plurality of injector well and a plurality of producing wells, the field including at least one injector well per acre of earth surface above the earth formation and at least one producing well per acre. Certain parts of the wells may be in below-grade chambers.

Systems and methods for hydrocarbon recovery

A method has been invented for recovering hydrocarbons from an earth formation containing hydrocarbons, the method including injecting a recovery injectant (e.g., but not limited to, saturated or supersaturated steam), into the earth formation at a plurality of injection points, the injection points spaced apart in one particular aspect by about 14 to about 208 feet, and producing hydrocarbons from the formation with at least one producer well extending into the formation. In one aspect the method includes injecting steam into an earth formation which contains oil bearing diatomite at a plurality of injection points spaced apart, in one aspect, by about 14 to about 208 feet, and producing hydrocarbons from the formation with a one or more producer wells extending into the oil bearing diatomite formation, with a plurality of producer wells spaced apart by a distance ranging between about 14 to about 149 feet, injecting steam into the oil bearing diatomite at an injection rate of between about 10 to about 149 barrels of steam per day per hundred feet thickness of diatomite, and injecting the steam at a pressure between about 10 p.s.i. to about 260 p.s.i. (or up to about 600 psi). The present invention also discloses a method for treating a hydrocarbon-bearing diatomite formation including applying an artificial overburden over at least a portion of the formation and applying a concept of variable well spacing as needed.

Hydrocarbon recovery systems and methods

A method is disclosed for producing thick tar sand deposits by preheating of thin, relatively conductive layers which are a small fraction of the total thickness of a tar sand deposit. The thin conductive layers serve to confine the heating within the tar sands to a thin zone adjacent to the conductive layers even for large distances between rows of electrodes. The preheating is continued until the viscosity of the tar in a thin preheated zone adjacent to the conductive layers is reduced sufficiently to allow steam injection into the tar sand deposit. The entire deposit is then produced by steam flooding.

Method of producing tar sand deposits containing conductive layers

A selective injection of gaseous fluid into a portion of a subterranean reservoir is improved by positioning an impedance to fluid flow in the annulus between a pipe string and a surrounding permeable-walled conduit, ensuring the presence of granular solids between the permeable-walled conduit and the reservoir, injecting the gaseous fluid through the pipe string to a point below the impedance and injecting fluid which is more viscous than the gaseous fluid down the annulus to restrict bypassing of the impedance.

Foam and impedance-guided steam injection

A pressure substantially equalling the formation water pressure within an oil-productive portion of a subterranean reservoir can be directly measured by displacing a limited portion of water into a continuous water phase extending through a material having an oil entry pressure high enough to effectively prevent oil entry while maintaining a permeability to water, and fluid communication with the reservoir, allowing imbibition to reduce the pressure within the water phase, and subsequently measuring that pressure.

Process for measuring the formation water pressure within an oil layer

An improved steam soak process recovers viscous oil from a reservoir containing a relatively steam impermeable oil-rich layer above a relatively steam permeable water-rich layer. Steam is injected at a rate and volume that displaces an oil bank into the water layer. The cooling of the oil bank impedes the flow of water so that, during the production cycle, the rate of oil recovery is increased.

Aquifer-plugging steam soak for layered reservoir

This invention is a process for treating an underground formation of coal by contacting the coal with a basic aqueous solution for a time sufficient to disintegrate at least a portion of the coal formation. Subsequently, at least some of the disintegrated material is removed to create permeability in the coal formation. The coal is then treated with a heat carrying fluid to recover energy values from the coal. Another aspect of this invention is a process for slurry mining coal which comprises contacting the coal with the basic aqueous solution for a time sufficient to disintegrate the coal and form a slurry, then conveying said slurry to a receiving terminal.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Michael Prats