Mobil Oil Corporation

Paul S Northrop

Frank Hershkowitz

Harry William Deckman

David Stern

Peter I Ravikovitch

Edward W Corcoran

Robert S Timmer

Robert E Fast

Christopher Burcham

Darryl N Burrows

James L Wilson

Anthony S Murer

Bruce T Kelley

Ronald R Chance

This invention is directed to a method for scrubbing hazardous components from waste or flue gas in depleted or swept regions of a reservoir. In the practice of this invention, a waste gas is coinjected into a depleted or swept region along with an aqueous reactant. The swept or depleted regions serve as a reactor. The gas and an aqueous reactant in an amount sufficient to react with said gas is allowed to remain in the depleted or swept region for a time sufficient to react with said gas and remove harmful or hazardous components from the gas. Thus, harmful or hazardous components are scrubbed from the gas. When the scrubbed gas breaks through at another spaced apart site, a gas substantially devoid of harmful or hazardous components is produced to the surface.

Scrubbing of oilfield waste gas in subterranean formations

A method for recovering hydrocarbons (e.g. oil) from a low permeability subterranean reservoir of the type comprised primarily of diatomite. A first slug or volume of a heated fluid (e.g. 60% quality steam) is injected into the reservoir at a pressure greater than the fracturing pressure of the reservoir. The well is then shut in and the reservoir is allowed to soak for a prescribed period (e.g. 10 days or more) to allow the oil to displaced by the steam into the fractures by imbibition. The well is then produced until the production rate drops below an economical level. A second slug of steam is then injected and the cycles are repeated with the volume of each subsequent slug of steam being progressively smaller that the one before it (i.e. about 80%) and the respective soak period being increased by about 20% over that of the previous cycle.

Method for producing low permeability reservoirs using steam

A method for enhanced oil recovery from a low permeability diatomaceous reservoir by imbibition is described. In this method, oil is displaced from the reservoir with a horizontal wellbore by a combination of applied fluid pressure, plus 'enhanced imbibition.' Enhanced imbibition is accomplished by adding chemical additives, water, or brine to an injection fluid so that rock in the tight diatomaceous reservoir has a stronger affinity for the water present therein, thus releasing oil from the rock. The method is either continuous or cyclic.

Imbibition process using a horizontal well for oil production from low

A method for enhanced oil recovery from a low permeability diatomaceous reservoir by imbibition is described. In this method, oil is displaced from a single injection well, or series of injection wells into a single producer or series of producing wells by a combination of applied fluid pressure, plus 'enhanced imbibition.' Enhanced imbibition is accomplished by adding chemical additives to the injection fluid so that rock in the tight reservoir has a stronger affinity for the water present therein, thus releasing oil from the rock.

Oil recovery by enhanced imbitition in low permeability reservoirs

A method for recovering connate fluids (e.g. oil) from a low permeability subterranean reservoir (e.g. diatomite) through a single wellbore. Upper and lower intervals are fractured from the wellbore that the fractured intervals only partially overlap, thereby leaving a partial, natural barrier formed of random-spaced, low permeable areas along the interface between the fractured intervals. This partial barrier improves the sweep efficiency of a drive fluid (e.g. water) which is injected into the lower fractured interval by forcing it to spread outward into the reservoir before it is flows through the upper fractured interval. The drive fluid is injected at approximately the same rate as that at which the fluids are produced so that displacement of oil occurs primarily due to imbibition.

Method for producing low permeability reservoirs using a single well

A method for safely disposing of a waste gas from produced hydrocarbons. The waste gas is mixed with a surfactant to form a foam which, in turn, is placed within a disposal zone of a subterranean formation. The waste gas is effectively 'trapped' within the foam thereby substantially reducing the mobility of the gas in the formation which, in turn, restricts the ability of the waste gas to readily flow out of the disposal zone and into the producing zone of the formation. The waste gas foam can be placed into the formation by coinjecting the surfactant and the waste gas or it can be formed in situ by first injecting the surfactant and then injecting the waste gas.

Method for disposing of waste gas in subterranean formations

A method and apparatus for treating steam which is to be injected into a formation through a gravel pack well completion by preventing dissolution and removal of silica from the gravel pack. The steam is flowed through a treatment vessel which is filled with a silica-containing material, e.g. sand, where it dissolves silica from the sand prior to injection through the gravel pack. Since the treated steam is already substantially saturated with silica, it will not dissolve any substantial amounts of silica from the gravel pack. The treatment vessel can also be heated during treatment, if desired.

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Bakersfield, CA, United States of America

Paul S Northrop