Conoco Inc.

Conocophillips Company

Umea University

Sally A Thomas

Joe D Allison

Alan Royce Huffman

Wolfgang Frech

Lars T Lambertsson

William W Gilbert

Kang Yang, Deceased

Erik L Bjorn

Charles J Lord

Pulsed power sources are installed in one or more wells in the reservoir interval. The pulse sources include (1) an electrohydraulic generator that produces an intense and short lived electromagnetic pulse that travels at the speed of light through the reservoir, and an acoustic pulse from the plasma vaporization of water placed around the source that propagates through the reservoir at the speed of sound in the reservoir and (2) an electromagnetic generator that produces only an intense and short lived electromagnetic pulse that travels at the speed of light through the reservoir. The combination of electrohydraulic and electromagnetic generators in the reservoir causes both the acoustic vibration and electromagnetically-induced high-frequency vibrations occur over an area of the reservoir where stimulation is desired. Single generators and various configurations of multiple electrohydraulic and electromagnetic generators stimulate a volume of reservoir and mobilize crude oil so that it begins moving toward a producing well. The method can be performed in a producing well or wells, an injector well or wells, or special wells drilled for the placement of the pulsed power EOR devices. The method can be applied with other EOR methods such as water flooding, CO2 flooding, surfactant flooding, diluent flooding in heavy oil reservoirs. The recovered formation fluids may be separated into various constituents.

Process and apparatus for coupled electromagnetic and acoustic stimulation of crude oil reservoirs using pulsed power electrohydraulic and electromagnetic discharge

A process for converting sulfide ion present in a solution to innocuous, water soluble sulfur species is provided. The process basically includes the steps of contacting the sulfide ion with an oxidizing agent to oxidize it to the water soluble sulfur species and admixing a surface active agent with the solution in an amount sufficient to inhibit precipitation of elemental sulfur and to promote subsequent oxidation. To enhance the formation of the water soluble sulfur species and to speed up the reaction, the oxidation reaction is conducted under alkaline conditions.

Process for converting sulfide ion to innocuous, solubile sulfur species

Growing community of inventors

Harris County, TX, United States of America

Sally A Thomas