Conocophillips Company

Siluni Wickramathilaka

Thomas James Wheeler

David A Brown

Logan Warren

James J Howard

Methods and systems produce petroleum products by insulating a thermal hydrocarbon recovery process from heat loss to surrounding areas of a formation utilizing an insulating composition including a non-gaseous phase component introduced into the reservoir that is different from water and insoluble in the hydrocarbons. The insulating composition may be disposed in the reservoir adjacent to where the heat loss is desired to be limited. In addition, the insulating composition may be disposed in a thief zone and may also be from an agent activated to form the composition at such desired locations by selecting activation dependent on at least one of temperature, time delay and oil saturation.

Oil recovery with insulating composition

The proposed method is an improved chemical flooding of an oil reservoir, especially one containing heavy oil or bitumen, that is cheaper than traditional chemical flooding techniques. This is obtained by viscosifying the displacing phase with a polyol, such as glycerol and/or its derivatives. Glycerol and its derivatives are an excellent additive because they are cheaper than the more commonly used chemicals, work only as a viscosifying agent, do not alter the reservoir properties, and have a wide range of viscosity facilitating the displacement of a wider range of heavy oils. This improved chemical flooding can be used with any other enhanced oil recovery technique, including thermal means, solvent assisted and polymer floodings.

Polyol for improving sweep efficiency in oil reservoirs

One methods for in-situ characterization of a reservoir rock includes: (a) sealing an interval corresponding to a selected depth or depths within the subterranean formation; (b) injecting a displacement fluid into the interval, wherein the displacement fluid displaces a reservoir fluid stored in the reservoir rock; (c) monitoring movement of the displacement fluid or the reservoir fluid in the reservoir rock; and (d) assessing wettability of the reservoir rock based on (c) or determining recovery rate of the reservoir fluid.

Dynamic in-situ measurement of reservoir wettability

The present invention relates to a method for reducing solvent retention in ES-SAGD process so as to increase process economics wherein an anti-retention agent is injected into the reservoir to decrease solvent retention in the reservoir. The anti-retention agent can be made pre-injection or can form in situ, and comprises an agent in which the solvent is readily soluble, such that the solvent partitions into the foam, colloidal dispersion, or gel, and out of the condensed water or steam, and away from the reservoir rock.

Anti-retention agent in steam-solvent oil recovery

A new method of assessing wettability of a reservoir rock is provided, using a mineral oil/alkane saturated sample first, a crude oil and water saturated sample equivalent to natural reservoir rock second, and a third crude oil saturated, water free sample, measuring different wettability states and comparing the slopes of all three adjusted values to determine a wettability state for the reservoir rock.

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Katy, TX, United States of America

Siluni Wickramathilaka