Cenovus Energy Inc.

Fccl Partnership

Encana Corporation

Simon D Gittins

Amos Ben-Zvi

Radu Buzea

Harbir Chhina

Ryan Miller

Michael Miller

Subodh Gupta

John Eric Arthur

Amin Fardi

Trenton M Schrader

Christopher J Elliott

Christopher Elliott

Arun Sood

Michael Patrick McKay

Prince Azom

Ishan Deep Singh Kochhar

Paulina Morasse

Jason Abbate

Christian Canas

Xinjie Wu

Mark Bilozir

Logan Popko

Maliha Zaman

Jason R C Griffiths

Katherine Stavropoulos

Xiaohuan Liu

Alvin Winestock

Chad Barber

Christopher James Elliott

John E Arthur

Mark A Bilozir

Harbir S Chhina

A method is provided for producing hydrocarbons from a subterranean reservoir. A mixture of steam and HS-sorbent particles (e.g., nanoparticles) is injected into the subterranean reservoir. This may be performed during the steam phase of a steam injection operation, such as steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD), steam flooding, or cyclic steam stimulation, which is performed on the reservoir. The injected steam reduces the viscosity of the hydrocarbons in the subterranean formation. The injected HS-sorbent particles attach to the subterranean reservoir and adsorb HS therein. The hydrocarbons are produced to the surface, without producing the HS-sorbent particles with adsorbed HS that remain attached to the subterranean reservoir.

Steam-enhanced hydrocarbon recovery using hydrogen sulfide-sorbent particles to reduce hydrogen sulfide production from a subterranean reservoir

Methods for producing hydrocarbons from subterranean reservoirs utilizing a production well having a plurality of fluid-inlet components spaced apart to define a plurality of production-well fluid-inlet zones. An injection fluid comprising a solvent is injected into the reservoir, resulting in a drainage fluid with a liquid phase and a gas phase occupying one or more of the production-well fluid-inflow zones. The production fluid is produced at a production-flow rate via a pump, and the gas phase:liquid phase ratio of the production fluid is modulated by orchestrating variations in the pump speed and one or more of the plurality of fluid-inlet components to prioritize hydraulic communication with a subset of the plurality of production-well fluid-inlet zones.

Gas-phase solvent management during production of in-situ hydrocarbons

Methods are provided for producing hydrocarbons and recovering solvent from a subterranean reservoir that is penetrated by an injection well and a production well, in which a production phase involves injecting solvent (and optionally steam) to mobilize viscous hydrocarbons and a solvent-recovery phase involves non-condensable gas injection. The production phase and the solvent-recovery phase are each defined by an injection profile. The solvent-recovery-phase injection profile is selected: (i) based on the production-phase injection profile, and (ii) to ensure the pressure/temperature conditions in proximity to the production well favor gas-phase solvent recovery.

Methods for recovering solvent and producing hydrocarbons from subterranean reservoirs

Methods for producing hydrocarbons from subterranean reservoirs utilize a production well having a plurality of individually-actuatable fluid-inlet components that are spaced apart to define a plurality of production-well fluid-inlet zones. An injection fluid including a non-condensable gas (NCG) is injected into the reservoir, such that a drainage fluid including at least a portion of the NCG occupies the production-well fluid-inlet zones. The gas phase:liquid phase ratio of a production fluid is modulated by identifying at least one of the production-well fluid-inlet zones as having a gas content above a threshold and thus being a higher-gas zone, and actuating variations in pump speed and the flow states of the plurality of fluid-inlet components adjacent and corresponding to the higher-gas zone to prioritize hydraulic communication with a subset of the plurality of production-well fluid-inlet zones spaced apart from the higher-gas zone.

Non-condensable gas management during production of in-situ hydrocarbons

Processes are provided for conformance control in the production of hydrocarbons from reservoirs, involving the distribution of mobilizing injection fluids into a formation through a number of injection fluid distribution points spaced apart along an injection well. The volume and/or position of mobilizing fluid outflows at the distribution points is adjusted based on criteria that include selected reservoir parameters measured at spatially distributed measurement points in the reservoir. An operational system is provided so that these measurements provide a proxy for recovery chamber conformance.

Conformance control in hydrocarbon recovery

A process for hydrocarbon recovery performs a steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) operation by injecting steam in a steam injection well of a SAGD well pair and continuing to inject steam to establish fluid communication between the steam injection well and an oxidizing gas injection well that includes an oxidizing gas injection well segment that is spaced generally above the steam injection well segment, and producing hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon production well of the SAGD well pair, the hydrocarbon production well including a generally horizontal production well segment disposed generally parallel to and vertically below a generally horizontal steam injection well segment of the steam injection well such that the steam injection well segment is disposed generally vertically between the production well segment and the oxidizing gas injection well segment. In response to determining that the steam injected in the steam injection well reaches the oxidizing gas injection well or is near a top of the oil sands reservoir, SAGD is discontinued and oxidizing gas is injected through an injection well. The oxidizing gas supports in situ combustion (ISC) in the reservoir. During ISC, combustion gases are produced through the steam injection well of the steam assisted gravity drainage well pair; and the mobilized hydrocarbons are recovered from the reservoir through the hydrocarbon production well of the steam assisted gravity drainage well pair.

Hydrocarbon recovery facilitated by in situ combustion

Methods and systems are provided for selectively displacing water from a hydraulically continuous water zone in a porous geological formation. The target zone to be displaced is defined by a hydrodynamically maintained pressure differential, which has been shown to be capable of confining an expanding injected gas zone. One or more gas injection wells and water production wells are located within the zone. During pressurized gas injection within the zone, the gas displaces water downward within the confined zone such that water is selectively produced from the target zone and the injected gas zone is confined within the hydraulically continuous water zone.

Selective displacement of water in pressure communication with a hydrocarbon reservoir

A method of establishing fluid communication between a well pair in an oil-sand reservoir, where dilatable oil sands in the reservoir form a barrier to fluid communication between the well pair. Steam or water is circulated within at least one well to a region of the oil sands adjacent to the well. The steam or water pressure is increased to a dilation pressure sufficient to dilate the oil sands in the region. While circulating steam or water within the well at a substantially steady state, the steam or water pressure is maintained at a level sufficient to enlarge the dilated region, until detection of a signal indicative of fluid communication between the well pair. The rates and pressures of steam or water injection and production may be monitored and adjusted to vary a bottom-hole pressure in the well.

Establishing communication between well pairs in oil sands by dilation with steam or water circulation at elevated pressures

An integrated thermal recovery process using a solvent of a pentane or hexane or both as an additive to, or sole component of, a gravity-dominated process for recovering bitumen or heavy oil from a reservoir. A pentane-hexane specific solvent fraction is extracted at surface from a diluent stream. That pentane-hexane solvent fraction is then injected into the reservoir as part of a gravity-dominated recovery process within the reservoir, and when that solvent fraction is subsequently produced as part of the oil or bitumen blend, it is allowed to remain within the blend to enhance the subsequent blend treating and transportation steps. Meanwhile, the remainder of the diluent from which the solvent stream had been extracted is utilized at surface as a blending stream to serve as an aid in treating of produced fluids and also to serve as a means of rendering the bitumen or heavy oil stream pipelineable.

Pentane-hexane solvent in situ recovery of heavy oil

A method for recovering hydrocarbons from a subterranean reservoir by operating a substantially gravity-controlled recovery process with two adjacent well pairs. Each well pair includes an injector well and a producer well. A mobilized zone forms around each well pair through the gravity-controlled recovery process, and a bypassed region forms between the adjacent well pairs when the respective mobilized zone of each well pair merge to form a common mobilized zone. A plurality of infill producer wells are provided in the bypassed region. The plurality of infill producer wells are operated to establish fluid communication between the plurality of infill producer wells and the common mobilized zone. Once fluid communication is established, the plurality of infill producer wells and the adjacent well pairs are operated under a substantially gravity-controlled recovery process, and hydrocarbons are recovered from the plurality of infill producer wells and from the producer wells.

Multiple infill wells within a gravity-dominated hydrocarbon recovery process

A method for recovering hydrocarbons from a subterranean reservoir by operating a first injector-producer well pair under a substantially gravity-controlled recovery process, the first injector-producer well pair forming a first mobilized zone, operating a second injector-producer well pair under a substantially gravity-controlled recovery process, the second injector-producer well pair forming a second mobilized zone, the first injector-producer well pair and the second injector-producer well pair together being the adjacent well pairs, providing an infill well in a bypassed region, the bypassed region formed between the adjacent well pairs when the first mobilized zone and the second mobilized zone merge to form a common mobilized zone, operating the infill well to establish fluid communication between the infill well and the common mobilized zone, operating the infill well and the adjacent well pairs under a substantially gravity-controlled recovery process, and recovering hydrocarbons from the infill well.

Recovery process

Growing community of inventors

Calgary, Canada

Simon D Gittins