Shell Oil Comapny

Stanley Leroy Mason

Harold J Vinegar

Chia-Fu Hsu

Ronnie Wade Watkins

William George Coit

Peter Terry Griffin

Paul Taylor Hamilton

Allan James Samuel

George Leo Stegemeier

Ronald Marshall Bass

Frederick Gordon Carl, Jr

Christopher Kelvin Harris

Dong Sub Kim

Thomas Joseph Keltner

A method for making a coiled insulated conductor heater to heat a subsurface formation includes pushing the insulated conductor heater longitudinally inside a flexible conduit using pressure. One or more cups are coupled to the outside of the insulated conductor heater. The cups maintain at least some pressure inside at least a portion of the flexible conduit as the insulated conductor heater is pushed inside the flexible conduit. The flexible conduit and the insulated conductor heater are coiled onto a coiled tubing rig.

Deployment of insulated conductors for treating subsurface formations

A system for treating a hydrocarbon containing formation is described. The system includes two or more groups of elongated heaters. The group includes two or more heaters placed in two or more openings in the formation. The heaters in the group are electrically coupled below the surface of the formation. The openings include at least partially uncased wellbores in a hydrocarbon layer of the formation. The groups are electrically configured such that current flow through the formation between at least two groups is inhibited. The heaters are configured to provide heat to the formation.

Grouped exposed metal heaters

A method for installing a horizontal or inclined subsurface heater includes placing a heating section of a heater in a horizontal or inclined section of a wellbore with an installation tool. The tool is uncoupled from the heating section. A lead in section is mechanically and electrically coupled to the heating section of the heater. The lead-in section is located in an angled or vertical section of the wellbore.

Multi-step heater deployment in a subsurface formation

A system for heating a subsurface formation is described. The system includes a first elongated heater in a first opening in the formation. The first elongated heater includes an exposed metal section in a portion of the first opening. The portion is below a layer of the formation to be heated. The exposed metal section is exposed to the formation. A second elongated heater is in a second opening in the formation. The second opening connects to the first opening at or near the portion of the first opening below the layer to be heated. At least a portion of an exposed metal section of the second elongated heater is electrically coupled to at least a portion of the exposed metal section of the first elongated heater in the portion of the first opening below the layer to be heated.

Subsurface connection methods for subsurface heaters

Systems, methods, and heaters for treating a subsurface formation are described herein. At least one system for electrically insulating an overburden portion of a heater wellbore is described. The system may include a heater wellbore located in a subsurface formation and an electrically insulating casing located in the overburden portion of the heater wellbore. The casing may include at least one non-ferromagnetic material such that ferromagnetic effects are inhibited in the casing.

Non-ferromagnetic overburden casing

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Allen, TX, United States of America

Stanley Leroy Mason