Gushor, Inc.

Uti Limited Partnership

Norskhydro Asa

The University of Newcastle Upon Tyne

Profero Energy Inc.

Stephen Larter

Ian Donald Gates

Lloyd Ross Snowdon

Jennifer Jane Adams

Barry Bennett

Chunqing Jiang

Haiping Huang

Ian McCutcheon Head

Kimberley Jane Noke

Venkataraman Thangadurai

Arnd Wilhelms

Chunqing (Dennis) Jiang

Jagos R Radovic

Renzo Correa Silva

Kunal Karan

David Martin Jones

Michael Erdmann

Senthil Velan Venkatesan

Thomas Bernard Paul Oldenburg

Methods are provided for determining the residence age of petroleum fluids in subsurface reservoirs. The methods facilitate the determination of the geological timing of the emplacement of a petroleum fluid in a porous reservoir, as distinct from the timing of petroleum generation in, and expulsion from, a source rock.

Dating petroleum reservoir fluid residence times

The invention provides a membrane-free redox cell utilizing auxiliary electrodes that facilitate fast charging and discharging of anolyte and catholyte for electrochemical energy storage. The anode and cathode chambers are ionically separated, and electrically connected through a conductor joining auxiliary electrodes comprised of a redox material. In use, charging/discharging of the galvanic cell takes place between primary electrodes, and the redox material is immersed in the electrolyte in both anode and cathode chambers.

Auxiliary electrode mediated membrane-free redox electrochemical cell for energy storage

Techniques for sampling a subsurface reservoir include lowering a downhole logging tool comprising one or more samplers, a cleaner system, and a sample probe bit into a borehole until at least one sampler is positioned correctly in a subterranean reservoir; advancing the cleaner system into the reservoir cleaning mud filtrate and contaminated reservoir material away into a mud column; advancing the sample probe bit into the reservoir; and solvent is injected into the reservoir from the solvent reservoir.

Reservoir sampling tools and methods

Methods for increasing the increasing the rate of methane production in a subsurface reservoir are provided, for example by identifying the petroleum components in the reservoir; identification of microbes and nutrients contained in the formation water; selection of additional nutrients shown to be effective for the particular microbial consortium in that reservoir and then enhancing and preferably maximizing the total amount of nutrients available to the microbes in a manner such that methane generation is maximized while at the same time ensuring that the concentration of nutrients in the well is non-lethal to the microbes.

Methods for increasing methanogenesis in subsurface reservoirs

A process for stimulating microbial methane production in a petroleum-bearing subterranean formation, comprising: (a) analyzing one or more components of the formation to determine characteristics of the formation environment; (b) detecting the presence of a microbial consortium, comprising at least one methanogenic microorganism, within the formation; (c) assessing whether the formation microorganisms are currently active; (d) determining whether the microbial consortium comprises one or more methanotrophic microorganism; (e) characterization of one or more microorganisms of the consortium, at least one of the members of the consortium being a methanogenic microorganism, and comparing the members of the consortium with at least one known microorganism having one or more known physiological and ecological characteristics; (f) characterization of one or more methanotrophic microorganisms of the consortium (if present), and comparing the members of the consortium with at least one known microorganism having one or more known physiological and ecological characteristics; (g) using information obtained from steps (a) through (e) for determining an ecological environment that promotes in situ microbial degradation of petroleum and promotes microbial generation of methane by at least one methanogenic microorganism of the consortium; (h) using information obtained from steps (a) and (f), if methanotrophic microorganisms are present, for determining an ecological environment that demotes in situ microbial degradation of methane by at least one methanotrophic microorganism of the consortium; and (i) modifying the formation environment based on the determinations of steps (g) and (h), if methanotrophic microorganisms are present, to stimulate microbial conversion of petroleums to methane while minimising methane destruction by adverse processes.

Process for stimulating production of methane from petroleum in subterranean formations

The invention relates to an apparatus and method to obtain a bitumen or heavy oil sample from an oil reservoir sample, such as a core sample, to enable measurement of physical properties such as viscosity, API gravity, or chemical properties such as sulphur content of the obtained bitumen or heavy oil sample. The analysis performed on the samples obtained in accordance with the invention are effective in assisting oil field operators in making timely drilling and production decisions at the oil reservoir or for routine laboratory extraction of oils and bitumens. The invention also permits the collection of samples from simulated thermal recovery operations and also allows the collection of bitumens and oils for online analysis of live oil physical properties.

Method and apparatus for obtaining heavy oil samples from a reservoir sample

Techniques for determining viscosity of oil in a sample include extracting the oil from the sample using a volatile polar first solvent; using a portion of the extracted oil to determine a concentration factor of oil in the sample; determining a dry weight of the extracted oil using the concentration factor; adding a second solvent to a remaining portion of the extract, where the second solvent is less volatile than the first solvent; removing the first solvent from the remaining portion of the extract; taking a series of sub-samples from the remaining portion of the extract and sequentially removing different amounts of the second solvent from each sub-sample; measuring solvent concentrations and viscosity values of the solvent-oil mixtures of each sub-sample; and based on the measured solvent concentrations and viscosity values of each sub-sample, determining the second-solvent-free viscosity of the oil in the sample.

Method for measurement of crude oil and bitumen dead oil viscosity and density

Techniques for preconditioning an oilfield reservoir including heavy oil and/or bitumen prior to production of a petroleum product are described. A preconditioning agent can be injected into a mobile water film included in the oilfield reservoir. The preconditioning agent preconditions the reservoir prior to production of the petroleum product.

Preconditioning an oilfield reservoir

The present invention is directed to an in situ reservoir recovery process that uses a horizontal well located near the top of a reservoir and an inclined production well to extract bitumen or heavy oil from a reservoir. In a first stage, the top well is used for cold production of reservoir fluids to the surface, in which, reservoir fluids are pumped to the surface in the absence of stimulation by steam or other thermal and/or solvent injection. A lower production well is drilled into the formation below the top well. The top well is converted to an injection well or, if no cold production then a top well is drilled as an injector well. A portion of the bottom well is inclined so that one end of the incline is closer to the injector well than the other end of the incline. In the process, steam circulation creates a heated zone at the point of the two wells that are closest together in the reservoir.

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Calgary, Canada

Stephen Larter