The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 02, 2011
Filed:
Sep. 05, 2007
Ian Ralph Collins, Middlesex, GB;
Gary Russell Jerauld, Houston, TX (US);
Ian Ralph Collins, Middlesex, GB;
Gary Russell Jerauld, Houston, TX (US);
BP Exploration Operating Company Limited, Middlesex, GB;
BP Corporation North America Inc., Warrenville, IL (US);
Abstract
Method for increasing the recovery of crude oil from a reservoir containing at least one porous and permeable subterranean formation wherein the formation includes sandstone rock and at least one mineral that has a negative zeta potential under the reservoir conditions and wherein crude oil and connate water are present within the pores of the formation. The method is carried out by (A) injecting into the formation a slug of an aqueous displacement fluid that displaces crude oil from the surface of the pores of the formation wherein the pore volume (PV) of the slug of the aqueous displacement fluid is at least 0.2 and less than 1 and the aqueous displacement fluid has a total dissolved solids (TDS) content in the range of 200 to 10,000 ppm and the fraction of the total multivalent cation content of the aqueous displacement fluid to the total multivalent cation content of the connate water is less than 1, and (B) subsequently injecting into the formation a drive water of higher multivalent cation content and/or higher total dissolved solids content than the aqueous displacement fluid.