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US 10,370,949 B2Granted
Thermal conditioning of fishbone well configurations
AssigneeConocoPhillips Company
InventorsSergei A. Filatyev, Pradeep Ananth Govind, Thomas J. Wheeler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a particularly effective well configuration that can be used for SAGD and other steam based oil recovery methods. Fishbone multilateral wells are combined with SAGD, effectively expanding steam coverage, but the fishbones are preheated to mitigate plugging problems, with e.g., resistive heating, EM heating or chemical heating.
Claims16
A method for steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) production of hydrocarbons, comprising:
- a) providing a plurality of horizontal production wells at a first depth at or near a bottom of a hydrocarbon play;
- b) providing a plurality of horizontal injection wells, each injection well laterally spaced at a distance D from an adjacent production well, wherein said distance D is at least 50 meters:
- c) providing a plurality of lateral wells originating from at least some of said horizontal production wells or horizontal injection wells or both, wherein said plurality of lateral wells cover at least 90% of said distance D and are open-hole laterals:
- d) preheating a reservoir by injecting steam into all wells to establish fluid communication between said injection wells and said production wells;
- e) preheating said plurality of lateral wells using electromagnetic heating, resistive heating, or chemical heating;
- and
- f) continuing steam injection in said injection wells only, and simultaneously producing mobilized heavy oil from said production wells.
4 more elements
A method for production of hydrocarbons, comprising:
- a) providing a plurality of wellpairs in a heavy oil reservoir, each wellpair including a horizontal production well at a bottom of a heavy oil payzone and a horizontal injection well above said horizontal production well;
- b) providing a standalone horizontal production well flanking each wellpair, said standalone horizontal production well being at or near said bottom or said heavy oil payzone and at a lateral distance D from a nearest wellpair, wherein said distance D is at least 50 meters;
- c) providing a plurality of lateral wells originating from one or both of adjacent horizontal production wells such that said lateral wells extend over at least 90% of said distance D and are open hole lateral wells;
- d) preheating said wellpair by injecting steam into all wells until fluid communication is established between said wellpair and simultaneously preheating said lateral wells using electromagnetic (EM) heating, resistive heating or chemical heating;
- and
- e) continuing steam injection only in said injection wells after said preheating step d, and simultaneously producing mobilized heavy oil from said production wells.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.