US 10,519,757 B2 · Multi-directional enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) method

Abstract

Methods for multi-directional enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) are disclosed that involve removal of oil from a reservoir that has an injection well, a producing well, and a plurality of lenses that contain oil and that each span between the injection well and the producing well. One method, among others, involves recovering primary oil from a primary set of lenses via the producing well by alternating injection one or more times of water and an injection gas, or IG (e.g., carbon dioxide, ethane, natural gas, nitrogen, etc., or any combination thereof) into the injection well so that the water and IG enter the primary set in a first direction and move the primary oil in the first direction. The method further involves recovering secondary oil from a secondary set of lenses that is different than the primary set via the injection well by alternating injection one or more times of water and the IG into the producing well so that the water and carbon dioxide enter the secondary set in a second direction that is different than the first direction (e.g., opposite) and therefore move the secondary oil in the second direction.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A method for multi-directional enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) involving removal of oil from a reservoir that has an injection well, a producing well, and a plurality of lenses that contain oil and that each span between the injection well, and the producing well, the method comprising:

(a) recovering primary oil from the producing well by injecting water into the injection well and then into a primary set of the lenses;
(b) recovering a first amount of secondary oil from the producing well by injecting injection gas (IG) into the injection well and then into a secondary set of the lenses, the secondary set being different than the primary set;
(c) recovering a second amount of secondary oil from the producing well by introducing more water into the injection well;
(d) repeating steps (b) and (c);
(e) recovering a first amount of tertiary oil from the injection well by injecting IG into the producing well and then into a tertiary set of the lenses, the tertiary set being different than the primary and secondary sets of lenses;
(f) recovering a second amount of tertiary oil from the injection well by injecting water into the producing well;
(g) repeating steps (e) and (f) in order to recover third and fourth amounts of the tertiary oil, respectively;
and
(h) wherein the IG comprises a gas selected from a group consisting of carbon dioxide, ethane gas, natural gas, nitrogen gas, and any combination thereof.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Multi-directional enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) method

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Multi-directional enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) method

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Abstract

Claims11