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US 2008/0073079 A1Published application
Stimulation and recovery of heavy hydrocarbon fluids
AssigneeHw Advanced Technologies, Inc.
InventorsJames Tranquilla, Allan G. Provost
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to the use of electromagnetic radiation, acoustic energy, and surfactant injection to recover hydrocarbon-containing materials from a hydrocarbon-bearing formation.
Claims20
A method for recovering a subterranean hydrocarbon-containing material, comprising:
- (a) from a manned underground excavation emitting, from an emitter, radiation in at least one of the electromagnetic and acoustic energy ranges into a selected region of a subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation, to lower a viscosity of a hydrocarbon-containing material in the selected region, the emitter positioned in the excavation being at least one of (i) in direct physical contact with the formation, (ii) for electromagnetic energy, in contact with an impedance transformer, the transformer being, in direct physical contact with the formation and (iii) for acoustic energy, a transducing medium, the transducing medium being in direct physical contact with the formation;
- and
- (b) recovering, by a production well in proximity to the selected region, the irradiated hydrocarbon-containing material.
A method for recovering a subterranean hydrocarbon-containing material, comprising:
- (a) introducing a surfactant into a selected region of a subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation;
- (b) from an underground excavation, emitting acoustic energy into the selected region to lower a viscosity of a hydrocarbon-containing material in the selected region, wherein the underground excavation has a dimension normal to a heading of the excavation of at least about four feet;
- and
- (c) recovering, by a production well in proximity to the selected region, the hydrocarbon-containing material.
1 more element
A method for recovering hydrocarbon-containing materials, comprising:
- (a) introducing a surfactant into a selected region of a hydrocarbon-bearing formation, the formation comprising at least one hydrocarbon-containing material;
- (b) while the surfactant is in the selected region, passing acoustic energy through the selected region of the formation;
- (c) passing electromagnetic radiation through the selected region of the formation;
- and
- (d) thereafter recovering the at least one hydrocarbon-containing material.
2 more elements
A system for recovering hydrocarbon-containing materials, comprising:
- (a) a hydrocarbon-bearing formation comprising a hydrocarbon-containing material;
- (b) an underground excavation;
- (c) in the underground excavation, at least one electromagnetic radiation emitter to direct radiation into the formation;
- and
- (d) in the underground excavation, at least one acoustic energy emitter to direct acoustic energy into the formation.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.