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US 2008/0185145 A1Published application
Methods for extracting oil from tar sand
AssigneeSuperior Graphite Co.
InventorsPeter R. Carney, Igor V. Barsukov, Frank Wawrzos, Jeff Radford
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Abstract
Hydrocarbon containing formations can be processed using an in-situ liquefaction technique. This new technique embodies systematic temperature elevation applied to subsurface formation allowing recoverable hydrocarbons to reach a Newtonian fluid viscosity suitable for extraction.
Claims27
A method for heating a sub-surface tar sand formation comprising:
- making a plurality of boreholes into the tar sand formation,
- locating an electrical conductor in each borehole;
- conductively connecting the electrical conductors to a source of electrical current;
- and
- introducing electrical current to the conductors to resistively heat the tar sand formation.
2 more elements
A system for heating a sub-surface tar sand formation comprising:
- a plurality of boreholes in the tar sand formation;
- an electrical conductor in each borehole;
- and
- a source of electrical current conductively connected to the conductors.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.