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AssigneeConocoPhillips Company
InventorsLogan A. WARREN, Siluni L. WICKRAMATHILAKA, David A. BROWN, Thomas J. WHEELER
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The present invention relates to a novel method of maintaining a steady and/or proper water-gas ratio for the wet in situ combustion process for oil recovery. In particular, the method comprises mixing water with a foaming agent, or some other colloid capable of generating foam, in addition to gas. The foam carries the water through heated reservoirs more efficiently and prevents separation from the gas. As such, more heat can be scavenged, thus an increased amount of steam is generated and transferred to the oil to increase its recovery.
An in situ combustion method of recovery of hydrocarbons from a subterranean oil containing formation penetrated by at least one injection well and at least one production well, which comprises:
The method of claim 0, wherein said water comprises oilfield brine, produced water, seawater, aquifer water, and riverwater.
An in situ combustion method of recovery of hydrocarbons from a Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) depleted reservoir penetrated by at least one injection well and at least one production well, which comprises:
An improved method of wet in situ combustion oil recovery, the method comprising igniting oil in a formation to form a burning front and injecting water behind said burning front to capture heat and drive oil towards a production well, wherein the improvement comprises injecting water behind said burning front and in contact with a fluid that is at least one of a foam, an aerosol, a hydrosol, an emulsion and a colloidal dispersion and has a density and viscosity to carry the water via buoyancy forces.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.