Inhibiting effects of sloughing in wellbores
AssigneeShell Oil Company
InventorsHarold J. VINEGAR, Taixu Bai, Frederick Henry Kriesler Rambow, Dong Sub Kim
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Certain embodiments provide a heater. A heater device includes a skin effect component having at least one insulated electrical core conductor in electrical communication with an adjacent and substantially parallel, elongated ferromagnetic shape having a reduction and localization of the depth and width of the effective conductor path in the cross-section of the ferromagnetic wall; and, an inorganic ceramic insulation component.
Claims22
1-137. (canceled)
A method for treating a hydrocarbon containing formation, comprising:
- providing heat from one or more heaters to at least a portion of the formation;
- allowing the heat to transfer from one or more of the heaters to one or more zones of the formation;
- and
- controlling heating of the zones of the formation such that a heating rate of one or more zones is maintained below 20° C./day for at least about 15 days, thereby inhibiting sloughing of material proximate the heater during and/or subsequent to the heating.
A method for treating a hydrocarbon containing formation, comprising:
- providing heat from one or more heaters to at least a portion of the formation, wherein at least one of the heaters is in at least one wellbore in the formation, wherein at least one of the wellbores has a liner placed between the heater in the wellbore and the formation, wherein the liner comprises openings that are sized such that fluids can pass through the liner but particles of a selected size cannot pass through the liner;
- allowing the heat to transfer from the one or more heaters to a part of the formation;
- and
- producing a mixture from the formation.
A method for treating a hydrocarbon containing formation, comprising:
- providing heat from one or more heaters to at least a portion of the formation, wherein one or more of the heaters are in one or more of wellbores sized, at least in part, such that a space between the wellbore and one of the heaters in the wellbore has a width that inhibits particles of a selected size from freely moving in the space;
- allowing the heat to transfer from the one or more heaters to a part of the formation;
- and
- producing a mixture from the formation.
141-536. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.