Thermal--mining method of oil production

Method for thermal-mining for the production of oil, which comprises

• digging a combination of underground workings and at least one working tunnel;
• drilling injection and producing wells from said working tunnel;
• introducing a heat carrier into the oil-bearing bed until the same is heated to a temperature at which the oil acquires fluidity;
• then further injecting a heat carrier into the oil-bearing bed through the injection wells at time intervals calculated by the following relation:
• t.sub.1 =c.gamma..tau.L.sup.2 /l
• wherein c=heat capacity of the oil-bearing bed J/deg,
• l=temperature conductivity of the oil-bearing bed, m.sup.2 /s,
• .gamma.=specific weight of the oil-bearing bed, N/m.sup.3,
• L=graphic scale, m,
• .tau.=dimensionless time (L<.tau..ltoreq.1);
• withdrawing the oil from the producing wells at time intervals t.sub.3 in which the time interval t.sub.1 for injecting the heat carrier into the injection wells is divisible by the time interval t.sub.3 for withdrawing oil from the producing wells, the multiplicity factor n being:
• ##EQU7## A=distance between injection and producing wells m, p=pressure drop in the oil-bearing bed between injection and producing wells, N/m.sup.2,
• .mu.=oil viscosity, N.s/m.sup.2,
• m=porosity of the oil-bearing bed,
• K=permeability of the oil-bearing bed, D,
• p.sub.1 -p.sub.2 =change per cycle of the oil-bearing bed saturation with heat carrier,
• B=dimensionless parameter (O<B<.infin.);
• and injecting the oil from said working tunnel through the underground workings up to the surface.