Method of recovering viscous oil from reservoirs with multiple horizontal zones
AssigneeMobil Oil Corporation
InventorDavid C. Faecke
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is disclosed a method of recovering viscous oil from a subterranean viscous oil-containing formation separated into at least one upper and at least one lower zone by a horizontal layer having lower vertical permeability than the rest of the reservoir. The method comprises injecting steam into the lower zone until steam breakthrough occurs at the production well; subsequently injecting steam into both the upper and the lower zones; and, continuing to inject steam into both zones and recovering fluids, including oil from the production well.
Claims9
A method of recovering viscous oil from a viscous oil-containing formation separated, by at least one horizontal layer having vertical permeability of at least about 1 md, into at least one upper zone and at least one lower zone, the formation being penetrated by at least one injection well and at least one spaced-apart production well, comprising the consecutive steps of:
- (1) injecting through the injection well steam only into the lower zone until steam breakthrough occurs at the production well;
- (2) thereafter injecting steam into both, the upper and the lower zones;
- and
- (3) continuously injecting steam into the upper and the lower zones and recovering fluids, including oil, from the production well.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.