Enhanced oil recovery from low permeability reservoirs using organosilicone surfactants
AssigneeMobil Oil Corporation
InventorNizar F. Djabbarah
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for enhanced oil recovery in a reservoir having a substantial silicon content where an organosilicone surfactant is co-injected with steam to generate a foam. The organosilicone surfactant component of the foam prevents a dissolution of the silicon-containing formation since local equilibrium is assured. Prevention of formation dissolution reduces caving near the wellbore and minimizes permeability reduction away from the wellbore.
Claims21
A method for minimizing formation damage in a diatomaceous or silicon containing formation during a steam-flood comprising:
- injecting an organosilicone surfactant foam into an interval of said formation along with steam in an amount and for a time sufficient to cause a local equilibrium with the silicon containing formation thereby preventing dissolution of silicon from the formation so as to minimize caving near a wellbore and permeability reduction in the formation.
A method for minimizing formation damage in a diatomaceous or silicon containing formation during a steam-flood comprising:
- a) generating an organosilicone surfactant foam which surfactant is selected from a member of the group consisting of a nonionic silicone glycol copolymer, a siloxaneoxyalkylene copolymer, or a sulfo-derivative of organosilicone maleates and where a noncondensible gas utilized in said foam is selected from a member of the group consisting of helium, methane, carbon dioxide, flue gas, stack gas, and mixtures thereof;
- and
- b) injecting foam generated in step a) into an interval of said formation along with steam in an amount and for a time sufficient to cause a local equilibrium with the silicon containing formation thereby preventing dissolution of silicon from the formation so as to minimize caving near a wellbore and permeability reduction in the formation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.