Process to upgrade whole crude oil by hot pressurized water and recovery fluid

The process of claim. 1, wherein the step of reforming the heavy fraction stream further comprises:

• combining the heavy fraction with the water feed stream to create a mixture, wherein the mixture is created in the absence of externally supplied hydrogen;
• modifying the temperature of the mixture such that the temperature of the mixture in a reaction zone is at or above the critical temperature of water, such that at least a portion of hydrocarbons in the mixture undergo cracking to create a hot adapted mixture;
• cooling and depressurizing the hot adapted mixture to create a pressure-reduced adapted mixture;
• separating the pressure-reduced adapted mixture into a gas portion and a liquid portion;
• and
• separating the liquid portion into a recovered water stream and the reformed heavy fraction.

An apparatus for upgrading whole crude oil, the apparatus comprising:

• an injection well in fluid communication with an underground formation, the injection well operable to receive a pressurized recovery fluid and introduce the pressurized recovery fluid into the underground formation wherein the pressurized recovery fluid intimately mixes with whole crude oil within the underground formation forming a high pressure stream, the high pressure stream comprising the recovery fluid and whole crude oil, wherein the whole crude oil comprises a light fraction and a heavy fraction;
• a production well in fluid communication with the underground formation, the production well operable to produce the high pressure stream from the underground formation;
• a fractionating device in fluid communication with the production well, wherein the fractionating device is operable to depressurize the high pressure stream in a step-wise manner such that the heavy fraction is separated from the high pressure stream to form a light crude oil stream and a heavy fraction stream, wherein a small portion of the recovery fluid maintains miscibility within the heavy fraction, and wherein the light crude oil stream contains a significant portion of the recovery fluid;
• and
• a hydrothermal reforming facility operable to reform the heavy fraction stream into a reformed heavy fraction by contacting the heavy fraction stream with a water feed stream under supercritical conditions, wherein the reformed heavy fraction has reduced amounts of heavy fraction, asphaltene, sulfur, nitrogen or metal containing substances as compared to the whole crude oil.