Enhanced oil recovery techniques using liposomes
OwnerGideon N. Harnoyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Process and a method for enhancing recovery of petroleum from an underground source including injecting into the source, a petroleum displacement agent including fluids and modified liposomes. The liposomes and fluids merge the discrete oil droplets after waterflood into a continuous layer of oil (oil phase) eliminating b-pass of water through oil and employ mobility control through transition of gel phase to liquid crystalline phase.
Claims12
A method for extracting oil droplets from oil producing channels after waterflooding of the oil producing channels has occurred, comprising:
- modifying liposomes by at least one of peroxidation and a procedure which processes phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) to phosphatidylcholine (PC), the liposomes being modified to cause a reduction in the interaction between oil and water such that when interacting with oil and water in the oil producing channels, droplets of oil remaining after the waterflooding coalesce on top of a water phase;
- and
- directing the modified liposomes into the oil producing channels to cause the oil droplets to form into an oil phase on the water phase and thereby increase recovery efficiency.
A method utilizing displacement agent to extract retention of oil from the surface of oil producing channels after waterflooding of the oil producing channels, comprising:
- modifying liposomes to cause a reduction in the interaction between oil and water such that when interacting with oil and water in oil producing channels, droplets of oil coalesce on top of a water phase;
- and
- injecting fluid molecules and the modified liposomes into the oil producing channels to cause the liposomes to modify the physical state of retained oil and coalesce discrete droplets of oil from the surface of the oil producing channels thereby forming an oil phase on top of the water phase and enhancing recovery efficiency from the oil producing channels.
A method for releasing trapped discrete droplets of oil in oil producing channels, the discrete oil droplets being caused by waterflooding of the oil producing channels, the method comprising:
- modifying liposomes by a procedure which processes phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) to phosphatidylcholine (PC);
- and
- injecting into the oil producing channels, fluid molecules and the modified liposomes to coalesce the trapped oil droplets into an oil phase on top of a water phase thereby overcoming by-pass of water through an oil bank and enhancing oil recovery efficiency.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.