Using tunnels for treating subsurface hydrocarbon containing formations
AssigneeShell Oil Company
InventorsDavid Booth Burns, Horng Jye (Jay) Hwang, Jochen Marwede, Duncan Charles MacDonald, Robert George Prince-Wright
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for treating a subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation includes one or more tunnels having an average diameter of at least 1 m. At least one tunnel is connected to the surface. Two or more wellbores extend from at least one of the tunnels into at least a portion of the subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation. At least two of the wellbores contain elongated heat sources configured to heat at least a portion of the subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation such that at least some hydrocarbons are mobilized.
Claims17
A system for treating a subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation, comprising:
- two or more tunnels having an average diameter of at least 1 m, at least one tunnel being connected to the surface;
- and
- two or more wellbores extending between at least two of the tunnels, wherein at least some portions of the two or more wellbores are located in a portion of the subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation below the at least two tunnels, and wherein at least two of the wellbores contain elongated heat sources configured to heat at least a portion of the subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation such that at least some hydrocarbons are mobilized.
A method of treating a subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation, comprising:
- providing heat to the subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation to mobilize at least some of the hydrocarbons in the formation, the heat being provided from two or more elongated heaters in two or more wellbores extending between at least two tunnels having an average diameter of at least 1 m, wherein at least some portions of the two or more wellbores are located in a portion of the subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation below the at least two tunnels, and wherein at least one tunnel is connected to the surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.