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US 8,474,531 B2Granted
Steam-gas-solvent (SGS) process for recovery of heavy crude oil and bitumen
AssigneeConocoPhillips Company
InventorsTawfik Noaman Nasr, David A. Brown
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods relate to a steam-gas-solvent (SGS) process for recovery of heavy crude oil and bitumen. The methods include injecting a steam-gas-solvent mixture to mobilize hydrocarbons in a formation and producing from the formation the hydrocarbons that are mobilized. The steam-gas-solvent mixture includes steam, a gas non-condensable under reservoir operating conditions and a solvent condensable under reservoir operating conditions.
Claims10
A method comprising:
- injecting steam into a formation to transfer heat to hydrocarbons in the formation resulting in condensation of the steam;
- injecting into the formation a solvent for the hydrocarbons and that is liquid under reservoir operating conditions to reduce viscosity of the hydrocarbons upon dissolution with the solvent;
- injecting into the formation a gas non-condensable under reservoir operating conditions to supplement the steam in maintaining of pressure in the formation as the hydrocarbons and condensate of the steam are being produced, wherein the steam, gas and solvent are injected at a volume fraction of between about 0.10 to 0.30 of steam, between about 0.60 to 0.90 of gas, and between about 0.01 to 0.10 of solvent, wherein the sum of the volume fractions is equal to about 1.0;
- and
- producing from the formation the hydrocarbons mobilized by the injecting of the steam and the solvent, wherein the injecting is through a first well with a constant injection pressure maintained for at least 2000 days, the producing is through a second well and the first and second wells are arranged in the formation in a steam assisted gravity drainage well pair orientation.
2 more elements
A method comprising:
- injecting steam into a formation to transfer heat to hydrocarbons in the formation resulting in condensation of the steam;
- injecting into the formation a solvent for the hydrocarbons and that is liquid under reservoir operating conditions to reduce viscosity of the hydrocarbons upon dissolution with the solvent;
- injecting into the formation a gas non-condensable under reservoir operating conditions to supplement the steam in maintaining of pressure in the formation as the hydrocarbons and condensate of the steam are being produced, wherein the hydrocarbons also dissolve in the gas and a larger volume fraction of the gas is injected compared to fractions of the steam and the solvent;
- and
- producing from the formation the hydrocarbons mobilized by the injecting of the steam and the solvent, wherein the injecting is through a first well with a constant injection pressure maintained for at least 2000 days, the producing is through a second well and the first and second wells are arranged in the formation in a steam assisted gravity drainage well pair orientation.
2 more elements
A method comprising:
- forming within a formation a steam-gas-solvent well pair comprising an injection well and a production well;
- injecting into the injection well a steam-gas-solvent mixture to mobilize hydrocarbons in the formation, wherein the steam-gas-solvent mixture comprises:
- steam;
- a gas non-condensable under reservoir operating conditions;
- and
- a solvent for the hydrocarbons and that is condensable under reservoir operating conditions, wherein the steam-gas-solvent mixture is injected at a volume fraction of about 0.160 of steam, about 0.824 of gas, and about 0.016 of solvent;
- and
- producing from the formation and through the production well the hydrocarbons that are mobilized, wherein the steam-gas-solvent mixture is injected continuously for 2500 days with a total fluid injection rate adjusted to maintain a bottomhole pressure at 3.4 megapascals and the injection and production wells are parallel, horizontal and vertically spaced apart.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.