Multiple infill wells within a gravity-dominated hydrocarbon recovery process

A method of producing hydrocarbons from a subterranean reservoir, comprising:

• a. operating a first injector-producer well pair under a substantially gravity-controlled recovery process, the first injector-producer well pair forming a first mobilized zone in the subterranean reservoir, the first injector-producer well pair comprising a first substantially horizontal injector well and a first substantially horizontal producer well;
• b. operating a second injector-producer well pair under a substantially gravity-controlled recovery process, the second injector-producer well pair forming a second mobilized zone in the subterranean reservoir, the second injector-producer well pair comprising a second substantially horizontal injector well and a second substantially horizontal producer well, the first injector-producer well pair and the second injector-producer well pair together being adjacent well pairs;
• c. providing two to four infill substantially horizontal producer wells in a bypassed region, the bypassed region having formed between the adjacent well pairs when the first mobilized zone and the second mobilized zone merge to form a common mobilized zone;
• d. recovering hydrocarbons from the bypassed region from the two to four infill producer wells;
• and
• e. recovering hydrocarbons from the first producer well and the second producer well.

A method of producing hydrocarbons from a subterranean reservoir having a producible amount of hydrocarbons in place, comprising:

• a. operating a first injector-producer well pair under a substantially gravity-controlled recovery process, the first injector-producer well pair forming a first mobilized zone in the subterranean reservoir, the first injector-producer well pair comprising a first substantially horizontal injector well and a first substantially horizontal producer well;
• b. operating a second injector-producer well pair under a substantially gravity-controlled recovery process, the second injector-producer well pair forming a second mobilized zone in the subterranean reservoir, the second injector-producer well pair comprising a second substantially horizontal injector well and a second substantially horizontal producer well, the first injector-producer well pair and the second injector-producer well pair together being adjacent well pairs;
• c. providing two to four infill substantially horizontal producer wells in a bypassed region, the bypassed region having formed between the adjacent well pairs when:
• the first mobilized zone and the second mobilized zone merge to form a common mobilized zone;
• and
• between about 40 percent and about 45 percent of the producible amount of hydrocarbons in place have been recovered from the adjacent well pairs;
• d. operating the two to four infill producer wells to establish fluid communication between the infill producer wells and the common mobilized zone;
• e. operating the two to four infill producer wells and the adjacent well pairs under a substantially gravity-controlled recovery process;
• and
• f. recovering hydrocarbons from the two to four infill producer wells, and from the first producer well and the second producer well.

A method of producing hydrocarbons from a subterranean reservoir, comprising:

• a. operating a first injector-producer well pair under a substantially gravity-controlled recovery process, the first injector-producer well pair forming a first mobilized zone in the subterranean reservoir, the first injector-producer well pair comprising a first injector well and a first producer well, the first injector-producer well comprising a first completion interval, the first completion interval being substantially horizontal;
• b. operating a second injector-producer well pair under a substantially gravity-controlled recovery process, the second injector-producer well pair forming a second mobilized zone in the subterranean reservoir, the second injector-producer well pair comprising a second injector well and a second producer well, the second injector-producer well comprising a second completion interval, the second completion interval being substantially horizontal, the first injector-producer well pair and the second injector-producer well pair together being adjacent well pairs;
• c. providing two to four series of substantially vertical infill producer wells, the completion intervals of the substantially vertical infill producer wells being in a bypassed region and approximating the effect on performance that would be achieved by the presence of two to four horizontal infill producer wells, the bypassed region having formed between the adjacent well pairs when the first mobilized zone and the second mobilized zone merge to form a common mobilized zone;
• d. operating the two to four series of substantially vertical infill producer wells to establish fluid communication between the two to four infill producer wells and the common mobilized zone;
• e. operating the two to four series of substantially vertical infill producer wells and the adjacent well pairs under a substantially gravity-controlled recovery process;
• and
• f. recovering hydrocarbons from the two to four series of substantially vertical infill producer wells, and from the first producer well and the second producer well.