Extraction of hydrocarbons from hydrocarbon-containing materials and/or processing of hydrocarbon-containing materials
AssigneeGreen Source Holdings LLC
InventorsLiang-tseng Fan, Shahram Reza Shafie, Julius Michael Tollas, William Arthur Fitzhugh Lee
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of extracting hydrocarbon-containing organic matter from a hydrocarbon-containing material includes the steps of providing a first liquid comprising a turpentine liquid; contacting the hydrocarbon-containing material with the turpentine liquid to form an extraction mixture; extracting the hydrocarbon material into the turpentine liquid; and separating the extracted hydrocarbon material from a residual material not extracted.
Claims17
A method for increasing flowability of viscous or immobile hydrocarbon-containing materials in an underground formation or a flow line comprising contacting a hydrocarbon-containing material selected from oil (tar) sands, oil shale, natural gas, petroleum gas, heavy crude oil and/or crude oil with a non-aqueous turpentine liquid in said underground formation or flow line;
- forming a mixture of non-aqueous turpentine liquid and hydrocarbon-containing material having decreased viscosity;
- and
- causing said mixture to flow as a one-phase liquid in said underground formation or flow line, wherein said turpentine liquid comprises α-terpineol, β-terpineol, or a combination thereof.
A method for increasing flowability of viscous or immobile hydrocarbon-containing materials in situ in a naturally occurring geological formation of oil (tar) sands, oil shale, natural gas, petroleum gas, heavy crude oil and/or crude oil comprising contacting said oil (tar) sands, oil shale, natural gas, petroleum gas, heavy crude oil and/or crude oil with a non-aqueous turpentine liquid in said naturally occurring geological formation;
- forming a mixture of non-aqueous turpentine liquid and said oil (tar) sands, oil shale, natural gas, petroleum gas, heavy crude oil and/or crude oil having decreased viscosity;
- and
- causing said mixture to flow as a one-phase liquid in said naturally occurring geological formation, wherein said turpentine liquid comprises α-terpineol, β-terpineol, or a combination thereof.
A method for reducing viscosity and recovering trapped hydrocarbon-containing organic matter in a hydrocarbon-extraction drilling operation comprising contacting oil (tar) sands, oil shale, natural gas, petroleum gas, heavy crude oil and/or crude oil with a non-aqueous turpentine liquid through a borehole of said drilling operation with a non-aqueous turpentine liquid;
- forming a mixture of non-aqueous turpentine liquid and said oil (tar) sands, oil shale, natural gas, petroleum gas, heavy crude oil and/or crude oil having reduced viscosity;
- and
- causing said mixture to flow as a one-phase liquid and be recovered through said borehole, wherein said turpentine liquid comprises α-terpineol, β-terpineol, or a combination thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.