Oil extraction using radio frequency heating

A method of extracting oil from an oil-bearing formation, the method comprising:

• heating a first portion of the formation containing oil with radio frequency energy generated by a radio frequency generator electrically coupled to an antenna, the antenna being positioned within a wellbore and located within the first portion of the formation to heat the first portion to a minimum temperature of about 160° F., wherein the radio frequency generator delivers power in a range from about 50 kilowatts to about 2 Megawatts, and a power per unit length of antenna is in a range from about 0.5 kW/m to 5 kW/m;
• extracting the oil from the first portion of the formation after heating the first portion of the formation containing oil with the radio frequency energy and prior to injecting steam into the first portion of the formation;
• injecting steam into the first portion of the formation to heat a second portion of the formation containing oil adjacent to the first portion;
• and
• extracting the oil from the second portion of the formation, and
• wherein extracting the oil from the first portion creates a void, and wherein injecting steam into the first portion comprises injecting the steam into the void, and
• wherein extracting the oil from the first portion of the formation improves steam injectivity of the first portion.