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US 9,309,756 B1Granted
In situ retorting of hydrocarbons
OwnerJoseph A Affholter, Gilman A. Hillinventors
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Abstract
A method of producing hydrocarbons in situ from a fixed-bed hydrocarbon formation disposed below a ground surface and having a higher permeability zone substantially parallel to, and between a top lower permeability zone and a bottom lower permeability zone. The steps include providing at least one injection well and first and second production wells in the higher permeability zone, injecting a heated thermal-energy carrier fluid (TECF) into the injection well, circulating the carrier fluid through the zone and creating a substantially horizontal situ heating element (ISHE) between the injection well and the production wells for mobilizing the hydrocarbons.
Claims20
A method of producing hydrocarbons in situ from a fixed-bed hydrocarbon formation, the hydrocarbon formation disposed below a ground surface and having a substantially horizontal, lower permeability zone adjacent to, substantially parallel to, and between a top higher permeability zone and a bottom higher permeability zone, the steps comprising:
- providing at least one injection well in the bottom higher permeability zone of the formation, the injection well having a first vertical depth;
- providing a first production well in the bottom higher permeability zone of the formation, the first production well having a second vertical depth, the depth of the injection well and the first production well providing fluid communication therebetween in the bottom higher permeability zone;
- providing a second production well in the top higher permeability zone of the formation, the second production well having a third vertical depth, the depth of the injection well and the second production well providing limited fluid communication between the bottom higher permeability zone and the top higher permeability zone;
- injecting a heated thermal-energy carrier fluid (TECF) into the injection well;
- circulating the thermal-energy carrier fluid (TECF) through the bottom higher permeability zone;
- creating a substantially horizontal in situ heating element (ISHE) in the bottom higher permeability zone and between the injection well and the first production well;
- mobilizing hydrocarbons in the adjacent lower permeability zone in situ by heating the bottom higher permeability zone and the adjacent lower permeability zone along an interface extending substantially between the injection well to the first production well;
- producing at least a portion of the mobilized hydrocarbons by flowing the carrier fluid with the mobilized hydrocarbons through the first production well to the ground surface and removing at least one selected hydrocarbon held in the carrier fluid;
- and
- producing at least a portion of the mobilized hydrocarbons by flowing the carrier fluid with the mobilized hydrocarbons through the second production well to the ground surface.
7 more elements
A method of producing hydrocarbons in situ from a fixed-bed hydrocarbon formation, the hydrocarbon formation disposed below a ground surface and having a substantially horizontal, lower permeability zone adjacent to, substantially parallel to, and between a top higher permeability zone and a bottom higher permeability zone, the steps comprising:
- providing a plurality of injection wells in the bottom higher permeability zone of the formation, the injection wells having a first vertical depth;
- providing a plurality of first production wells in the bottom higher permeability zone of the formation, the first production wells having a second vertical depth, the depth of the injection wells and the first production wells providing fluid communication therebetween in the bottom higher permeability zone;
- providing a plurality second production wells in the top higher permeability zone of the formation, the second production wells having a third vertical depth, the depth of the injection wells and the second production wells providing limited fluid communication between the bottom higher permeability zone and the top higher permeability zone;
- providing a plurality of spaced apart third production wells having a vertical portion and a horizontal portion with perforations therein, the horizontal portion of the third production wells disposed above the horizontal portion of the injection wells in the bottom higher permeability zone;
- injecting a heated thermal-energy carrier fluid (TECF) into the injection wells;
- circulating the thermal-energy carrier fluid (TECF) through the bottom higher permeability zone;
- creating a substantially horizontal in situ heating element (ISHE) in the bottom higher permeability zone and between the injection wells and the first production wells and the third production wells;
- mobilizing hydrocarbons in the adjacent lower permeability zone in situ by heating the bottom higher permeability zone and the adjacent lower permeability zone along an interface extending substantially between the injection wells to the first production well;
- producing at least a portion of the mobilized hydrocarbons by flowing the carrier fluid with the mobilized hydrocarbons through the first production wells to the ground surface and removing at least one selected hydrocarbon held in the carrier fluid;
- producing at least a portion of the mobilized hydrocarbons by flowing the carrier fluid with the mobilized hydrocarbons through the second production wells to the ground surface;
- and
- producing at least a portion of the mobilized hydrocarbons by flowing the carrier fluid with the mobilized hydrocarbons through the third production wells to the ground surface.
9 more elements
A method of producing hydrocarbons in situ from a fixed-bed hydrocarbon formation, the hydrocarbon formation disposed below a ground surface and having a substantially horizontal, lower permeability zone adjacent to, substantially parallel to, and between a top higher permeability zone and a bottom higher permeability zone, the steps comprising:
- providing a plurality of injection wells in the bottom higher permeability zone of the formation, the injection wells having a first vertical depth;
- providing a plurality of first production wells in the bottom higher permeability zone of the formation, the first production wells having a second vertical depth, the depth of the injection wells and the first production wells providing fluid communication therebetween in the bottom higher permeability zone;
- providing a plurality second production wells in the top higher permeability zone of the formation, the second production wells having a third vertical depth, the depth of the injection well and the second production wells providing limited fluid communication between the bottom higher permeability zone and the top higher permeability zone;
- providing a plurality of spaced apart third production wells having a vertical portion and a horizontal portion with perforations therein, the horizontal portion of the third production wells disposed above the horizontal portion of the injection wells in the bottom higher permeability zone;
- injecting a heated thermal-energy carrier fluid (TECF) into the injection wells;
- circulating the thermal-energy carrier fluid (TECF) through the bottom higher permeability zone;
- creating a substantially horizontal in situ heating element (ISHE) in the bottom higher permeability zone and between the injection wells and the first production wells and the third production wells;
- mobilizing hydrocarbons in the adjacent lower permeability zone in situ by heating the bottom higher permeability zone and the adjacent lower permeability zone along an interface extending substantially between the injection wells to the first production wells;
- producing at least a portion of the mobilized hydrocarbons by flowing the carrier fluid with the mobilized hydrocarbons through the first production wells to the ground surface and removing at least one selected hydrocarbon held in the carrier fluid;
- producing at least a portion of the mobilized hydrocarbons by flowing the carrier fluid with the mobilized hydrocarbons through the second production wells to the ground surface;
- producing at least a portion of the mobilized hydrocarbons by flowing the carrier fluid with the mobilized hydrocarbons through the third production wells to the ground surface;
- turning the first production wells into new injection wells and the injection wells into new production wells by injecting the heated thermal-energy carrier fluid (TECF) into the new injection wells, circulating the thermal-energy carrier fluid (TECF) through the bottom higher permeability zone, producing at least a portion of the mobilized hydrocarbons by flowing the carrier fluid with the mobilized hydrocarbons through the new production wells to the ground surface and removing at least one selected hydrocarbon held in the carrier fluid;
- and
- turning the third production wells into a new injection wells and the injection wells into new production wells by injecting the heated thermal-energy carrier fluid (TECF) into the new injection wells, circulating the thermal-energy carrier fluid (TECF) through the bottom higher permeability zone, producing at least a portion of the mobilized hydrocarbons by flowing the carrier fluid with the mobilized hydrocarbons through the new production well to the ground surface and removing at least one selected hydrocarbon held in the carrier fluid.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.