Oil recovery method employing carbon dioxide flooding with improved sweep efficiency

Patent · Tue Aug 12 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:5268049

Djabbarah, N F

A method is described of recovering oil from a subterranean, oil-containing, permeable formation penetrated by at least one injection well and by at least one production well, both wells being in fluid communication with the formation. The method consists of: (a) injecting carbon dioxide into the formation through the injection well and recovering fluid including oil from the formation through the production well until carbon dioxide breakthrough occurs at the production well, thereby forming a CO/sub 2/-swept zone in the formation; (b) subsequently injecting a mixture of carbon dioxide and an intermediate hydrocarbon into the CO/sub 2/-swept zone through the injection well, thereby decreasing the permeability of the CO/sub 2/-swept zone and increasing the pressure required to inject the mixture into the CO/sub 2/-swept zone, and recovering fluid including oil from the formation through the production well until the injection pressure increases to a value about 10% above the injection pressure at the initiation of the injection of the mixture; (c) thereafter injecting CO/sub 2/ into the formation through the injection well and recovering fluid including oil from the formation through the production well until carbon dioxide breakthrough occurs at the production well; and (d) thereafter repeating steps (b) and (c) for a plurality of cycles.

• Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp., New York, NY
• Patent Number(s): US 4605066
• OSTI ID: 5268049
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON DIOXIDE INJECTION
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
DISPERSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROCARBONS
INJECTION WELLS
MISCIBLE-PHASE DISPLACEMENT
MIXTURES
OIL WELLS
OIL YIELDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERMEABILITY
PETROLEUM
PRESSURIZING
RECOVERY
STIMULATION
SWEEP EFFICIENCY
WELL STIMULATION
WELLS
YIELDS