Preventing plugging by insoluble salts in a hydrocarbon-bearing formation and associated production wells

Patent · Tue Feb 09 00:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5288066

Plummer, M A

A process for recovering hydrocarbons from a subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation having fluid passageways therein is described comprising the steps of: (a) feeding to a reserve osmosis means an untreated injection water containing precipitate precursor ions in a concentration which would be sufficient to form insoluble salt precipitates in an amount to substantially plug fluid passageways if the untreated injection water contacted resident ions in the formation; (b) driving a portion of the untreated injection water feed across a membrane in the reverse osmosis means at a pressure above the osmotic pressure of the feed while excluding at least a portion of the precursor ions from crossing the membrane to produce a treated injection water product having a precursor ion concentration less than the concentration of precursor ions in the untreated injection water feed such that the precursor ion concentration in the product is insufficient to form the precipitates in an amount to substantially plug the fluid passageways when the treated injection water product contacts the resident ions in the formation; (c) injecting the treated injection water product into the hydrocarbon-bearing formation via an injection well; (d) displacing the hydrocarbons with the treated injection water product toward an associated production well; and (e) recovering the hydrocarbons from the formation via the production well.

• Assignee: Marathon Oil Co., Findley, OH
• Patent Number(s): US 4723603
• OSTI ID: 5288066
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 3 Feb 1987
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
DISPLACEMENT FLUIDS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
ROCK-FLUID INTERACTIONS
OIL WELLS
WATERFLOODING
CHEMICAL REACTION YIELD
ENHANCED RECOVERY
OSMOSIS
PETROLEUM
PRECIPITATION
RESERVOIR FLUIDS
WELL STIMULATION
DIFFUSION
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUID INJECTION
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
RECOVERY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
STIMULATION
WELLS
YIELDS
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production