Heavy oil recovery process

Patent · Tue Nov 17 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:5695772

Gondouin, M

A process is described for the recovery of heavy oil from reservoirs deeper than 1,000 feet wherein surface facilities produce various chemical reactants, in gaseous form, and water for feeding into an injection well and for transferring the reactants via feeder tubings to a downhole reactor. In the presence of a suitable catalyst, a reversible exothermic reaction takes place, converting the reactants and water into a gaseous mixture containing Hydrogen and high quality steam at a temperature such that, at the pressure required for injection of the mixture onto the reservoir, hydrogenation of the heavy oil is initiated and proceeds at a rate sufficient to approach equilibrium within the duration of oil production from the reservoir drainage area associated with the injection well. The gaseous mixture exist at high pressure from the downhole reactor, where both Hydrogen and steam are in direct contact with the catalyst, is then injected into the reservoir, contacts the heavy oil over a large area and, through hydrogenation and viscosity-reduction of the heavy oil, forms around the injection well a mobile oil bank which grows in time and ultimately flows into the surrounding production wells.

• Assignee: S-Cal Research Corp., San Rafael, CA
• Patent Number(s): US 4706751
• OSTI ID: 5695772
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
CATALYSTS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMPRESSIBLE FLOW
DISPLACEMENT FLUIDS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUID FLOW
FLUID INJECTION
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GASIFICATION
HYDROGEN
HYDROGENATION
NONMETALS
OIL WELLS
PETROLEUM
RECOVERY
STEAM
STEAM INJECTION
STIMULATION
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
VISCOSITY
WATERFLOODING
WELL STIMULATION
WELLS