Igniting an oil stratum for in situ combustion

Patent · Tue Dec 26 04:00:00 EST 1967

OSTI ID:5922376

Santourian, M

This is a process for initiating in-situ combustion in an oil stratum penetrated by a central well and first and second offset wells. A low-ignition point, liquid fuel is injected into the annulus of the central well and the shut-in well. Air is injected through one of the injection wells while producing oil through the other so that the annulus containing fuel is ignited. The central well is opened to flow while combustion-supporting gas is injected through the other injection well so as to initiate combustion in the injected fuel nearest the second injection well and to move the resulting combustion zone toward the second injection well. Production from both combustion zones is recovered through the central well, which becomes the production well for the following inverse burning drive through the stratum between the production and injection wells. It is feasible to utilize a ring pattern of wells around a central well or a line of production wells between parallel lines of injection wells. (9 claims)

• Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Co.
• Patent Number(s): US 3360041
• OSTI ID: 5922376
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTION
ENERGY SOURCES
ENGINEERING
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
IGNITION
IN-SITU COMBUSTION
IN-SITU PROCESSING
OIL WELLS
OXIDATION
PETROLEUM
PROCESSING
RECOVERY
RESERVOIR ENGINEERING
THERMAL RECOVERY
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
WELLS