Viscous oil recovery method

Patent · Tue Oct 24 04:00:00 EDT 1978

OSTI ID:6315856

Redford, D A

Viscous petroleum may be recovered from viscous petroleum-containing formations such as tar sand deposits in a process employing a cyclical injection-production program in which first steam is injected and fluids are produced without restriction until live steam production occurs at the production well, followed by steam injection with production well, followed by steam injection with production throttled until the formation pressure at the production well rises to a value between about 60% to 95% of the steam injection pressure, after which fluid production is permitted without restriction and steam injection is reduced to 50% or less of the original injection rate. The process should be applied to a viscous petroleum formation in which adequate communication exist or in which a communication path is first established. Optimum results are obtained if the pressurization and drawdown cycles are initiated shortly after the beginning of the steam injection program, and the benefits include substantially increased oil recovery efficiency at all values of steam pore volumes injected.

• Assignee: Texas Exploration Canada, Ltd.
• Patent Number(s): US 4121661
• OSTI ID: 6315856
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040401* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- In Situ Methods
True & Modified
BITUMENS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
OIL SANDS
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PRESSURIZING
PRODUCTION
RECOVERY
STEAM INJECTION
TAR