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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Method for forming a gravel pack in tar sands

Patent ·
OSTI ID:6395665
A process and system are disclosed for producing bitumen from a subterranean reservoir of tar sands as unconsolidated oil bearing sands. The process comprises basically (1) washing out a cavity in the formation to the bottom thereof, (2) pouring a graded gravel in the cavity for building a conical shaped gravel pack, (3) running a screen down through the apex of the cone to the cavity bottom to bury the screen, (4) ejecting hot fluids into the cavity for melting bitumen from the tar sands, and (5) flowing the melted bitumen through the gravel pack and screen for filtering out sand and gravel from the melted bitumen for recovering the bitumen at the surface. A system for producing bitumen from tar sands is disclosed, and a method for forming a gravel pack in an unconsolidated oil bearing sand formation is disclosed.
Assignee:
Texaco Inc.
Patent Number(s):
US 4124074
OSTI ID:
6395665
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English