Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Systems for producing bitumen from tar sands

Patent ·
OSTI ID:6620253
A system for producing bitumen from unconsolidated tar sands in an open well includes a screen positioned in the well large enough to pass a majority of the formation sand and small enough to retain a gravel packing material, a pair of high pressure fluid lateral nozzles fracturably fastened in the bottom of the screen, a wash pipe extending down into the screen for detachably connecting to the nozzles and for washing out a cavity in the tar sand formation, a ball weight for dropping down the wash pipe for knocking the nozzles out of the bottom of the screen for allowing a consolidated gravel pack material to emerge from the screen bottom and form the gravel pack on the screen, and the wash pipe being replaceable with a production tube packed off at the screen mid point for allowing hot aqueous fluids to flow from a screen annulus formed between the production tube and the screen into the cavity for producing oil.
Assignee:
Texaco Inc.
Patent Number(s):
US 4114687
OSTI ID:
6620253
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English