Steam drive from fractured horizontal wells

Patent · Tue Jan 06 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6909067

Closmann, P J

This patent describes a process for producing oil from a relatively deep viscous oil reservoir. The improvement described here is for increasing the rate at which oil production is initiated and maintained, comprising: opening at least two horizontal well within a portion of the reservoir in which hydraulic fractures tend to be vertical with the wells being substantially parallel to each other, perpendicular to the least principal compressive stress. They are positioned so that at least one well is located near the top and at least one well is located near the bottom of the reservoir; extending at least three substantially parallel vertical fractures between the wells; heating at least one portion of the reservoir which lies between at least the outermost pair of the fractures by circulating hot fluid through all of those fractures at substantially the same time; selectively injecting steam into at least the outermost pair of fractures adjoining a preheated portion of the reservoir while selectively producing fluid from at least one intermediately located fracture extending into a preheated portion of the reservoir between the pair of fractures into which steam is being injected; and recovering oil from fluid being displaced horizontally from the pair of fractures into which steam is injected and being produced from the intermediately located fracture.

• Assignee: Shell Oil Co., Houston, TX
• Patent Number(s): US 4633948
• OSTI ID: 6909067
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
03 NATURAL GAS
030300 -- Natural Gas-- Drilling
Production
& Processing
COMMINUTION
COMPRESSION
DEPTH
DIMENSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FAILURES
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FRACTURES
FRACTURING
FUELS
HEATING
HYDRAULIC FRACTURES
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
OIL WELLS
OIL YIELDS
PETROLEUM
RECOVERY
STEAM INJECTION
STIMULATION
STRESSES
VISCOSITY
WELL STIMULATION
WELLS
YIELDS