Conductivity heating a subterranean oil shale to create permeability and subsequently produce oil

Patent · Tue Dec 12 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:6974850

Van Meurs, P; DeRouffignac, E P; Vinegar, H J; Lucid, M F

This patent describes an improvement in a process in which oil is produced from a subterranean oil shale deposit by extending at least one each of heat-injecting and fluid-producing wells into the deposit, establishing a heat-conductive fluid-impermeable barrier between the interior of each heat-injecting well and the adjacent deposit, and then heating the interior of each heat-injecting well at a temperature sufficient to conductively heat oil shale kerogen and cause pyrolysis products to form fractures within the oil shale deposit through which the pyrolysis products are displaced into at least one production well. The improvement is for enhancing the uniformity of the heat fronts moving through the oil shale deposit. Also described is a process for exploiting a target oil shale interval, by progressively expanding a heated treatment zone band from about a geometric center of the target oil shale interval outward, such that the formation or extension of vertical fractures from the heated treatment zone band to the periphery of the target oil shale interval is minimized.

• Assignee: Shell Oil Co., Houston, TX
• Patent Number(s): US 4886118; A
• Application Number: PPN: US 7-157349A
• OSTI ID: 6974850
• 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
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COMMINUTION
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FOSSIL FUELS
FRACTURING
FUELS
HEATING
IN-SITU PROCESSING
MATERIALS
MINERAL OILS
OIL SHALES
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
RECOVERY
SHALE OIL
STIMULATION
THERMAL FRACTURING
THERMAL RECOVERY
WELL STIMULATION