Fire flood method for recovering petroleum from oil reservoirs of low permeability and temperature
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a method of enhanced oil recovery by fire flooding petroleum reservoirs characterized by a temperature of less than the critical temperature of carbon dioxide, a pore pressure greater than the saturated vapor pressure of carbon dioxide at said temperature (87.7.degree. F. at 1070 psia), and a permeability in the range of about 20 to 100 millidarcies. The in situ combustion of petroleum in the reservoir is provided by injecting into the reservoir a combustion supporting medium consisting essentially of oxygen, ozone, or a combination thereof. The heat of combustion and the products of this combustion which consist essentially of gaseous carbon dioxide and water vapor sufficiently decrease the viscosity of oil adjacent to fire front to form an oil bank which moves through the reservoir towards a recovery well ahead of the fire front. The gaseous carbon dioxide and the water vapor are driven into the reservoir ahead of the fire front by pressure at the injection well. As the gaseous carbon dioxide cools to less than about 88.degree. F. it is converted to liquid which is dissolved in the oil bank for further increasing the mobility thereof. By using essentially pure oxygen, ozone,more »
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, Morgantown, WV (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1097254
- Patent Number(s):
- 4465135
- Application Number:
- 06/491,133
- Assignee:
- The United States of America as represented by the United States (Washington, DC)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
E - FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS E21 - EARTH DRILLING E21B - EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Citation Formats
Kamath, Krishna. Fire flood method for recovering petroleum from oil reservoirs of low permeability and temperature. United States: N. p., 1984.
Web.
Kamath, Krishna. Fire flood method for recovering petroleum from oil reservoirs of low permeability and temperature. United States.
Kamath, Krishna. Tue .
"Fire flood method for recovering petroleum from oil reservoirs of low permeability and temperature". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1097254.
@article{osti_1097254,
title = {Fire flood method for recovering petroleum from oil reservoirs of low permeability and temperature},
author = {Kamath, Krishna},
abstractNote = {The present invention is directed to a method of enhanced oil recovery by fire flooding petroleum reservoirs characterized by a temperature of less than the critical temperature of carbon dioxide, a pore pressure greater than the saturated vapor pressure of carbon dioxide at said temperature (87.7.degree. F. at 1070 psia), and a permeability in the range of about 20 to 100 millidarcies. The in situ combustion of petroleum in the reservoir is provided by injecting into the reservoir a combustion supporting medium consisting essentially of oxygen, ozone, or a combination thereof. The heat of combustion and the products of this combustion which consist essentially of gaseous carbon dioxide and water vapor sufficiently decrease the viscosity of oil adjacent to fire front to form an oil bank which moves through the reservoir towards a recovery well ahead of the fire front. The gaseous carbon dioxide and the water vapor are driven into the reservoir ahead of the fire front by pressure at the injection well. As the gaseous carbon dioxide cools to less than about 88.degree. F. it is converted to liquid which is dissolved in the oil bank for further increasing the mobility thereof. By using essentially pure oxygen, ozone, or a combination thereof as the combustion supporting medium in these reservoirs the permeability requirements of the reservoirs are significantly decreased since the liquid carbon dioxide requires substantially less voidage volume than that required for gaseous combustion products.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Aug 14 00:00:00 EDT 1984},
month = {Tue Aug 14 00:00:00 EDT 1984}
}