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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8171993 | Water heating apparatus for continuous heated water flow and method for use in hydraulic fracturing A method of hydraulic fracturing of an oil producing formation includes the provision of a heating apparatus which is transportable and that has a vessel for containing water. A water stream of cool or cold water is transmitted from a source to a mixer, the cool or ... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8132624 | Permeability flow balancing within integral screen joints and method A method for uniform heating of a formation including applying a high temperature fluid to a tubular located within an open hole formation borehole; modifying a permeability of the tubular along its length by reducing permeability at a heel of the borehole and by in... | 03/13/2012 |
| 8079417 | Wireline retrievable dsg/downhole pump system for cyclic steam and continuous steam flooding operations in petroleum reservoirs A non-rigid carrier conveys a pump and/or the steam generator through a bore of the production tubing string to support enhanced oil recovery operations. An annular space separates the production tubing string and a wall of a wellbore intersecting a hydrocarbon-bear... | 12/20/2011 |
| 7980312 | Integrated in situ retorting and refining of oil shale A method and system for producing hydrocarbons in situ from an oil shale, fixed bed, hydrocarbon formation disposed below a ground surface. The hydrocarbon formation having an upper A-Groove higher permeability aquifer zone disposed above a R-rated, kerogen rich, lo... | 07/19/2011 |
| 7891427 | System and method for management of steam flooding for oil wells The invention includes a method for determining a steam injection schedule for a set of subsurface formation subsurface regions of an oil field, the method including the steps of determining a thermal maturity for each subsurface region of the set; calculating a lat... | 02/22/2011 |
| 7770646 | System, method and apparatus for hydrogen-oxygen burner in downhole steam generator A downhole burner for a steam generator includes an injector and a cooling liner. Steam enters the burner through holes in the cooling liner. Combustion occurring within the cooling liner heats the steam and increases its quality and may superheat it. The heated, hi... | 08/10/2010 |
| 7665525 | Reducing the energy requirements for the production of heavy oil A method for generating a heated product stream downhole is provided wherein a fuel rich mixture is reacted downhole by contact with a catalyst to produce a partially reacted product stream, the fuel rich mixture comprising fuel and oxygen. The partially reacted pro... | 02/23/2010 |
| 7640987 | Communicating fluids with a heated-fluid generation system Some embodiments of a supply tube system for use in a wellbore may have multiple tubes, a number of which can be readily coupled to a downhole steam generator or other heated-fluid generator device. In certain embodiments, the system may include a connector that sim... | 01/05/2010 |
| 7621333 | Process to improve extraction of crude oil and installation implementing such process A hydrocarbon extraction process enabling an acceleration in the production of the productive zone of the oil deposit of a well and an increase in the cumulated quantity of hydrocarbons, characterized by the fact that a hot fluid constituted of hydrocarbons is made ... | 11/24/2009 |
| 7481275 | Plant and a method for increased oil recovery A method for increasing oil recovery from an oil reservoir by injection of gas into the reservoir, is described. The method comprises separation of air into an oxygen-rich fraction and a nitrogen-rich fraction, reformation of natural gas together with oxygen to prod... | 01/27/2009 |
| 7441603 | Hydrocarbon recovery from impermeable oil shales An economic method for in situ maturing and production of oil shale or other deep-lying, impermeable resources containing immobile hydrocarbons. Vertical fractures are created using horizontal or vertical wells. The same or other wells are used to inject pressurized... | 10/28/2008 |
| 7438129 | Water treatment method for heavy oil production using calcium sulfate seed slurry evaporation A process for treating produced water to generate high pressure steam. Produced water from heavy oil recovery operations is treated by first removing oil and grease. Feedwater is then acidified and steam stripped to remove alkalinity and dissolved non-condensable ga... | 10/21/2008 |
| 7428926 | Water treatment method for heavy oil production A process for treating produced water to generate high pressure steam. Produced water from heavy oil recovery operations is treated by first removing oil and grease. Pretreated produced water is then fed to an evaporator. Up to 95% or more of the pretreated produced... | 09/30/2008 |
| 7424916 | Flameless hot oiler A flameless heating system comprising: at least one engine, each engine including a coolant for removing heat from the engine and each engine producing exhaust; a loading means for loading the engine; a heat exchange system, the heat exchange system comprising: a he... | 09/16/2008 |
| 7422059 | Fluid injection stimulated heavy oil or mineral production system A method and apparatus for production of material from a subsurface earth formation being intersected by a wellbore that is lined with a well casing. After preparing the well casing by forming injection and production openings or removing a section of the casing to ... | 09/09/2008 |
| 7410627 | Sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate production A method for solution mining nahcolite, capable of extracting nahcolite from geological formations lean in nahcolite comprising injecting high pressure water (which may include recycled aqueous solution of bicarb and sodium carbonate) at a temperature of at least 25... | 08/12/2008 |
| 7370704 | Triaxial temperature limited heater Certain embodiments provide a heater. The heater includes an inner electrical conductor. A heater section at least partially surrounds the inner electrical conductor. The heater section is configured to generate an electrically resistive heat output during applicati... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7367399 | Loop systems and methods of using the same for conveying and distributing thermal energy into a wellbore Systems and methods are provided for treating a wellbore using a loop system to heat oil in a subterranean formation contacted by the wellbore. The loop system comprises a loop that conveys a fluid (e.g., steam) down the wellbore via a injection conduit and returns ... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7363978 | Methods of using reactive surfactants in subterranean operations Novel uses of reactive surfactants in treating subterranean formations and/or proppant particulates are provided. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method comprising: providing a treatment fluid that comprises a base fluid and a reactive surfactant... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7363973 | Method and apparatus for stimulating heavy oil production A process for the recovery of hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon bearing formation having an extraction chamber where the extraction chamber has an extraction surface. The process has the steps of heating a solvent, such as propane, and then placing the solvent into th... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7360588 | Thermal processes for subsurface formations A process may include providing heat from one or more heaters to at least a portion of a subsurface formation. Heat may transfer from one or more heaters to a part of a formation. In some embodiments, heat from the one or more heat sources may pyrolyze at least some... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7360595 | Method and system for underground treatment of materials A method for underground treatment of subsurface materials comprises providing an injection pattern and a recovery pattern, the injection pattern and the recovery pattern located proximate to a subsurface treatment zone and at least one of the injection pattern and ... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7350577 | Method and apparatus for injecting steam into a geological formation The present invention generally provides a method and apparatus for injecting a compressible fluid at a controlled flow rate into a geological formation at multiple zones of interest. In one aspect, the invention provides a tubing string with a pocket and a nozzle a... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7347264 | Methods and compositions for well completion in steam breakthrough wells Methods of steam flooding for stimulating hydrocarbon production are provided. In general, the methods comprise the steps of: (A) injecting a mutual solvent preflush fluid capable of dissolving oil into the near-wellbore region of at least a portion of a wellbore; (... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7347266 | Use of mineral oils, hydrogenated polyalphaolefin oils and saturated fatty acids for breaking ves-gelled fluids Fluids viscosified with viscoelastic surfactants (VESs) may have their viscosities reduced (gels broken) by the direct or indirect action of a breaker composition that contains at least one mineral oil, at least one polyalphaolefin oil, and/or at least one saturated... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7341102 | Flue gas injection for heavy oil recovery A variety of methods for thermal recovery of natural gas and bitumen from a formation containing the latter. In general, the methods incorporate a series of existing, but previously uncombined technologies. A modified flue gas from the steam generators conventionall... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7338924 | Oil-in-water-in-oil emulsion An oil-in-water-in-oil emulsion (O/W/O) comprising a first oil-in-water emulsion dispersed in a second oil, and a method of preparing the same. The O/W/O emulsion can be used as a drive fluid in an enhanced oil recovery process. The O/W/O emulsion of this invention ... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7337845 | Well maintenance equipment and procedure The present invention relates to a method of removing deposits from various types of wells (17) including environmental recovery, water supply, horizontal, barrier, injection, recharge, and/or disposal wells (17). The method includes equipping a well (... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7331388 | Horizontal single trip system with rotating jetting tool A method for completing a well in a single trip is described, which includes inserting a completion tool assembly into the wellbore. The completion tool assembly includes a gravel packing assembly having a central channel substantially therethrough and a service too... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7322415 | Subterranean electro-thermal heating system and method A subterranean electro-thermal heating system including one or more heater cable sections extending through one or more heat target regions of a subterranean environment and one or more cold lead sections coupled to the heater cable section(s) and extending through ... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7318849 | Cyclonic fluid separator equipped with adjustable vortex finder position A cyclonic fluid separator for separating one or more condensable components, such as water, and/or solids, such as smoke or sand particles, from a fluid mixture has a tubular housing having a fluid inlet section in which the fluid mixture is accelerated to a supers... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7311150 | Method and system for cleaning a well bore A method for extracting accumulated material from a well bore includes pressurizing gas recovered from the well bore and disposing an extraction string in communication with a sump. The sump is disposed to receive liquid from the well bore. The method further includ... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7303664 | Delayed coking process for producing free-flowing coke using a metals-containing additive A delayed coking process for making substantially free-flowing coke, preferably shot coke. A coker feedstock, such as a vacuum residuum, is heated in a heating zone to coking temperatures then conducted to a coking zone wherein volatiles are collected overhead and c... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7299879 | Thermodynamic pulse lift oil and gas recovery system An apparatus and process for lifting production fluids using the heat of compression of production gas to heat injection liquids. An apparatus and process for uninterrupted production using conserved heat of compression during well maintenance. A lift gas apparatus ... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7293606 | Heat exchanging apparatus A heat exchanging apparatus including a gas fuelled flameless heater and a heat exchanger loop. The heat exchanger loop includes a heat absorbing section which is contained within the flameless heater so that the flameless heater provides a heat source for the heat ... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7290959 | Electrode heating with remediation agent A remediation method and system is disclosed. A plurality of conductors is installed into the subsurface to introduce electrical current to produce heat in the subsurface. One or more agents are released into the subsurface to cause or accelerate the decomposition o... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7279017 | Method for converting heavy oil residuum to a useful fuel A method for enabling the use of heavy oil residuum by conversion to a useful product. The method, in one embodiment, involves the use of a heavy oil residuum which is substantially non flowable. The viscosity of the residuum is reduced by heat or a combination of h... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7278486 | Fracturing method providing simultaneous flow back A bottom-up method of fracturing a multi-zone subterranean formation intersected by a wellbore that enables one zone to be fractured while at the same time flowing previously placed fracture fluid from one or more other zones back to the surface is provided. The met... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7261766 | Supersonic fluid separation enhanced by spray injection The separation of liquid and/or solid components from a multiphase fluid stream passing through a supersonic fluid separator is enhanced by injecting a surface active agent into the fluid stream passing through the separator. Preferably the spray is injected via an ... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7255013 | Method and apparatus for measuring cryogenic flow A method for calculating a mass flow rate of a cryogenic fluid within a flow tube includes positioning a sensor within a stream of cryogenic fluid flowing through the flow tube. The sensor is operatively coupled to a strain gauge. A difference between a dynamic pres... | 08/14/2007 |
