Abstract: Methods of extracting liquid hydrocarbon contaminants from underground zones are provided. The methods are basically comprised of the steps of introducing a hot purge gas into an underground zone containing a pool of liquid hydrocarbon contaminants whereby light liquid hydrocarbons in and around the pool are evaporated and dense liquid hydrocarbons in the pool are evaporated to some extent, charred, auto-ignited and combusted, and removing the hot purge gas, the evaporated light liquid hydrocarbons and combustion gases from the combustion of the dense liquid hydrocarbons in the zone.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 17, 2000
Date of Patent:
July 2, 2002
Assignee:
Kerr-McGee Corporation
Inventors:
Stephen Richard Nelson, Gregory Robert Feegle