Patents by Inventor Victor Antonio TORREALBA

Victor Antonio TORREALBA has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Oil reservoir conformance improvement system and method
    Patent number: 11492882
    Abstract: A conformance improvement method involves injecting, via an injection well, a first water slug into a subsurface reservoir. A second water slug is injected, via the injection well, into the subsurface reservoir. The first and second water slugs have different viscosities, at least one of the first and second water slugs includes a surfactant, and the first and second water slugs combine with oil in the subsurface reservoir to form a microemulsion in a layer of the subsurface reservoir. A fluid is injected, via the injection well, into the subsurface reservoir. Oil is collected, via a production well, from the subsurface reservoir. The injected fluid causes the oil to move into the production well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignees: KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: Victor Antonio Torrealba, Hussein Hoteit, Ahmad Alabdulghani
  • Polymer-based enhanced oil recovery with compositionally-tuned slugs
    Patent number: 11479713
    Abstract: A method for selecting compositions of first and second slugs to be injected into an underground formation includes selecting a first salinity and a first polymer concentration for a first slug to be injected into a well; selecting a second salinity and a second polymer concentration for a second slug to be injected into the well; injecting the first slug into the well; and injecting the second slug into the well. The second slug is injected immediately after the first slug.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Victor Antonio Torrealba, Hussein Ali Hoteit
  • POLYMER-BASED ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY WITH COMPOSITIONALLY-TUNED SLUGS
    Publication number: 20210301192
    Abstract: A method for selecting compositions of first and second slugs to be injected into an underground formation includes selecting a first salinity and a first polymer concentration for a first slug to be injected into a well; selecting a second salinity and a second polymer concentration for a second slug to be injected into the well; injecting the first slug into the well; and injecting the second slug into the well. The second slug is injected immediately after the first slug.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Victor Antonio TORREALBA, Hussein Ali HOTEIT
  • OIL RESERVOIR CONFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD
    Publication number: 20210172302
    Abstract: A conformance improvement method involves injecting, via an injection well, a first water slug into a subsurface reservoir. A second water slug is injected, via the injection well, into the subsurface reservoir. The first and second water slugs have different viscosities, at least one of the first and second water slugs includes a surfactant, and the first and second water slugs combine with oil in the subsurface reservoir to form a microemulsion in a layer of the subsurface reservoir. A fluid is injected, via the injection well, into the subsurface reservoir. Oil is collected, via a production well, from the subsurface reservoir. The injected fluid causes the oil to move into the production well.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Publication date: June 10, 2021
    Inventors: Victor Antonio TORREALBA, Hussein HOTEIT, Ahmad ALABDULGHANI