Abstract: A downhole steam and hot water generator for use in other than a non-vertical oil well casing and particularly adapted for use in horizontal drilled wells that includes an elongated housing with a front and rear end, fluid discharge apparatus positioned in the upper portion of said housing connected to an upper chamber therein, water distribution apparatus associated with the housing to pass water into the lower portion of the housing, and electrodes within said water to boil or vaporize water into steam for transfer to a horizontal petroleum pool to reduce the viscosity of the petroleum for pumping.

Abstract: A downhole heating generator for producing steam or hot water in oil wells to aid in the recovery of oil includes an elongated cylindrical housing suspended by a cable within the tube string of an oil well bore at the level of a geological formation to be heated. The housing has a closed bottom forming a container continously receiving water through a hose from a ground level source and contains a pair of electrode rods, preferably of carbon, mounted in end-to-end spaced aligned relationship and immersed at least partially in the water received in the housing for boiling the water and/or generating steam. The electrodes are connected to a ground level electrical transformer and are arranged to be capable of being energized at at least 2300 volts without arcing therebetween. The steam or hot water is discharged from the housing through an upper exit opening and is directed through openings in the tube string to the geological formation to be heated.