Abstract: A method for treating a field containing viscous oil or bitumen for subsequent production is described. The steps central to the process are drilling a horizontal well within the oil-bearing stratum, and heating the oil in the vicinity of the horizontal well to produce a hot liquid corridor. The open borehole is filled and the oil in the heated corridor is displaced from one end to the other. The corridors may be connected in various configurations to effectively displace a high percentage of oil in a particular field.

Abstract: Normally immobile mineral values are recovered from a subterranean formation by penetrating the formation with an access shaft and drilling two radial arrays of substantially horizontal wells out into the formation from the shaft, one array of wells being substantially shorter than the other array. A mobilizing fluid is injected into the formation via alternate longer wells so that an outer zone of high fluid mobility is created in the formation. Then the mobilizing fluid is injected into all of the longer wells to sweep the mineral values to the shorter wells where such values are recovered. Improved sweep efficiency of the mineral values is achieved thereby.