Including Production Of Earth Fluid By Driving Fluid Patents (Class 166/252.1)
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Patent number: 11873446Abstract: The present disclosure provides a novel process of using nonionic surfactants in wells at, near, or below their cloud point temperature for increased oil production from reservoir formations. Adjusting the surfactant cloud point temperature to be proximate to the reservoir temperature results in the maximum surface activity of the surfactant, increased adsorption, and better imbibition performance. The nonionic surfactants may be mixed with a solution on surface and then injected into formation brine for spontaneous brine imbibition and crude oil production from oil-wet unconventional reservoir formations.Type: GrantFiled: September 1, 2022Date of Patent: January 16, 2024Assignee: Third Wave Production, LLCInventors: Kirk Herbert Raney, Grant Wesley Haddix
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Patent number: 11732573Abstract: There is provided a method for determining an optimal condition for artificial recharge by using a computer in an artificial recharge system provided with an injection well for injecting fresh water into an aquifer, the method including: a step of calculating a maximum permissible quantity of injection of fresh water to be injected into the aquifer; a step of determining a height of a screen which is an area on a side surface of the injection well where penetrating holes are formed, based on the calculated maximum permissible quantity of injection; and a step of determining an injection pressure of the fresh water to be injected into the aquifer, based on the height of the screen.Type: GrantFiled: January 4, 2021Date of Patent: August 22, 2023Assignee: DONG-A UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR INDUSTRY-ACADEMY COOPERATIONInventors: Byunghee Nam, Namsik Park, Roshina Babu
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Patent number: 11573164Abstract: A method for determining properties of different cation exchange sites in a rock core sample, at a preserved state of the rock core sample may include providing a rock core sample that includes a plurality of indigenous exchangeable cations adsorbed onto the cation exchange sites, a plurality of cation exchange sites occupied by a crude oil, and one or more fluids occupying pore spaces in the rock core sample; subjecting the rock core sample to a plurality of coreflooding steps, the plurality of coreflooding step displacing the plurality of indigenous exchangeable cations, the crude oil, and the one or more fluids in at least three separate coreflooding steps to render the rock core sample clean of native components; determining an amount of indigenous exchangeable cations adsorbed onto the cation exchange sites; subjecting the rock core sample clean of native components to a plurality of coreflooding steps to determine a total amount of exchangeable cations adsorbed onto the cation exchange sites when the roType: GrantFiled: April 27, 2020Date of Patent: February 7, 2023Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANYInventor: Quan Chen
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Patent number: 11567228Abstract: To generate dispersion curves for acoustic waves in a radially layered system, a matrix M containing solutions to the wave equation subject to the boundary conditions of the system is constructed. The reciprocal condition number (RCN) of the matrix M is determined as a function of acoustic wave frequency and slowness. The local minima of the RCN in the frequency-slowness plane produces the dispersion curves corresponding to allowable acoustic modes in the system. A sensitivity analysis which identifies the dispersion curves dependent on a selected parameter. The dispersion curves independent of the perturbed parameters are eliminated by perturbing the modeling parameters and generating the RCN of the perturbed matrix M and then subtracting the RCN values of the unperturbed matrix M, leaving the dispersion curves that exhibit dependence on the selected parameter.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2021Date of Patent: January 31, 2023Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.Inventors: Jiajun Zhao, Ruijia Wang, Qingtao Sun, Richard Timothy Coates
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Patent number: 11441083Abstract: The invention relates to a formulation for the diluting and dispersing of oily residues for the recovery of crude oil in processes for producing petroleum, comprising surfactant elements, as well as the process for recovering crude oil using a method for diluting and dispersing the oily residues generated in the petroleum production process.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 2018Date of Patent: September 13, 2022Assignee: AMG de Colombia S.A.S.Inventor: Antonio Alberto Martínez Gómez
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Patent number: 11300494Abstract: A method for determining properties of different cation exchange sites in a rock core sample may include providing a rock core sample that is in either a preserved state or a non-preserved state, wherein a preserved form of the rock core sample includes a plurality of indigenous exchangeable cations adsorbed onto the cation exchange sites, a plurality of cation exchange sites occupied by a crude oil, and one or more fluids occupying pore spaces in the rock core sample; subjecting the rock core sample to a plurality of coreflooding steps, the plurality of coreflooding step displacing the plurality of indigenous exchangeable cations and the one or more fluids in at least two separate coreflooding steps to render the rock core sample clean of indigenous exchangeable cations; and determining an amount of indigenous exchangeable cations adsorbed onto the cation exchange sites.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2020Date of Patent: April 12, 2022Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANYInventor: Quan Chen
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Patent number: 11274515Abstract: A method of plugging a well extending into a formation to facilitate temporary or permanent abandonment of the well. The method includes conveying a plug placement and verification tool (PPVT) through the well, to a plug formation location, the PPVT including a stinger for delivering a plugging material into the well, an expandable packer disposed at one end of the stinger and a pressure sensor disposed below the expandable packer, and operating the expandable packer to form a seal in the well above the pressure sensor. The method further includes delivering a plugging material from the stinger into a region of the well above the expandable packer, thereby forming a plug in the well, and thereafter creating a pressure change above the plug and verifying the integrity of the plug using the pressure sensor.Type: GrantFiled: November 6, 2017Date of Patent: March 15, 2022Assignee: EQUINOR ENERGY ASInventors: Gjermund Grimsbo, Pål Viggo Hemmingsen, Halvor Kjørholt, Gisle Stjern
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Patent number: 11230902Abstract: A packer module with selective control and fluid bypass can be interactive with other packer modules in a system for isolating and evaluating. The packer module includes a motor section, a conversion section, a control section, a sealing member, and an isolated flow path section. The control section includes a ramp sleeve cooperative with the sealing member to set a retracted configuration, an initial sealed configuration, and an isolated sealed configuration of the sealing member. The isolated flow path section includes an isolated flow path channel. The isolated flow path channel can only be opened with the sealing member in the isolated sealed configuration so that a zone formed by the packer module can be isolated and evaluated. Measuring and detecting instruments along the different flow paths through packer module evaluate the fluid properties of the bypass fluids and isolated fluids through the different flow paths.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2020Date of Patent: January 25, 2022Assignee: CNPC USA CorporationInventors: Jayson Byrd, Jianpeng Yue, Peng Cheng, Zhicheng Zhang, Laijun Luo, Liquan Ding
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Patent number: 11156044Abstract: An electric driven hydraulic fracking system is disclosed. A pump configuration includes the single VFD, the single shaft electric motor, and the single hydraulic pump mounted on the single pump trailer. A controller associated with the single VFD and is mounted on the single pump trailer. The controller monitors operation parameters associated with an operation of the electric driven hydraulic fracking system as each component of the electric driven hydraulic fracking system operates to determine whether the operation parameters deviate beyond a corresponding operation parameter threshold. Each of the operation parameters provides an indicator as to an operation status of a corresponding component of the electric driven hydraulic fracking system. The controller initiates corrected actions when each operation parameter deviates beyond the corresponding operation threshold.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 2021Date of Patent: October 26, 2021Assignee: National Service Alliance—Houston LLCInventors: John Fischer, John J. Crosetto, David Kubricht, Richard Cheatham, Jeffrey Pollack, Chad Lawman, David Todd, Tyler Nolen
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Patent number: 11091689Abstract: Described herein is a multi-phase aqueous composition containing a surfactant; a first phase comprising water, an acid, and a water-soluble acid retarding agent; and a second phase selected from the group consisting of an immiscible organic phase, a gas, and combinations thereof. Further described are methods of making and using such compositions.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2016Date of Patent: August 17, 2021Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventors: Christopher Daeffler, Mohan Kanaka Raju Panga
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Patent number: 10882773Abstract: A mobile water purification system having a trailer, a pretreatment subsystem having a cyclonic separator, a filtering subsystem fluidly connected with the pretreatment subsystem, the filtering subsystem having at least one bedded filter; a reverse osmosis subsystem fluidly connected with the filtering subsystem, the reverse osmosis subsystem having a waste output and a product output; a collection tank fluidly connected with and downstream of the reverse osmosis subsystem; a distribution subsystem fluidly connected with and downstream of the collection tank; a source water inlet mounted to the exterior and fluidly connected to the pretreatment inlet, the source water inlet outside of the at-least partially enclosed space; and a discharge water outlet mounted to the plurality of sidewalls and fluidly connected to the pressure tank, the discharge water outlet having an outlet opening outside of the at least partially-enclosed space.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2019Date of Patent: January 5, 2021Assignee: Waterfleet, LLCInventor: Alan Pyle
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Patent number: 10738234Abstract: The phenomena of nutrient adsorption are utilised to enhance nutrient bioavailability and enhance methanogenesis efficiency. Thus methods for avoiding or reversing such adsorption or utilising the phenomena in a way favourable to promotion of methanogenesis in a formation, for example, through desorption of bound nutrients, or adsorption competing bacteria nutrients or methanogen toxicants, etc., are provided herein.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 2016Date of Patent: August 11, 2020Assignee: COMMONWEALTH SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH ORGANISATIONInventors: Luke Connell, Regina Sander, Deasy Heryanto, Nicholas Lupton, Michael Camilleri, Zhejun Pan
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Patent number: 10718186Abstract: Described herein are various embodiments of computer-implemented methods, computing systems, and program products for analyzing a flood operation on a hydrocarbon reservoir. An embodiment of a computer implemented method of identifying conformance candidates is provided. The embodiment includes, for a first entity: solving an injection entity index to generate an injection entity index value, solving a production entity index to generate a production entity index value, evaluating an operation entity index that represents operation status to generate an operation entity index value, and combining the injection entity index value, the production entity index value, and the operation entity index value to generate a conformance problem index value for the first entity.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2015Date of Patent: July 21, 2020Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.Inventors: Morteza Sayarpour, Lokendra Jain, Carmen C. Hinds, Tiantian Zhang
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Patent number: 10711177Abstract: Embodiments herein select a brine composition to be injected into a formation to alter wettability at a surface of the formation to enhance recovery of hydrocarbons from the formation. One embodiment comprises providing: a plurality of substrates representative of a formation, a plurality of brine compositions, and a plurality of reducing agents characterized as yielding oxyanions when added to an aqueous stream. The embodiment comprises selecting a brine composition with at least one reducing agent to be injected into the formation to alter wettability at a surface of the formation to enhance recovery of hydrocarbons from the formation and injecting the selected brine composition into the formation to alter wettability at the surface of the formation to enhance recovery of the hydrocarbons from the formation. The brine composition is selected based on interactions between the plurality of substrates, the plurality of brine compositions, and the plurality of reducing agents.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2019Date of Patent: July 14, 2020Assignee: CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.Inventors: Adwait Chawathe, Nariman Fathi Najafabadi, Jagannathan Mahadevan
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Patent number: 10619456Abstract: Described herein are various embodiments of computer-implemented methods, computing systems, and program products for analyzing a flood operation on a hydrocarbon reservoir. For example, an embodiment of a computer implemented method of analyzing a flood operation on a hydrocarbon reservoir having heavy oil is provided. The embodiment includes, for a first injection well of the hydrocarbon reservoir: receiving injection rate data and production rate data, establishing a plurality of time windows based on breakthrough time of each production well that has broken through until the current date, and running capacitance resistance modeling for each established time window to generate interwell connectivities for each well pair. The embodiment further includes determining a value of injected fluid for the first injection well as a function of time in the future using a continuous function estimated interwell connectivity and an estimated oil-cut value.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2015Date of Patent: April 14, 2020Assignee: CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.Inventors: Tiantian Zhang, Morteza Sayarpour, Omer Izgec
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Patent number: 10613488Abstract: System includes one or more processors that are configured to perform iterations of the following until a predetermined condition is satisfied. The one or more processors are configured to select a modified trial schedule. The modified trial schedule is selected based on initial fluid-extraction data and initial trial schedules and, if available, prior modified trial schedules and prior modified fluid-extraction data from prior iterations. The one or more processors are configured to receive modified fluid-extraction data generated by execution of the modified trial schedule with a designated model of the reservoir. The one or more processors are also configured to update the surrogate model with the modified fluid-extraction data and the modified trial schedule. For at least a plurality of the iterations, the modified trial schedule is selected, at least in part, to reduce uncertainty in a sample space as characterized by the surrogate model.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 2016Date of Patent: April 7, 2020Assignee: General Electric Co.Inventors: Naresh Sundaram Iyer, Steven Hector Azzaro, Glen Richard Murrell, Robert Carl Lloyd Klenner, Panqing Gao
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Patent number: 10570718Abstract: A variety of systems, methods, and compositions that relates generally to well site operations and, more particularly, to the capture and recovery of exhaust gas from machinery located and operated at a well site are disclosed. Exhaust gas comprising carbon dioxide is captured, absorbed or reacted with amine sources, and separated for reuse or further processed for use in subterranean formation operations, such as hydraulic fracturing operations.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 2016Date of Patent: February 25, 2020Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.Inventors: Philip D. Nguyen, Stanley V. Stephenson, Jim Basuki Surjaatmadja
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Patent number: 10550312Abstract: An oil recovery composition of an aqueous solution of one or more salts and dilute polymer and processes for enhanced oil recovery using the oil recovery composition are provided. An oil recovery composition may include an aqueous solution of one or more salts having a salinity of about 4000 parts-per-million (ppm) total dissolved solids (TDS) to about 8000 ppm TDS and a polymer having a concentration of 250 ppm to 750 ppm. The one or more salts may include at least one of sodium chloride (NaCl), calcium chloride (CaCl2), magnesium chloride (MgCl2), sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) and magnesium sulfate (MgSO4). The polymer may include a copolymer of acrylamide and acrylamido tertiary butyl sulfonate (ATBS). The oil recovery compositions provided may be suited for enhancing oil recovery in carbonate reservoirs having in situ oil viscosities less than 3 centipoise (cP).Type: GrantFiled: February 12, 2019Date of Patent: February 4, 2020Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil CompanyInventors: Subhash Chandrabose Ayirala, Ali Abdallah Al-Yousef, Abdulkareem M. Al-Sofi
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Patent number: 10550681Abstract: A method is taught for producing hydrocarbons from a reservoir by drilling two or more wells located proximal a bottom of said reservoir. The method comprises initiating one or more high-mobility zones connecting said wells along the bottom of the reservoir and producing the reservoir from the bottom of said reservoir upwards.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 2015Date of Patent: February 4, 2020Assignee: Bitcan Geosciences & Engineering Inc.Inventors: Yanguang Yuan, Mingzhe Dong
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Patent number: 10494907Abstract: Process for treating subterranean oil-bearing formations comprising carbonate rocks with an aqueous composition comprising cationic ammonium salts comprising four hydrocarbon radicals wherein at least one of the hydrocarbon radicals is substituted by an OH-group. The process may be a process for enhanced oil recovery, fracturing, acidizing or antiscale treatment.Type: GrantFiled: January 24, 2014Date of Patent: December 3, 2019Assignee: BASF SEInventors: Vandana Kurkal-Siebert, Guenter Oetter, Nicole Lichterfeld-Weber
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Patent number: 10370941Abstract: A method for ranking performance of each production well in a plurality of production wells includes sensing a production parameter value for each production well using a sensor and receiving the production parameter value for each production well using a processor. The method also includes performing two or more different calculations for each production well using the production parameter value, each calculation providing a calculated performance indicator, multiplying each calculated performance indicator by a weight factor to provide a weighted performance indicator; and summing each of the weighted performance indicators for each production well to provide a unit-less performance index value for each production well.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2016Date of Patent: August 6, 2019Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLCInventors: Ian Graham Brown, Eric Thiessen, Coen Smits
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Patent number: 10370583Abstract: The present invention relates to the use of an aminosulphonate compound corresponding to the following formula (I): R1R2N—CHR3—CHR4—CHR5—SO3? (I) where: •R1 is a preferably C2 to C24 alkyl or alkylamido radical; •R2 is an optionally hydroxylated alkyl radical; •R3, R4 and R5 are, independently of one another, H or OH; it being understood that at least one of the R3, R4 and/or R5 groups is OH, for stabilizing a foam, in particular a foam used to extract hydrocarbons in an underground formation.Type: GrantFiled: May 4, 2015Date of Patent: August 6, 2019Assignee: RHODIA OPERATIONSInventors: Mikel Morvan, Max Chabert
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Patent number: 10196555Abstract: A preconditioning fluid is provided for producing crude oil from a subterranean formation. The preconditioning fluid produces an interface with crude oil in the formation that is more elastic than the interface between formation brine and the crude oil and has a favorable Amott-Harvey wettability index for oil recovery under the dominant hydrocarbon recovery mechanisms. The more elastic interface and improved Amott-Harvey wettability index is consistent with higher recoveries of crude oil from the formation.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2015Date of Patent: February 5, 2019Assignee: CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.Inventor: Nariman Fathi Najafabadi
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Patent number: 10132153Abstract: An oil recovery process includes recovering an oil-water mixture from an oil-bearing formation and separating the produced water from the oil-water mixture. The produced water includes dissolved gases and the method includes heating and pressurizing the produced water. After the produced water is heated and pressurized, it is flash vaporized through a lesser pressure which produces a vapor and residual produced water. The flash vaporization of the produced water evaporates dissolved gases and the dissolved gases are vented away with the vapor.Type: GrantFiled: August 19, 2015Date of Patent: November 20, 2018Assignee: Veolia Water Technologies, Inc.Inventor: Mark C. Nicholson
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Patent number: 10053972Abstract: A methodology and system promote hydrocarbon production from a reservoir using steam assisted gravity drainage. The technique comprises deploying sensors in a subsurface environment containing the reservoir. The sensors are used to obtain data on properties related to a steam assisted gravity drainage region of the reservoir. Based on the data collected from the sensors, the amount of steam injected into areas of the reservoir may be adjusted to facilitate, e.g., optimize, production of hydrocarbons.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2013Date of Patent: August 21, 2018Assignees: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION, STATOIL PETROLEUM ASInventors: Robert John Godfrey, Jonathan Paul Ingham, David S. McCormick, Hartmut Hubertus Schütt, Mark Thompson, Richard Tøndel
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Patent number: 9650871Abstract: A hydraulic fracturing system includes an electrically powered pump that pressurizes fluid, which is piped into a wellbore to fracture a subterranean formation. System components include a fluid source, an additive source, a hydration unit, a blending unit, a proppant source, a fracturing pump, and an electrically powered motor for driving the pump. Also included with the system is a signal assembly that visually displays operational states of the pump and motor, thereby indicating if fluid discharge lines from the pump contain pressurized fluid. The visual display of the signal assembly also can indicate if the motor is energized, so that the discharge lines might soon contain pressurized fluid.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2016Date of Patent: May 16, 2017Assignee: US Well Services LLCInventors: Jared Oehring, Brandon Neil Hinderliter
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Patent number: 9506339Abstract: A method for managing a fracturing operation. In one implementation, the method may include positioning one or more sources and one or more receivers near a hydrocarbon reservoir; pumping a fracturing fluid into a well bore of the hydrocarbon reservoir; performing a survey with the sources and the receivers during the fracturing operation; comparing the baseline survey to the survey performed during the fracturing operation; analyzing one or more differences between the baseline survey and the survey performed during the fracturing operation; and modifying the fracturing operation based on the differences.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2013Date of Patent: November 29, 2016Assignee: WESTERNGECO L.L.C.Inventors: Craig J. Beasley, Iain Bush
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Patent number: 9267369Abstract: In some aspects, techniques and systems for modeling fluid flow are described. A flow model represents intersecting flow paths for well system fluid. The flow paths intersect at a flow path intersection. A band matrix and an intersection table are generated based on the flow model. The band matrix represents fluid flow within the respective flow paths, and the intersection table represents fluid flow between the flow paths at the flow path intersection. The flow model can be operated using the band matrix and the intersection table, for example, to calculate fluid flow variables at various locations along the flow paths.Type: GrantFiled: August 13, 2013Date of Patent: February 23, 2016Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.Inventors: Pandurang Manohar Kulkarni, Dinesh Ananda Shetty, Avi Lin
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Patent number: 9267367Abstract: A process for recovering hydrocarbons with steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) with pressure differential injection. Methods for producing hydrocarbons in a subterranean formation having at least two well pairs include installing a highest pressure well pair in the subterranean formation; installing a lowest pressure well pair in the subterranean formation; applying a pressure differential across the highest pressure well pair and the lowest pressure well pair; injecting steam into the first injection well to form a first steam chamber; injecting steam into the final injection well to form an adjacent steam chamber; monitoring the steam chambers until they merge into a final steam chamber; ceasing the flow of steam into the first injection well; and injecting steam into the final injection well to maintain the final steam chamber.Type: GrantFiled: March 28, 2012Date of Patent: February 23, 2016Assignee: ConocoPhillips CompanyInventors: Thomas J. Wheeler, Daniel R. Sultenfuss
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Patent number: 9217318Abstract: In some aspects, a target net treating pressure for an injection treatment of a subterranean region is determined. Fracture growth orientation in a subterranean region is modeled by a computer system. In the model, the fracture growth is a response to fluid pressure acting on the subterranean region. A target net treating pressure for fluid acting on the subterranean region during an injection treatment of the subterranean region is determined based on the modeled fracture growth orientations.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2013Date of Patent: December 22, 2015Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.Inventors: Ronald Glen Dusterhoft, David Blair Allison
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Patent number: 9194215Abstract: A method and arrangement are proposed for introducing a CO2 composition into a subterranean geological formation for storage of CO2 therein. The CO2 composition is initially injected into the formation using a first set of injection parameters at which the CO2 composition is a supercritical fluid having first viscosity and density values. The injection parameters are then modified such that the CO2 composition is injected into the formation using at least one second set of injection parameters at which the CO2 composition is a supercritical fluid having second viscosity and density values that are different from said first viscosity and density values, wherein said injection parameters include the injection temperature, injection pressure and hydrocarbon content of the CO2 composition.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2011Date of Patent: November 24, 2015Assignee: STATOIL ASAInventors: Lars Høier, Bamshad Nazarian
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Patent number: 9139364Abstract: A method for geo-sequestration of a carbon dioxide includes selection of a target water-laden geological formation with low-permeability interbeds, providing an injection well into the formation and injecting supercritical carbon dioxide (SC—CO2) into the injection well under conditions of temperature, pressure and density selected to cause the fluid to enter the formation and splinter and/or form immobilized ganglia within the formation. This process allows for the immobilization of the injected SC—CO2 for very long times. The dispersal of scCO2 into small ganglia is accomplished by alternating injection of SC—CO2 and water. The injection rate is required to be high enough to ensure the SC—CO2 at the advancing front to be broken into pieces and small enough for immobilization through viscous instability.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2013Date of Patent: September 22, 2015Assignee: Sandia CorporationInventors: Yifeng Wang, Charles R. Bryan, Thomas Dewers, Jason E. Heath
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Patent number: 9109152Abstract: The present invention describes the method of making an ether sulfate surfactant solution hydrolytically stable by adding one or more alkalinity generating agents at levels greater than 0.05%. The surfactant solutions of the present invention have half-lives >8 months at 100° C. and find uses in EOR applications, environmental cleanups, detergent industry, and any other surfactant based high temperature applications.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2010Date of Patent: August 18, 2015Assignee: Board of Regents, The University of Texas SystemInventors: Upali P. Weerasooriya, Gary A. Pope, Quoc P. Nguyen
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Publication number: 20150114633Abstract: A methodology and system promote hydrocarbon production from a reservoir using steam assisted gravity drainage. The technique comprises deploying sensors in a subsurface environment containing the reservoir. The sensors are used to obtain data on properties related to a steam assisted gravity drainage region of the reservoir. Based on the data collected from the sensors, the amount of steam injected into areas of the reservoir may be adjusted to facilitate, e.g., optimize, production of hydrocarbons.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 5, 2013Publication date: April 30, 2015Inventors: Robert John Godfrey, Jonathan Paul Ingham, David S. McCormick, Hartmut Hubertus Schutt, Mark Thompson, Richard Tøndel
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Patent number: 8899321Abstract: Described are methods of distributing a viscosity reducing solvent to a set of wells terminating in an underground oil reservoir where the variation in the net solvent injection rate is minimized. The net solvent injection rate is the difference between the total solvent injection rate and the total solvent production rate from the set of wells, for example on an instantaneous or daily rate basis. Minimizing this variation can reduce costs associated with surface solvent storage, subsurface solvent storage, and solvent supply, since solvent supply often is least expensive when supplied at near a fixed rate. One option is to operate well pairs and to inject solvent into one well of the pair while producing oil and solvent from the other well of the pair. These methods are particularly useful in solvent-dominated, cyclic or non-cyclic, viscous oil recovery processes.Type: GrantFiled: April 11, 2011Date of Patent: December 2, 2014Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research CompanyInventors: Matthew A Dawson, Owen J Hehmeyer, Robert D Kaminsky, Mori Y Kwan, Jean-Pierre Lebel, Robert Chick Wattenbarger, Thomas J Boone
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Publication number: 20140246193Abstract: A thermal recovery method employing an electrical pre-heating method to condition the hydrocarbon-bearing formation as a means of improving recovery when steam injection is later applied. In addition, a method of comparing the applied electrical flux and resulting temperature profile to determine the heat transfer properties of each of a plurality of reservoir regions along the length of a horizontal well is disclosed. Advantageously, the heat flux supplied to each of the regions may be varied relative to each other region to compensate for different thermal transfer properties which may exist in the formation within each of the regions. Such controlled variation in thermal energy transfer, compensating for variances in fluid mobility and thermal properties in the reservoir allows for a more even steam chamber development and therefore optimized oil recovery.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 4, 2013Publication date: September 4, 2014Applicant: HUSKY OIL OPERATIONS LIMTEDInventor: Cody WOLLEN
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Patent number: 8789587Abstract: A method and system for monitoring and controlling an injection operation is disclosed. A plurality of distributed fiber optic sensors is located in a production well. Fluid is injected into an injection well spaced apart from the production well. A parameter of a formation between the production well and the injection well is determined from measurements from the formation obtained using the fiber optic sensors. At least one of an injection of fluid into the injection well and a flow into the production well is controlled in response to the determined parameter.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2009Date of Patent: July 29, 2014Assignee: Baker Hughes IncorporatedInventors: Paulo Tubel, Brian Bidigare, Michael Johnson, John Harrell, Benn Voll
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Patent number: 8739867Abstract: A remediation process that a employs improved quantitative method(s) of estimating of the volume and/or mass of contaminant in the subsurface, removal and or in situ degradation of the contamination using subsurface pulsing treatment (“SPT”) technology, and evaluation of the degree of remediation by re-applying the quantitative contaminant evaluation methods. The process uses SPT technology with the addition of a vacuum or sub-atmospheric pressure to an extraction well in order to create a push-pull effect to remove free contaminant or residual in conjunction with the pressure wave driving force created in the excitation or excitation well. The process can quantitatively measure the amount of residual contaminant, which up until now has not been possible or tractable using in situ methods, as well as measure the amount of residual that can be removed by SPT.Type: GrantFiled: May 8, 2009Date of Patent: June 3, 2014Assignee: RemMetrik, LLCInventor: Steven Panter
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Patent number: 8726537Abstract: In a method and equipment for continuous sintering of pelletized mineral material, a partition wall (7, 8) arranged between two adjacent cooling chambers (4, 5; 5, 6) is in the height direction placed at a distance from the pellet bed (2), so that in between the partition wall (7, 8) and pellet bed (2), there is left a gap (s) that allows gas to flow between two adjacent cooling chambers (4, 5; 5; 6) through the gap (s) in order to equalize the pressure between the cooling chambers.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 2010Date of Patent: May 20, 2014Assignee: Outotec OyjInventor: Marko Palander
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Patent number: 8701768Abstract: Systems and methods for treating a subsurface formation are described herein. Some method include providing heat to a section of the formation from a plurality of heaters located in the formation, allowing the heat to transfer from the heaters to heat a portion of the section to a selected temperature to generate an in situ deasphalting fluid in the section, contacting at least a portion of the in situ deasphalting fluid with hydrocarbons in the section to remove at least some asphaltenes from the hydrocarbons in the section, and producing at least a portion of the deasphalted hydrocarbons from the formation. The in situ deasphalting fluid may include hydrocarbons having a boiling range distribution between 35° C. and 260° C. at 0.101 MPa. A majority of the hydrocarbons in the section may have a boiling point greater than 260° C. at 0.101 MPa.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 2011Date of Patent: April 22, 2014Assignee: Shell Oil CompanyInventors: Marian Marino, Gary Lee Beer, Richard Pollard, Augustinus Wilhelmus Maria Roes
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Patent number: 8682589Abstract: A system and method for supplying an additive into a well is disclosed that includes estimating injection rates for the additives and setting of one or more fluid flow control devices in the well based on a computer model. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2007Date of Patent: March 25, 2014Assignee: Baker Hughes IncorporatedInventors: Brian L. Thigpen, C. Mitch Means, Guy P. Vachon, Garabed Yeriazarian, Jaedong Lee, Chee M. Chok, Clark Sann, Xin Liu
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Patent number: 8646525Abstract: A system and method for optimizing sweep efficiency of an enhanced oil recovery process in a subterranean reservoir is disclosed. The system and method include computing a displacement coefficient representative of heterogeneity of an unswept region in the subterranean. A functional relationship between operating conditions of one or more well control devices and the displacement coefficient is determined. The sweep efficiency of the enhanced oil recovery process can be optimized by adjusting the well control devices such that the displacement coefficient is minimized. Streamline simulation can be utilized to compute the displacement coefficient from the flow capacity and storage capacity of the unswept region in the subterranean reservoir.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2010Date of Patent: February 11, 2014Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.Inventors: Omer Izgec, George Michael Shook
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Patent number: 8602099Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the production of mineral oil from mineral oil deposits with large temperature gradients, in which, for increasing the mineral oil yield, highly permeable regions of the mineral oil formation are blocked by injecting formulations which, after being forced into the deposit, form highly viscous gels under the influence of the deposit temperature. A plurality of portions of the formulation which in each case can form gels at different temperatures and therefore result in very complete blocking of highly permeable regions of the formation are used.Type: GrantFiled: October 20, 2010Date of Patent: December 10, 2013Assignees: Wintershall Holding GmbH, Institute of Petroleum Chemistry of the Siberian Branch of the Russian AcademyInventors: Vladimir Stehle, Konrad Siemer, Volker Riha, Dmitry Kuznetsov, Liubov Altunina, Vladimir A. Kuvshinov
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Publication number: 20130277049Abstract: The invention relates to the development of an analytical model to predict the velocity of the continuously expanding front of the steam chamber in a steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) hydrocarbon production system. The developed analytical model has advantages over reservoir simulation tool in that it is very fast and can be easily calibrated with field observation well data before making good prediction. One field study shows that the developed model can achieve excellent prediction for a field SAGD performance. A better understanding of the size of the steam chamber and the velocity of the front should provide better time, cost and energy efficiency for the production of high viscosity hydrocarbons.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 5, 2013Publication date: October 24, 2013Applicant: CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANYInventor: Yongnuan LIU
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Patent number: 8534358Abstract: A method is proposed for heating a hydrocarbons reservoir, comprising the provision of an installation comprising: a first wellbore equipped with an injection string fitted with an adjustable choke and an extraction string fitted with an adjustable choke, a set of sensors, intended to measure physical variables, an automatic device making it possible to control and monitor the operation of the installation; the circulation of steam from one string to the other; the control of the steam injection flow rate in function of a target value; the keeping of a set of physical variables within a predetermined range of values by continuous action of the automatic device on the choke of the injection string, and on the choke of the extraction string.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2009Date of Patent: September 17, 2013Assignee: Total S.A.Inventors: Pierre Lemetayer, Emmanuel Toguem Nguete, Bruno Marty
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Publication number: 20130153215Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide systems and methods for improving production of hydrocarbon resources. A method for improving recovery from a subsurface hydrocarbon reservoir includes drilling a well comprising a horizontal segment through a reservoir interval and installing a pipe string in the horizontal well segment, wherein the pipe string comprises a plurality of screen assemblies. Each of the plurality of screen assemblies is located and a hole is drilled in the pipe string at a portion of the plurality of screen assemblies. Each hole is drilled at a desired orientation to a radial axis of the drill string.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 2, 2012Publication date: June 20, 2013Inventors: George R. Scott, Russell M. Bacon
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Patent number: 8439111Abstract: Hydrocarbons are recovered from subterranean formations by waterflooding. The method comprises passing an aqueous displacement fluid via an injection well through a porous and permeable sandstone formation to release oil and recovering said released oil from a production well spaced from said injection well, wherein (a) the sandstone formation comprises at least one mineral having a negative zeta potential under the formation conditions; (b) oil and connate water are present in the pores of the formation; and (c) the fraction of the divalent cation content of the said aqueous displacement fluid to the divalent cation content of said connate water is less than 1.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2011Date of Patent: May 14, 2013Assignees: BP Exploration Operating Company Limited, BP Corporation North America Inc.Inventors: Ian Ralph Collins, Gary Russell Jerauld, Arnaud Lager, Patrick Lee McGuire, Kevin Webb
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Patent number: 8386226Abstract: Systems, methods, and instructions encoded in a computer-readable medium can perform operations related to stochastic simulation of subterranean fracture propagation. A plurality of subterranean formation models, each representing a subterranean formation, are analyzed to obtain information on predicted results of applying an injection treatment to the subterranean formation. Each of the analyzed subterranean formation models is generated by simulating forces acting on rock blocks of the subterranean formation during the injection treatment. Each simulation has an input parameter value determined for that simulation based on sampling a distribution of values for a characteristic of the subterranean formation. The characteristic may include, for example, a natural fracture parameter. The information on the predicted results of applying the injection treatment may include, for example, an output probability distribution.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 2009Date of Patent: February 26, 2013Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.Inventor: David P. Craig
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Patent number: 8335650Abstract: Example methods and apparatus to determine phase-change pressures are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes capturing a fluid in a chamber, pressurizing the fluid at a plurality of pressures, measuring a plurality of transmittances of a signal through the fluid at respective ones of the plurality of pressures, computing a first magnitude of a first subset of the plurality of transmittances, computing a second magnitude of a second subset of the plurality of transmittances, comparing the first and second magnitudes to determine a phase-change pressure for the fluid.Type: GrantFiled: October 20, 2009Date of Patent: December 18, 2012Assignee: Schlumberger Technology CorporationInventors: Kai Hsu, Kentaro Indo, Peter S. Hegeman, Carsten Sonne
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Patent number: 8307893Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method of hydrocarbon production from a hydrocarbon reservoir. The method includes providing a substantially horizontal wellbore having at least one productive interval within a hydrocarbon reservoir and forming at least one non-conductive transverse fracture in the reservoir along the substantially horizontal wellbore. An injection well is also provided. A fluid is injected into the reservoir through the injection well to displace hydrocarbons within the reservoir toward a production portion of the substantially horizontal wellbore. Fluid production from the at least one production interval into the substantially horizontal wellbore flows through an inflow control device that can restrict the fluid flow. A non-conductive transverse fracture can form a barrier within the reservoir to divert injected fluids to increase sweep efficiency and reduce the influx of injected fluids into the production interval.Type: GrantFiled: December 24, 2011Date of Patent: November 13, 2012Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.Inventors: Leopoldo Sierra, Loyd E. East, Jr., Mohamed Y. Soliman