Single well subsurface electrification process

• US 3,211,220 A
• Filed: 04/17/1961
• Issued: 10/12/1965
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1961
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Erich Sarapuu
• Original Assignee: Erich Sarapuu
• Inventors: ERICH SARAPUU
• Application Number:
  US04/103,429
• Time in Patent Office: 1,639 Days
• US Class Current: 166/248
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/2401 by means of electricity

Claims

1. A PROCESS OF AIDING PRODUCTIN OF OIL FROM A SUBSURFACE OIL HORIZON COMPRISING THE STEPS OF DRILLING A WELLBORE INTO AN OIL HORIZON IN AN EARTH FORMATION, ESTABLISHING AN ELECTRODE IN SAID OIL HORIZON IN ELECTRICAL CURRENT CONDUCTING CONTACT WITH SAID WELLBORE WALL, ESTABLISHING AT LEAST ONE OTHER SECOND ELECTRODE IN SAID EARTH FORMATION IN HIGH ELECTRICAL CURRENT CONDUCTING SURFACE GROUND CONTACT THEREWITH OUTSIDE OF, ABOVE AND LATERALLY DISPLACED FROM SAID FIRST WELLBORE, CONNECTING A HIGH ENERGY SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL CURRENT TO SAID ELECTRODES, FLOWING A SUFFICIENT QUANTITY OF ELECTRICAL CURRENT BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODES IN SAID EARTH FORMATION AS TO CREATE AND ESTABLISH A ZONE OF INCREASED FLUID FLOW PERMEABILITY IN SAID OIL HORIZON EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AND LATERALLY FROM SAID FIRST ELECTRODE TOWARD SAID LATERAL POSITION OF SAID SECOND ELECTRODE, SAID SECOND ELECTRODE OF SUCH PHYSICAL SIZE AND CHARACTERISTICS AND SO INSERTED IN SAID SURFACE GROUND RELATIONSHIP IN SAID EARTH FORMATION AS NOT TO SUBSTANTIALLY HEAT THE EARTH FORMATION RECEIVING SAME AT THE CURRENT DENSITIES APPLIED, THEN CEASING SAID CURRENT FLOW, THEN FURTHER LATERALLY DISPLACING SAID SECOND ELECTRODE AWAY FROM SAID ELECTRODE ALONG THE LINE OF SAID FLUID FLOW PERMEABILITY INCREASE, THEN AGAIN ESTABLISHING SAID SECOND ELECTRODE AS A SURFACE GROUND AND, FOLLOWING THE LATTER, FLOWING A SECOND SUFFICIENT QUANTITY OF HIGH ENERGY ELECTRICAL CURRENT BETWEEN THE SAID ELECTRODES IN SAID EARTH FORMATION WHEREBY TO ESTABLISH A FURTHER LATERALLY EXTENDING SECOND ZONE OF INCREASED FLUID FLOW PERMEABILITY IN SAID HORIZON EXTENDING TOWARD THE LATERAL POSITION OF SAID SECOND ELECTRODE, THE SECOND ELECTRODE IN ITS SECOND POSITION IN SUCH PHYSICAL AND ELECTRICAL CONDUCTING CHARACTER AND SO POSITIONED IN SAID EATH FORMATION AS A SURFACE GROUND AS TO NOT SUBSTANTIALLY HEAT THE EARTH FORMATION RECEIVING SAMD AS TO RAISE THE RESISTANCE THEREAT AT THE CURRENT DENSITIES APPLIED.