In situ processing of hydrocarbon-bearing formations with automatic impedance matching radio frequency dielectric heating

• US 7,109,457 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2005
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Quasar Energy, LLC
• Original Assignee: Dwight Eric Kinzer
• Inventors: Kinzer, Dwight Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): VAN, QUANG T
• Application Number:
  US11/290,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20060076347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 293 Days
• Field of Search: 219/770, 219/772, 219/778, 219/779, 219/780, 166/248, 166/53, 166/60, 166/263, 166/269, 166/272, 166/299, 166/398, 166/261, 166/267, 166/303, 166/306, 166/307, 166/308, 392301-303, 366/137
• US Class Current: 219/770
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/2401 by means of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2214/03 Heating of hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/50 for monitoring or control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/62 Apparatus for specific applications

Abstract

A hydrocarbon bearing formation (304) which is heated using a automatic impedance matching (181) capacitive radio frequency dielectric heating (334) in situ process. Hydrocarbons or other substances natural to a hydrocarbonaceous formation may be produced by heating specific chemical compositions with or without the use of a carrier medium (320) in a subterranean reservoir. Hydrocarbons or other substances natural to a hydrocarbonaceous formation are heated by maintaining specific chemical compositions in an alternating current electrical field generated by a radio frequency signal. As the targeted chemical compositions increase in temperature, maximum energy is delivered using automatic impedance matching to adjust the rate of the heating process.

Claims

1. A method for heating a hydrocarbon-bearing formation, comprising:

(a) subjecting said hydrocarbon-bearing formation to an alternating current field produced by applying a radio frequency waveform at a predetermined variable frequency with a signal generating unit, said signal generating unit having a generally constant output impedance;

(b) measuring an actual impedance of said hydrocarbon-bearing formation;

(c) determining an effective load impedance, said effective load impedance initially dependent upon said actual impedance of said hydrocarbon-bearing formation, said effective load impedance being determined by at least one of measuring a voltage and current of an applied radio frequency waveform and computing a phase angle difference, and measuring a forward power level of said radio frequency waveform applied to said hydrocarbonaceous matter and a reverse power level of said radio frequency waveform reflected from said hydrocarbon-bearing formation with circuitry of said signal generating unit;

(d) comparing said effective load impedance with said output impedance of said signal generating unit; and

(e) automatically matching said effective load impedance to said output impedance of said signal generating unit by at least one of adjusting the frequency at which said radio frequency waveform is applied and tuning a tunable impedance matching network such that said effective adjusted load impedance is approximately equal to said output impedance of signal generating unit.

2. A method for heating a hydrocarbon-bearing formation, comprising:

maintaining a hydrocarbonaceous matter in an alternating current electrical field generated by a radio frequency waveform at a frequency not greater than 300 mhz provided by a signal generating circuitry, said hydrocarbonaceous matter originating from said hydrocarbon-bearing formation and being contained in a subterranean reservoir; and

controllably heating said hydrocarbonaceous matter by automatically maintaining an impedance match between said hydrocarbonaceous matter and a signal generating circuitry, said signal generating circuitry providing said radio frequency waveform.

3. A method for heating a hydrocarbon-bearing formation, comprising:

maintaining at least one hydrocarbonaceous compound within a subterranean environment and in an alternating current electrical field, said electrical field provided by a radio frequency waveform, said hydrocarbonaceous compound originating from said hydrocarbon-bearing formation;

periodically sensing an impedance of said hydrocarbonaceous compound and undesired organic and inorganic compositions to produce a sensor output signal;

determining impedance mismatch based on a difference between a most recently sensed impedance and a known impedance, and generating a corresponding control signal output that corresponds to said difference with a computer; and

as said hydrocarbonaceous compound and undesired organic and inorganic compositions increase in temperature, adjusting said frequency of said radio frequency waveform by said control signal output of said computer such that said impedance matches said most recently sensed impedance.

4. A method of separating a hydrocarbonaceous matter from undesired matter commonly associated with a hydrocarbonaceous formation, comprising:

maintaining hydrocarbonaceous matter and undesired matter in an alternating current electrical field provided by a radio frequency waveform, said hydrocarbonaceous formation being exposed to a subterranean reservoir, said reservoir comprising a fluid carrier medium, said fluid carrier medium allowing passage of said radio frequency waveforms to penetrate and heat said hydrocarbonaceous formation;

periodically sensing an impedance of said hydrocarbonaceous matter and said fluid carrier medium to produce a sensor output signal;

determining an impedance mismatch based on a difference between a most recently sensed impedance and a known impedance, and generating a corresponding control signal output that corresponds to said difference with a computer; and

,

as said hydrocarbonaceous matter and said fluid carrier medium increase in temperature, adjusting said frequency of said radio frequency waveform by said control signal output of said computer such that said sensed impedance matches said most recently sensed impedance, such that said hydrocarbonaceous matter will rise in temperature and decrease in viscosity, and thus rise to the surface of said reservoir and dropping out said undesired matter to settle as sediment in said reservoir.