Moving hydrocarbons through portions of tar sands formations with a fluid

• US 7,717,171 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2007
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Original Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Inventors: Jaiswal, Namit, Karanikas, John Michael, Mo, Weijian, Vinegar, Harold J., Stegemeier, George Leo, Mudunuri, Ramesh Raju
• Primary Examiner(s): SUCHFIELD, GEORGE A
• Application Number:
  US11/975,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20090014180A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 166/256, 166/261, 166/272.1, 166/272.3, 166/272.6, 166/302
• US Class Current: 166/261
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/02 by distillation
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/4037 In-situ processes
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 36/04 using electrical heaters
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/243 Combustion in situ
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/30 Specific pattern of wells, e.g. optimising the spacing of wells
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/0228 using electromagnetic energy or detectors therefor

Abstract

A method for treating a tar sands formation is disclosed. The method includes heating a first portion of a hydrocarbon layer in the formation from one or more heaters located in the first portion. The heat is controlled to increase a fluid injectivity of the first portion. A drive fluid and/or an oxidizing fluid is injected and/or created in the first portion to cause at least some hydrocarbons to move from a second portion of the hydrocarbon layer to a third portion of the hydrocarbon layer. The second portion is between the first portion and the third portion. The first, second, and third portions are horizontally displaced from each other. The third portion is heated from one or more heaters located in the third portion. Hydrocarbons are produced from the third portion of the formation. The hydrocarbons include at least some hydrocarbons from the second portion of the formation.

Claims

1. A method for treating a tar sands formation, comprising:

heating a first portion of a hydrocarbon layer in the formation from a first set of heaters located in the first portion;

controlling the heating to increase a fluid injectivity of the first portion;

injecting and/or creating a drive fluid and/or an oxidizing fluid in the first portion to cause at least some hydrocarbons to move from a second portion of the hydrocarbon layer to a third portion of the hydrocarbon layer, the second portion being between the first portion and the third portion, and at least two of the first, second, and third portions being at least partially horizontally displaced from each other;

heating the third portion from a second set of heaters located in the third portion; and

producing hydrocarbons from the third portion of the formation, the hydrocarbons including at least some hydrocarbons from the second portion of the formation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the drive fluid and/or the oxidizing fluid is selected from the group consisting of:

steam, water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, pyrolyzed hydrocarbons, air, and mixtures thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing heat to the second portion that is less than the heat provided to the first portion and less than the heat provided to the third portion.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing heat to the second portion such that an average temperature of the second portion is at most about 100°

C.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing heat to the third portion such that an average temperature of the third portion is at least about 270°

C.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing heat to the first portion to produce coke in the first portion.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing the oxidizing fluid to oxidize at least some hydrocarbons and/or coke in the first portion and increase the temperature in the first portion, and removing the oxidation products from the first portion.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing the oxidizing fluid to oxidize at least some hydrocarbons and/or coke in the first portion and increase the temperature in the first portion and, then, adding steam to the first portion to heat the steam and drive fluids to the second and third portions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the formation has a horizontal permeability that is higher than a vertical permeability such that the moving hydrocarbons move substantially horizontally through the formation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second portion has a larger volume than the first portion and/or the third portion.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing heat to the third portion such that at least some hydrocarbons from the second portion are pyrolyzed in the third portion.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing at least some hydrocarbons to move from the first portion to the third portion.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion has a substantially uniform porosity and/or a substantially uniform injectivity after heating.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the first set of heaters in the first portion are turned down and/or off after increasing the fluid injectivity in the first portion.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion has little or no initial injectivity.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling the temperature and the pressure in the first portion and/or the third portion such that (a) at least a majority of the hydrocarbons in the first portion and/or the third portion are visbroken, (b) the pressure is below the fracture pressure of the first portion and/or the third portion, and (c) at least some hydrocarbons in the first portion and/or the third portion form a fluid comprising visbroken hydrocarbons that can be produced through a production well.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising mobilizing at least some hydrocarbons in the second portion using heat provided from a third set of heaters located in the second portion, heat transferred from the first portion, and/or heat transferred from the third portion.

18. A method for treating a tar sands formation, comprising:

heating a first portion of a hydrocarbon layer in the formation from one or more heaters located in the first portion;

controlling the heating to increase a fluid injectivity of the first portion;

injecting and/or creating a drive fluid and/or an oxidizing fluid in the first portion to cause at least some hydrocarbons to move from a second portion of the hydrocarbon layer to a third portion of the hydrocarbon layer, the second portion being between the first portion and the third portion, and at least two of the first, second, and third portions being at least partially horizontally displaced from each other;

providing heat to the second portion that is less than the heat provided to the first portion;

heating the third portion from one or more heaters located in the third portion; and

producing hydrocarbons from the third portion of the formation, the hydrocarbons including at least some hydrocarbons from the second portion of the formation.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the drive fluid and/or the oxidizing fluid is selected from the group consisting of:

steam, water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, pyrolyzed hydrocarbons, air, and mixtures thereof.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising heating the second portion to an average temperature that is at most about 100°

C.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising heating the third portion to an average temperature that is at least about 270°

C.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing heat to the first portion to produce coke in the first portion.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing heat to the third portion such that at least some hydrocarbons from the second portion are pyrolyzed in the third portion.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising mobilizing at least some hydrocarbons in the second portion using heat provided from heaters located in the second portion, heat transferred from the first portion, and/or heat transferred from the third portion.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the heat provided to the second portion is less than the heat provided to the third portion.