Using tunnels for treating subsurface hydrocarbon containing formations

• US 8,162,405 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2009
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Original Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Inventors: Burns, David Booth, Hwang, Horng Jye (Jay), MacDonald, Duncan Charles, Prince-Wright, Robert George, Marwede, Jochen
• Primary Examiner(s): KRECK, JOHN J
• Application Number:
  US12/422,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20090272535A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 299/2
• US Class Current: 299/2
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 21/22 Compounds containing sulfur, selenium, or tellurium
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 21/28 Recovery of used solvent
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/207 Acid gases, e.g. H2S, COS, SO2, HCN
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/301 Boiling range
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/302 Viscosity
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/308 Gravity, density, e.g. API
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/4006 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/4012 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/42 Hydrogen of special source or of special composition
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/807 Steam
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/02 Gasoline
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/003 with cutting edges facing in opposite axial directions
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/08 Controlling or monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid, e.g. automatic filling of boreholes, automatic control of bottom pressure valve arrangements therefor E21B21/10
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 3/022 Top drives
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 36/001 Cooling arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 36/02 using burners
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 36/04 using electrical heaters
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 4/04 Electric drives E21B4/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/119 Details, e.g. for locating perforating place or direction
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/2401 by means of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/2403 : by means of nuclear energy
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/243 : Combustion in situ
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/281 : using heat
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/30 : Specific pattern of wells, e.g. optimising the spacing of wells
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/305 : comprising at least one inclined or horizontal well
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/022 : of the borehole, e.g. using geomagnetism
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/06 : Measuring temperature or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/068 : drilled by a down-hole drilling motor down-hole drives per se E21B4/00, E21B7/067 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/18 : Drilling by liquid or gas jets, with or without entrained pellets E21B7/14 takes precedence

Abstract

A system for treating a subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation includes one or more tunnels having an average diameter of at least 1 m. At least one tunnel is connected to the surface. Two or more wellbores extend from at least one of the tunnels into at least a portion of the subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation. At least two of the wellbores contain elongated heat sources configured to heat at least a portion of the subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation such that at least some hydrocarbons are mobilized.

Claims

1. A system for treating a subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation, comprising:

two or more tunnels having an average diameter of at least 1 m, at least one tunnel being connected to the surface; and

two or more wellbores extending between at least two of the tunnels, wherein at least some portions of the two or more wellbores are located in a portion of the subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation below the at least two tunnels, and wherein at least two of the wellbores contain elongated heat sources configured to heat at least a portion of the subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation such that at least some hydrocarbons are mobilized.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one shaft connecting at least one tunnel to the surface.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more shafts connecting at least one tunnel to the surface, wherein at least one of the shafts is substantially vertically oriented.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a production well located such that mobilized fluids from the formation drain into the production well.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one steam injection wellbore extending from at least one tunnel, the steam injection wellbore being connected to one or more sources of steam, and the steam injection wellbore being configured to provide steam to the subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the tunnels has an average diameter of at least 2 m.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shape of at least one tunnel is circular, oval, orthogonal, or irregular shaped.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the heat sources is an electric resistance heater, and a source of power is provided to the electric resistance heater from a conductor in at least one tunnel.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the heat sources is a gas burner, and the system comprises a conduit carrying fuel gas for the gas burner, wherein the conduit is in at least one tunnel.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least two of the heat sources are configured to allow electrical current flow between the heat sources to heat the formation.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the tunnels is substantially horizontal, and at least two of the wellbores extend at an angle from the substantially horizontal tunnel.

12. A method of treating a subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation, comprising:

providing heat to the subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation to mobilize at least some of the hydrocarbons in the formation, the heat being provided from two or more elongated heaters in two or more wellbores extending between at least two tunnels having an average diameter of at least 1 m, wherein at least some portions of the two or more wellbores are located in a portion of the subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation below the at least two tunnels, and wherein at least one tunnel is connected to the surface.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein heat from at least one of the elongated heaters is superpositioned with heat from at least one other elongated heater.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising producing at least some of the mobilized fluids from the formation.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising allowing formation fluids to drain to at least one of the tunnels, and producing fluids from the drainage tunnel to the surface of the formation.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing heat to the formation to pyrolyze at least some of the hydrocarbons in the formation.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing heat to the formation to pyrolyze at least some of the hydrocarbons in the formation, and producing at least some of the pyrolyzed hydrocarbons from the formation.