Heater connections in mines and tunnels for use in treating subsurface hydrocarbon containing formations

• US 8,177,305 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2009
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• 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), Marwede, Jochen, MacDonald, Duncan Charles, Prince-Wright, Robert George
• Primary Examiner(s): KRECK, JOHN J
• Application Number:
  US12/422,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20090272536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 299 2- 4
• 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 shafts. At least two substantially horizontal or inclined tunnels extend from one or more of the shafts. A plurality of heat sources are located in at least one heat source wellbore extending between at least two of the substantially horizontal tunnels. Electrical connections for the heat sources are located in at least one of the substantially horizontal tunnels.

Claims

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

one or more shafts;

at least two substantially horizontal or inclined tunnels extending from one or more of the shafts; and

a plurality of heat sources located in at least one heat source wellbore extending between at least two of the substantially horizontal tunnels, wherein at least some part of the at least one heat source wellbore is located in a portion of the subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation below the at least two substantially horizontal tunnels, wherein electrical connections for the heat sources are located in at least one of the at least two substantially horizontal tunnels, and wherein at least one of the heat sources is an electric resistance heater.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat sources comprise electrical heaters connected to a bus bar with the electrical connections.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat source wellbore is directionally drilled between at least two of the substantially horizontal tunnels.

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

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the shafts has an average diameter of at least 0.5 m.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the shafts is substantially vertically oriented.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the shafts extends between the surface of the formation and at least one of the tunnels.

4. A method for installing heaters in a subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation, comprising:

providing one or more shafts;

providing one or more substantially horizontal or inclined tunnels extending from at least one of the shafts;

providing at least one substantially horizontal heater wellbore extending from at least one of the tunnels;

interconnecting the substantially horizontal heater wellbore with at least one other of the tunnels;

providing one or more heaters into the heater wellbore; and

electrically connecting to at least one of the heaters in the tunnels.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising forming the heater wellbore by directionally drilling from one of the tunnels to at least one other tunnel.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising electrically connecting the heater to a transformer located in at least one of the tunnels.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising manually electrically connecting to the heater in at least one of the tunnels.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of the tunnels has an average diameter of at least 1 m.

13. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of the shafts has an average diameter of at least 0.5 m.

14. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of the shafts extends between the surface of the formation and at least one of the tunnels.

15. 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 one or more heat sources in one or more wellbores extending from one or more substantially horizontal or inclined tunnels, at least one of the tunnels extending from a shaft, wherein at least one of the heat sources is an electric resistance heater;

wherein at least one of the heat sources extends between at least two of the substantially horizontal or inclined tunnels, wherein at least some part of the at least one heat source is located in a portion of the subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation below the at least two substantially horizontal or inclined tunnels, and wherein electrical connections for the heat sources are located in at least one of the at least two substantially horizontal or inclined tunnels.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising producing at least some of the mobilized fluids from the formation.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing heat from at least one of the heat sources to at least a portion of the subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation to pyrolyze at least some hydrocarbons in the formation.