Apparatus for in-situ extraction of bitumen or very heavy oil
First Claim
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1. An apparatus used for the “
- in situ”
extraction of bitumen or very heavy oil from an oil sand seam, where heat energy is applied to the seam to reduce the viscosity of the bitumen or the very heavy oil, comprising;
an electrical/electromagnetic heater including at least two conductors; and
an extraction pipe to carry away the liquefied bitumen or very heavy oil andat least two conductors,wherein at a predetermined depth of the seam, the at least two conductors extend linearly and are routed in parallel in a horizontal alignment,wherein a plurality of ends of the conductors are electrically-conductively connected within or outside the seam and together form a conductor loop,wherein the conductor loop realizes a predetermined complex resistance and is connected outside the reservoir to an external alternating current generator for electrical power andwherein an inductance of the conductor loop is compensated for section-by-section,wherein a section is a portion of the conductor loop andwherein the section-by-section compensation for a conductor inductance is undertaken by a series capacitance.
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Abstract
An apparatus for the in situ extraction of bitumen or very heavy oil from oil sand deposits, and applying heat energy to the deposit to reduce the viscosity of the bitumen is provided. A high-frequency generator feeds electric power to a linearly extended conductor loop at a predefined depth of an oil sand deposit, the inductance of the conductor loop is compensated in some sections or continuously. Advantageously, one of the conductors of the conductor loop may be disposed substantially in a vertical direction above the extraction pipe.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. An apparatus used for the “
- in situ”
extraction of bitumen or very heavy oil from an oil sand seam, where heat energy is applied to the seam to reduce the viscosity of the bitumen or the very heavy oil, comprising;an electrical/electromagnetic heater including at least two conductors; and an extraction pipe to carry away the liquefied bitumen or very heavy oil and at least two conductors, wherein at a predetermined depth of the seam, the at least two conductors extend linearly and are routed in parallel in a horizontal alignment, wherein a plurality of ends of the conductors are electrically-conductively connected within or outside the seam and together form a conductor loop, wherein the conductor loop realizes a predetermined complex resistance and is connected outside the reservoir to an external alternating current generator for electrical power and wherein an inductance of the conductor loop is compensated for section-by-section, wherein a section is a portion of the conductor loop and wherein the section-by-section compensation for a conductor inductance is undertaken by a series capacitance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
- in situ”
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7. An apparatus used for the “
- in situ”
extraction of bitumen or very heavy oil from an oil sand seam, where heat energy is applied to the seam to reduce the viscosity of the bitumen or the very heavy oil, comprising;an electrical/electromagnetic heater including at least two conductors; and an extraction pipe to carry away the liquefied bitumen or very heavy oil; and at least two conductors, wherein at a predetermined depth of the seam, the at least two conductors extend linearly and are routed in parallel in a horizontal alignment, wherein a plurality of ends of the conductors are electrically-conductively connected within or outside the seam and together form a conductor loop, wherein the conductor loop realizes a predetermined complex resistance and is connected outside the reservoir to an external alternating current generator for electrical power, and wherein an inductance of the conductor loop is compensated for section-by-section, and wherein a section is a portion of the conductor loop, wherein the at least two conductors are embodied as tubes, and wherein for the at least two conductors a plurality of capacitors are present for the outward and return conductor respectively. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
- in situ”
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16. An apparatus used for the “
- in situ”
extraction of bitumen or very heavy oil from an oil sand seam, where heat energy is applied to the seam to reduce the viscosity of the bitumen or the very heavy oil, comprising;an electrical/electromagnetic heater including at least two conductors, and an extraction pipe to carry away the liquefied bitumen or very heavy oil; and at least two conductors, wherein at a predetermined depth of the seam, the at least two conductors extend linearly and are routed in parallel in a horizontal alignment, wherein a plurality of ends of the conductors are electrically-conductively connected within or outside the seam and together form a conductor loop, wherein the conductor loop realizes a predetermined complex resistance and is connected outside the reservoir to an external alternating current generator for electrical power, wherein an inductance of the conductor loop is compensated for section-by-section, and wherein a section is a portion of the conductor loop, and wherein the tuned conductor loop is operated by an HF power generator at a resonant frequency, wherein an output frequency of the HF power generator is tuned to the resonant frequency of the compensated conductor loop. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
- in situ”
Specification