Hydrocarbon production from mines and tunnels used in treating subsurface hydrocarbon containing formations

• US 8,562,078 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2009
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• 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:
  US12/626,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20100071904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 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 substantially horizontal or inclined tunnels extending from one or more shafts. A production system is located in at least one of the tunnels. The production system is configured to produce fluids from the formation that collect in the tunnel.

Claims

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

one or more substantially horizontal or inclined tunnels extending from one or more shafts;

a production wellbore extending between at least two of the tunnels, wherein at least a portion of the production wellbore is located horizontally in a hydrocarbon containing layer of the formation and below the at least two tunnels, and wherein the production wellbore comprises one or more openings that allow fluids from the formation to enter the production wellbore from the formation; and

a production system located in at least one of the tunnels, the production system being configured to produce fluids from the formation that collect in the production wellbore.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the production system includes a substantially vertical production wellbore coupled to the tunnel with the production system.

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

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the shaft has an average diameter of at least 0.5 m.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the shaft is substantially vertically oriented.

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

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one heat source located in a wellbore extending from at least one of the tunnels, wherein the heat source is configured to provide heat to the formation.

3. A method for treating a subsurface hydrocarbon containing formation, comprising:

providing heat to at least a portion of the formation using at least one heat source located in a wellbore extending between two of a plurality of substantially horizontal or inclined tunnels extending from at least one shaft, wherein at least a portion of the heat source wellbore is positioned substantially horizontally in the formation and below the two substantially horizontal or inclined tunnels;

mobilizing at least some hydrocarbons in the formation with the provided heat;

allowing mobilized formation fluids to drain to at least one of the plurality of substantially horizontal or inclined tunnels extending from the at least one shaft; and

producing mobilized fluids from the drainage tunnel to the surface of the formation.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the mobilized formation fluids comprise hydrocarbons.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one of the tunnels has an average diameter of at least 1 m.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein the shaft has an average diameter of at least 0.5 m.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein the shaft extends between the surface of the formation and at least one of the tunnels.

13. The method of claim 3, further comprising producing mobilized fluids from the drainage tunnel to the surface of the formation through a substantially vertical production wellbore coupled to the drainage tunnel.

14. The method of claim 3, 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.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising allowing pyrolyzed hydrocarbons to drain to at least one of the tunnels, and producing at least some of the pyrolyzed hydrocarbons from the tunnel to the surface of the formation.

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

one or more substantially horizontal or inclined tunnels extending from one or more shafts;

at least one heat source located in a wellbore extending between 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 two substantially horizontal or inclined tunnels; and

a production system located in at least one of the tunnels, the production system being configured to produce fluids from the formation that collect in the tunnel.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the production system includes a substantially vertical production wellbore coupled to the tunnel with the production system.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the heat source wellbore is positioned substantially horizontally in the formation.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the shaft extends between the surface of the formation and at least one of the tunnels.