Processing hydrocarbons with Debye frequencies

• US 20070108202A1
• Filed: 09/01/2006
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quasar Energy, LLC
• Original Assignee: Quasar Energy, LLC
• Inventors: Kinzer, Dwight
• Granted Patent: US 7,312,428 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/772
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/2401 by means of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2214/03 Heating of hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/50 for monitoring or control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/62 Apparatus for specific applications

Abstract

A medium (24 and 124) comprising fossil fuel hydrocarbons (304) are heated by maintaining at least a portion or area of the medium (334) in an alternating current electrical field (36 and 136) provided by a radio frequency signal at a radio frequency that matches a Debye resonance frequency or frequencies of one or more components of the medium (334). As the medium (334), or as at least one individual component of the medium (334) increases in temperature, the frequency of the radio frequency signal is automatically adjusted to track changes in the Debye resonance frequency, which shifts in frequency as the temperature rises. Portions, areas and/or individual chemical compositions of the medium (334) can be heated, by the use of grid electrodes (22, 22, 120, 124), at different rates to assure uniform temperature increases or to achieve a particular desired warming pattern.

Claims

1. A method for heating a medium, said medium comprising fossil fuel related hydrocarbonaceous material selected from the group consisting of oil shale, tar sand, oil sand, coal, bitumen, heavy oil, crude petroleum, petroleum distillates, and/or kerogen, comprising:

selecting an alternating current radio frequency signal frequency not greater than 300 MHz to correspond to at least one Debye resonance frequency for at least one chemical composition residing in said medium; and

maintaining said medium in an alternating current electrical field provided by a radio frequency signal at the selected frequency for a time sufficient to heat said chemical composition.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the said radio frequency signal frequency is about in the range of 1 Hz-300 MHz.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising varying the said alternating current field strength and resulting said current to regulate heating of said medium

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sensing the temperature of said medium;

determining a Debye resonance frequency which corresponds to the most recently sensed temperature of said medium; and

as said medium increases in temperature, adjusting said radio frequency to match the said Debye resonance frequency for the most recently sensed temperature.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising providing said radio frequency signal at multiple radio frequencies which respectively correspond to said Debye resonance frequencies of multiple components of said medium.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said medium being exposed to a fluid carrier medium, said fluid carrier medium allowing passage of said radio frequency waveforms to penetrate and heat said medium; and

the frequency of said radio frequency signal is selected not to be a said Debye resonance frequency of said carrier medium.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said medium being exposed to a fluid carrier medium, said fluid carrier medium allowing passage of said radio frequency waveforms to penetrate and heat said medium; and

the frequency of said radio frequency signal is selected to be a said Debye resonance frequency of a said carrier medium.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the said radio frequency signal is not limited to being a radio frequency signal but instead an electromagnetic signal not greater than 10 GHz.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said medium is located in a subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation.

10. The medium of claim 9 wherein a desired compound within said medium forms a recoverable layer within said subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation, and said recoverable layer can be extracted to surface of earth.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said medium undergoes pyrolysis

12. A method for heating a medium, said medium comprising fossil fuel related hydrocarbonaceous material selected from the group consisting of oil shale, tar sand, oil sand, coal, bitumen, heavy oil, crude petroleum, petroleum distillates, and/or kerogen, comprising:

maintaining said medium in an alternating electrical field provided by a radio frequency signal not greater than 300 MHz at a resonance frequency of said medium;

sensing the temperature of said medium to produce a sensor output signal; and

determining the resonance frequency which corresponds to the most recently sensed temperature by applying the sensor output signal to a computer which supplies resonance frequency vs. temperature information for said medium to produce a control signal output of the computer corresponding to the resonance frequency;

as said medium increases in temperature, adjusting the frequency of said radio frequency signal by the control signal output of the computer to match the resonance frequency for the most recently sensed temperature.

13. The method of claim 12 comprising providing said radio frequency signal at multiple radio frequencies which respectively correspond to Debye resonance frequencies of multiple components of said medium.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein:

said medium being exposed to a fluid carrier medium, said fluid carrier medium allowing passage of said radio frequency waveforms to penetrate and heat said medium; and

the frequency of said radio frequency signal is selected not to be a Debye resonance frequency of a said carrier medium.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein:

said medium being exposed to a fluid carrier medium, said fluid carrier medium allowing passage of said radio frequency waveforms to penetrate and heat said medium; and

the frequency of said radio frequency signal is selected to be a Debye resonance frequency of a said carrier medium.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the said radio frequency signal is not limited to being a radio frequency signal but instead an electromagnetic signal not greater than 10 GHz.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein said medium is located in a subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation.

18. The medium of claim 17 wherein a desired compound within said medium forms a recoverable layer within said reservoir, and said recoverable layer can be extracted from said subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation, and said recoverable layer can be extracted to surface of earth.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein said medium undergoes pyrolysis

20. A capacitive radio frequency dielectric heating apparatus for heating a medium, said medium comprising fossil fuel related hydrocarbonaceous material selected from the group consisting of oil shale, tar sand, oil sand, coal, bitumen, heavy oil, crude petroleum, petroleum distillates, and/or kerogen, said apparatus comprising:

a source of alternating current radio frequency signal at a radio frequency not greater than 300 MHz to correspond to a Debye resonance frequency for said medium,

said source of alternating current radio frequency signal being connected to a pair of electrodes located in proximity to said medium to cause said radio frequency signal to flow through a portion of said medium; and

a microprocessor, said microprocessor maintaining said alternating current electrical field provided by said radio frequency signal at said selected Debye resonance frequency for a period of time that is sufficient to heat at least a portion of said medium.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the said radio frequency signal frequency is in the range of 1 Hz-300 MHz.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 further comprising varying the said alternating current field strength and resulting said current to regulate heating of said portion of said medium.

23. The apparatus of claim 20 further comprising:

sensing the temperature of said portion of a medium;

determining a Debye resonance frequency which corresponds to the most recently sensed temperature of said portion of said medium; and

as said portion of said medium increases in temperature, adjusting said radio frequency to match the said Debye resonance frequency for the most recently sensed temperature.

24. The apparatus of claim 20 providing said radio frequency signal at multiple radio frequencies which respectively correspond to said Debye resonance frequencies of multiple chemical compositions of said portion of said medium.

25. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein:

said medium being exposed to a fluid carrier medium, said fluid carrier

medium allowing passage of said radio frequency waveforms to penetrate and heat said medium; and

the frequency of said radio frequency signal is selected not to be a said Debye resonance frequency of said carrier medium.

26. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein:

said medium being exposed to a fluid carrier medium, said fluid carrier medium allowing passage of said radio frequency waveforms to penetrate and heat said medium; and

the frequency of said radio frequency signal is selected to be a said Debye resonance frequency of a said carrier medium.

27. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the said radio frequency signal is not limited to being a radio frequency signal but instead an electromagnetic signal not greater than 10 GHz.

28. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said medium is located in a subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation.

29. The medium of claim 28 wherein a desired compound within said medium forms a recoverable layer within said reservoir, and said recoverable layer can be extracted from said subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation.

30. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said medium undergoes pyrolysis

31. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said electrodes are a frequency-emitting device.

32. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said electrodes comprise an antenna.

33. The antenna of claim 32 wherein said antenna is in a collinear array.

34. The antenna of claim 32 wherein said antenna is constructed of composite materials wherein one of the components of said composite material is selected from the group consisting of fiberglass, plastic, polyvinyl chloride, ceramics, Teflon, metal laminates, epoxy, fiber, clay-filled phenolics, and reinforced epoxy.

35. A means for heating at least one component of a medium using capacitive radio frequency dielectric heating, said medium comprising fossil fuel related hydrocarbonaceous material selected from the group consisting of oil shale, tar sand, oil sand, coal, bitumen, heavy oil, crude petroleum, petroleum distillates, and/or kerogen, said means comprising:

a source of alternating current radio frequency signal at a radio frequency not greater than 300 MHz to correspond to a Debye resonance frequency that is appropriate for said medium;

a pair of electrodes, said electrodes being located in proximity to said medium and connecting to said source of alternating current radio frequency signal, so that said radio frequency signal can flow through at least one component of said medium; and

a computer, said computer programmed to maintain said alternating current electrical field provided by said radio frequency signal to corresponding said Debye resonance frequency for a period of time sufficient to heat at least one said component of said medium.

36. The means of claim 35 wherein the said radio frequency signal frequency is in the range of 1 Hz-300 MHz.

37. The means of claim 35 further comprising varying the said alternating current field strength and resulting said current to regulate heating of said component of a said medium.

38. The means of claim 35 further comprising:

sensing the temperature of said component of said medium;

determining a Debye resonance frequency which corresponds to the most recently sensed temperature of said component of said medium; and

as said component of said medium increases in temperature, adjusting said radio frequency to match the said Debye resonance frequency for the most recently sensed temperature.

39. The means of claim 35 providing said radio frequency signal at multiple radio frequencies which respectively correspond to said Debye resonance frequencies of multiple chemical compositions of said component of said medium.

40. The means of claim 35 wherein:

said medium being exposed to a fluid carrier medium, said fluid carrier medium allowing passage of said radio frequency waveforms to penetrate and heat said hydrocarbon-bearing formation; and

the frequency of said radio frequency signal is selected not to be a said Debye resonance frequency of said carrier medium.

41. The means of claim 35 wherein:

said medium being exposed to a fluid carrier medium, said fluid carrier medium allowing passage of said radio frequency waveforms to penetrate and heat said medium; and

the frequency of said radio frequency signal is selected to be a said Debye resonance frequency of a said carrier medium.

42. The means of claim 35 wherein the said radio frequency signal is not limited to being a radio frequency signal but instead an electromagnetic signal not greater than 10 GHz.

43. The means of claim 35 wherein said medium is located in a subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation.

44. The medium of claim 43 wherein a desired compound within said medium forms a recoverable layer within said reservoir, and said recoverable layer can be extracted from said subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation.

45. The means of claim 35 wherein said medium undergoes pyrolysis