Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
  • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
  • E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
  • E21B43/30—Specific pattern of wells, e.g. optimising the spacing of wells
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
  • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
  • E21B17/00—Drilling rods or pipes; Flexible drill strings; Kellies; Drill collars; Sucker rods; Cables; Casings; Tubings
  • E21B17/18—Pipes provided with plural fluid passages
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
  • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
  • E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
  • E21B43/02—Subsoil filtering
  • E21B43/08—Screens or liners
  • E21B43/086—Screens with preformed openings, e.g. slotted liners
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
  • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
  • E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
  • E21B43/16—Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons
  • E21B43/24—Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons using heat, e.g. steam injection
  • E21B43/243—Combustion in situ

Definitions

• This invention relates to horizontal well liners, and more particularly to well liner segments which permit in situ upgrading of hydrocarbons during recovery from an underground reservoir, a method of manufacture of same, and to a process of in situ upgrading and recovery using such horizontal well segments .
• Oil upgrader catalyst such as a standard hydrotreating/HDS catalyst manufactured by Akzo Chemie Nederaland bv Amsterdam, and identified as Ketjenefine 1 TM 742-1 , 3AQ, has been used in prior art oilfield in situ hydrocarbon upgrading processes of the type described in U.S. Patent 6,412,557.
• U.S. Patent 6,412,557 describes a process for upgrading hydrocarbons within a petroleum reservoir by placing such a known hydrotreating catalyst around an exterior periphery of a centrally located perforated pipe situated in the horizontal leg of a horizontal well bore for upgrading and producing oil from a heavy oil
• a hole is drilled from the surface down to the target reservoir oil zone of the petroleum formation.
• the hole is curved so that it becomes horizontal when it arrives at the target reservoir oil zone.
• the horizontal section is typically created near the lowermost base portion of the target reservoir zone, and is extended laterally along
• the liner will have openings that are sized to allow reservoir fluids to enter the interior of the liner for flowing to the surface, but exclude the entry of sand that could plug the liner or cause operational difficulty with oil treating facilities at the surface.
• the openings in the liner can be narrow slits, in which case the pipe is called a 'slotted liner', or they may be narrow apertures between rows of wire that is wrapped around a pipe having relatively large holes, which are called 'wire-wrapped screens'. Both slotted liners and wire-wrapped screens are commonplace in the design of horizontal wells.
• the separation of the liner from the undisturbed reservoir is small, typically in the range of 1-2 inches based on a centralized liner. While the bore hole may be drilled larger by reaming operations to leave more space between the liner and the reservoir, this is an additional expense.
• the 1-2 inch annular interstitial space which exists between an un-reamed hole (typically approximately 12.25 inches in diameter) and the outside diameter of the centralized liner (typically of in the range of about 9.6 inches) is filled with catalyst of the type described above or a similar catalyst, by pumping such catalyst downhole into such interstitial space.
• the catalyst permits upgrading of the oil immediately prior to entering the perforated well liner so as to increase flowability of the produced oil within the horizontal well to more easily produce such oil to surface.
• the present invention relates to horizontal well liner designs which allow increased time or extent of exposure in which produced oil is exposed to upgrader catalyst during in situ hydrocarbon production, as well as improved methods for producing hydrocarbons using in situ hydrocarbon production methods, contemplating use of well liner segments containing catalyst to upgrade oil during production.
• a well liner segment for upgrading hydrocarbons during collection is provided , to better allow collection of hydrocarbons from an underground hydrocarbon reservoir.
• Such liner segment possesses first and second mutually opposite ends and is adapted to be coupled in a horizontal manner at both of said mutually opposite ends to other elongate well liner segments to form an elongate well liner.
• each well liner segment comprises:
• an elongate substantially hollow outer liner member having a longitudinal axis and possessing a plurality of apertures in at least an upper or lower portion of a periphery thereof, each of a size sufficient to allow flow therethrough of a flowable hydrocarbon;
• an elongate substantially hollow inner liner member concentrically disposed within an interior of said outer member along said longitudinal axis thereof so as to form an interstitial space between said inner member and said outer member, likewise having a plurality of apertures in an upper and/or lower portion of a periphery thereof to permit ingress of partially upgraded hydrocarbon from said interstitial space to within said inner member ; wherein the interstitial space is adapted to be filled with a catalyst to permit upgrading and improve flowability of said hydrocarbon when the hydrocarbon flows through said interstitial passage and thereafter into the inner liner member via said apertures therein .
• the well liner segment of the present invention is adapted to permit inward radial flow of the produced oil.
• the apertures in the outer and inner members are located so as to permit the oil to travel radially inwardly through apertures in the outer liner member into the interstitial space where such oil contacts the catalyst, and continue directly radially inwardly or alternatively circumferentially about the inner liner and thereafter radially inwardly through radially-aligned apertures in the inner liner and be collected in the inner liner, whereafter such upgraded oil may then be pumped or transferred in an appropriate manner to the surface (hereinafter the so-called "radial flow" configuration).
• apertures are situated in the outer liner relative to the inner liner to allow oil at one end of the outer well liner to flow into the interstitial space and thereafter cause such oil to flow laterally along such interstitial space to apertures in the inner liner member located proximate the opposite end of the well liner segment, before permitting the oil to drain or flow into the inner liner member, so as to thereby increase the time and amount of exposure of such oil to catalyst which is packed in such interstitial space (hereinafter the so-called "lateral flow” configuarion).
• the effect of the lateral flow is to greatly increase the residence time of the draining fluids over the catalyst.
• the residence time using a lateral flow design of the present invention will be more than ten times as for the radial flow case in the prior art for identical fluid volumetric flow rates having only a effective length of travel of oil through catalyst of only 1.075 inches. While it may seen desirable to make the slotted segments shorter, for longer residence times, this must be balanced with the expected reduction in volumetric fluid production rates since there are fewer slots open to the reservoir on the outer liner.
• the apertures in said outer member are situated proximate a first end of mutually opposite ends of the well liner segment, and the apertures in the inner member are situated proximate an opposite second end of the well liner segment .
• apertures respectively in the inner and outer liner members namely positioning the apertures in the outer member proximate said first end thereof, allows said hydrocarbon to enter the interstitial space and to thereafter travel longitudinally along the well liner segment and within said interstitial space towards said second end while simultaneously contacting said catalyst therein so as to be upgraded, and to thereafter pass into said inner member via apertures in said inner member proximate said second end so as to become collected in said inner member of said well liner segment.
• a configuration of apertures may be used which combines both a "lateral flow” configuration and a “radial flow” configuration.
• the outer liner is affixed to the inner liner, and at another end the outer liner is in a slidable relationship to the inner liner (as more fully described below in various contemplated configurations) so as to allow some longitudinal movement of the inner liner member relative to the outer liner member in order to prevent buckling or overstressing of either the outer or inner liner members due to differential thermal expansion of the inner liner relative to the outer liner, which may otherwise arise in in situ production methods where well liner segments of the present invention are used.
• the inner well liner is centrally located in the outer well liner by means of an annular ring at one end, welded to the exterior of the inner well liner and to the interior of the outer well liner.
• the inner liner is concentrically located within the outer liner by two concentric rings, a first ring welded to the interior of the outer liner, and a second ring mounted to the exterior of the inner liner, which concentric ring arrangement permits thermal growth expansion of the inner liner relative to the outer liner, should uneven heating of the inner and outer liner members occur during use.
• the annular ring , and the concentric rings both also serve to maintain catalyst within the interstitial area between the inner and outer liners.
• means for slidably coupling the inner liner member to the outer liner member at a corresponding end of each of the inner and outer liner member to prevent the inner liner member from being displaced from within the outer liner member, but simultanteously allowing some slidable longitudinal movement at one end of the inner liner relative to the outer liner.
• means slidably coupling said inner liner member to said outer liner member at one end is provided, which comprises a first ring member fixedly attached to said outer liner member, which further contacts said inner liner member in slidable engagement therewith so as to permit longitudinal slidable movement of said inner liner member relative to the outer liner member.
• the means coupling said inner liner member to said outer liner member comprises a first ring member fixedly attached to said inner liner member, which contacts said outer liner member in slidable engagement therewith so as to permit longitudinal slidable movement of said inner liner member relative to the outer liner member.
• the means coupling said inner liner member to said outer liner member comprises a first and second pair of ring members situated proximate one end of said well liner segment, said first ring member fixedly coupled to said inner liner member, said second ring member fixedly coupled to said outer liner member, wherein each of said first and second ring members co-operate in a mutual slidable engagement relationship so as to permit longitudinal movement of associated inner and outer liner members relative to each other.
• the invention comprises an improved in situ process for upgrading hydrocarbons when collecting said hydrocarbons from an underground hydrocarbon reservoir.
• Such improved in situ process of the present invention comprises the steps of:
• each of said well liner members comprising:
• the catalyst which is provided in the interstitial space is contemplated as comprising a hydrocarbon upgrading catalyst selected from the group of hydrocarbon upgrading catalysts comprising:
• the oil upgrader catalyst is a hydrodesulphurization catalyst, and in a further preferred embodiment is hydrotreating/HDS catalyst manufactured by Akzo Chemie Nederaland bv Amsterdam, and identified as Ketjenefine 2 TM 742-1 , 3AQ.
• a method of manufacture of a well liner segment having an outer liner and an inner liner located within said outer liner comprising the steps of :
• such method comprises the further additional step of :
• FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a catalytic petroleum upgrading system utilizing the well liner segments of the present invention employed in an in situ petroleum extraction application;
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the exterior of a well liner segment of the present invention
• FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view well taken along plane 'A'-'A' of FIG . 2, showing a first embodiment of the well liner of the present invention, namely a well liner segment of the so-called "radial flow" configuration;
• FIG. 4a is a cross-sectional view of the well liner segment shown in Fig. 2, taken along plane 'A'-'A' of Fig. 2;
• FIG. 4b is a cross-section of a well liner segment of the present imilar view to that shown in Fig. 4b, showing a modification to the alignment of apertures in each of the outer well liner and inner well liner, so as to provide more radial flow and exposure to catalyst in the interstitial area between the outer and inner well liner;
• FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a pair of fluidly coupled well liner segment s of shown in Fig. 3, showing the manner of interconnection of such pair of well liner segments together and showing the manner by which oil is directed through catalyst contained in an interstitial space for the so-called radial-flow configuration;
• Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the well liner of the present invention, namely a well liner segment of the so-called "lateral flow" configuration;
• Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a pair of fluidly coupled well liner segment of shown in Fig. 6, showing the manner of interconnection of such pair of well liner segments together and showing the manner by which oil is directed through catalyst contained in an interstitial space for the so-called lateral flow configuration;
• FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a well liner segment of the so-called
• FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a pair of fluidly coupled well liner segment s of shown in Fig. 8, showing the manner of interconnection of such pair of well liner segments together and showing the manner by which oil is directed through catalyst contained in an interstitial space for the so-called radial-flow configuration;
• FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a well liner segment of the so-called
• lateral -flow configuration wherein in the embodiment shown another means is provided at opposite ends of the interior well liner to allow direct fluid coupling of one interior well liner to another ;
• FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a pair of fluidly coupled well liner segment s of shown in FIG. 10, showing the manner of interconnection of such pair of well liner segments together and showing the manner by which oil is directed through catalyst contained in an interstitial space for the so-called lateral-flow configuration;
• FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a so-called "lateral-flow" well liner , but in comparison to the embodiment shown in Fig. 10 shows a variation in the manner by which the inner well liner may be concentrically located within the outer liner member by use of a seal ring, and
• FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a so-called "lateral-flow" well liner , but in comparison to the embodiment shown in Fig.'s 10 and 12 shows another variation in the manner by which the inner well liner may be concentrically located within the outer liner member by use of a seal ring.
• Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an in situ hydrocarbon recovery system 2, for improved recovery of hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon-bearing formation 1, utilizing a plurality of elongate well liner segments 10 of the present invention within the horizontal well bore 3 thereof .
• Such hydrocarbon recovery system 2 is adapted to direct hydrocarbons, particularly viscous oil 15 which, during the method of such hydrocarbon recovery system 2, drains out of hydrocarbon formation 1 , through a catalyst-packed interstitial space 12 within each well liner segment 10, for subsequent recovery to surface 13.
• a plurality of well liner segments 10 of the present invention are shown, each threadably coupled to an adjoining other well liner segments 10 so as to form a well liner 6 as shown in Fig. 1 for use in in situ hydrocarbon recovery methods.
• oil 15 which is heated by means of in situ combustion methods or alternatively steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) and which flows from such hydrocarbon-bearing formation 1 is upgraded during passage into the well liner segments 10 of the present invention, and is thereafter more easily flowed within the well liner 6 and thereafter produced to the surface 13 of the well.
• SAGD steam assisted gravity drainage
• the well liner segments 10 each comprise a slotted or wire-wrapped outer liner member 20 , typically of approximately 9.6 inches outer diameter.
• outer liner member 20 is in contact (particularly along the bottom portion of the exterior periphery thereof) with the inner diameter of an un- reamed horizontal well bore 3 as shown in Fig. 1 , the latter being typically of approximately 12.2 inches in diameter, so that an interstitial space 24 may be formed between outer well liner 20 and the horizontal well bore 3.
• a slotted or wire-wrapped inner liner member 22 is provided, concentrically located within outer liner member 20 to form the interstitial space 12, such inner liner member 22 having an inner volume/area 80 for collecting upgraded hydrocarbon and allowing it to be transferred to surface 13 by pumping or other transfer method.
• each of outer liner member 20 and inner liner member 22 of the well liner segment 10 are cylindrical elongate members, adapted to be inserted in a cylindrical horizontal well bore 3 as shown in Fig. 1.
• Interstitial space 12 formed between the inner diameter of the outer liner 20 and the outer diameter of the inner well liner member 22 is accordingly an annular interstitial space 12, as best shown in Fig.s 4a and 4b.
• Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a well liner segment 10 of the present invention, having at a first end 60a thereof having a male threaded portion 61 thereon (preferably a standard NPT pipe thread) for threaded coupling to an opposite end 60b of an adjoining well liner segment 10, such opposite end 60b having an internal female threaded portion 61 thereon as shown in
• outer member 20 is a rolled steel of approximately % inch in thickness, and approximately 10 inches in outside diameter.
• Apertures 31 in outer member 20 comprise a plurality of slots, each having a width less than the width of the granules of catalyst 40 to prevent egress of such catalyst 40 from the interstitial space 12, and sufficiently narrow in width to substantially prevent ingress of sand and other debris such as drill tailings into outer member 20 but of sufficient width to allow ingress of flowable hydrocarbons.
• the width of such apertures/slots 31 is in the range of .005 to 0.025 inches (0.128 to 0.625mm), and length is typically 6 to 8 inches with approximately 50 of such apertures/slots 31 evenly spaced about a periphery of outer member 20.
• other spacing and slot lengths may be used , all with a view of maximizing ingress of hydrocarbons and preventing, within reasonable limits, ingress of sand and other debris into outer member 20.
• apertures/slots 31 are evenly spaced about a periphery of outer member 22.
• apertures/slots 41 in interior member 22 are likewise equally spaced about an entire periphery thereof.
• Apertures/slots 41 are typically larger in width than apertures 31 , as there is no remaining need to attempt to "screen” sand from the viscous oil 15 entering interior member 22. Viscous oil 15 consequently flows directly radially inwardly through catalyst 40 in interstitial space 12 into interior area 80 in internal member 22 , as seen in Fig. 4a.
• apertures/slots 31 in outer member 20 may be situated only on an upper portion of outer member 20, and apertures/slot 41 in inner member 22 situated on a lower portion thereof.
• viscous oil 15 will necessarily be required to travel a circumferential distance within interstitial space 12, thereby providing greater exposure time to catalyst 40 within interstitial space 12, thereby improving upgrading of such viscous oil 15.
• Fig. 3 shows a cross-section through the well liner segment 10 of the present invention, taken along plane A-A of Fig. 2, showing a first embodiment of the well liner segment 10, namely a so-called "radial flow” configuration.
• Fig. 5 shows a plurality of such well liner segments 10 of the "radial flow” configuration, wherein outer members 20 are each threadably coupled together at opposite ends 60a, 60b to form horizontal well liner 6.
• outer members 20 are each threadably coupled together at opposite ends 60a, 60b to form horizontal well liner 6.
• viscous oil 15 within a hydrocarbon formation 1 flows radially inwardly through apertures/slots 31 in outer member 20, radially inwardly through catalyst 40 packed into interstitial space 12 where such viscous oil 15 is at least partially upgraded, and further progresses radially inwardly though apertures 41 in interior member 22 into interior area 80, whereafter such upgraded oil is transferred to surface 13 .
• the well liner segment 10 of the "radial-flow" configuration shown in Fig.s 3 & 5 is adapted to permit flow of oil 15 in a radial direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis 30 of such well liner 10, as shown from the direction of arrows in Fig. 3.
• apertures 31 are provided in an upper portion 25 of outer liner member 20, to allow oil 15 to flow into interstitial space 12.
• Interstitial space 12 is typically packed during manufacture of such well liner segment 10 with a hydrocarbon upgrader catalyst 40.
• a hydrocarbon upgrader catalyst 40 which is suitable for use in the present invention is standard hydrotreating/HDS catalyst manufactured by Akzo Chemie Nederaland bv Amsterdam, and identified as Ketjenefine 3 TM 742-1 , 3AQ.
• hydrocarbon upgrader catalyst 40 when positioned in such interstitial space 12 during manufacture of such well liner segment 10 is of a pelletized or granularized form, of a size nominally greater than the size of apertures 31 , to prevent loss of catalyst from interstitial space 12 via apertures 31.
• Fig. 6 shows an alternative configuration of the well liner segment 10 of the present invention, adapted to permit lateral flow of oil 15 within interstitial space 12 so as to increase the extent and duration which oil 15 contacts upgrader catalyst 40.
• Such alternative well liner segment configuration is hereinafter referred to as the "lateral flow” configuration.
• Fig. 7 shows a plurality of well liner segments 10 of the "lateral flow” configuration threadably coupled together at mutually opposite ends 60a, 60b, to form a well liner 6.
• viscous oil As best seen from arrows shown on Fig.'s 1 & 7, viscous oil
• interior members 20 may be concentrically located within, and affixed to, outer members 20 at one end 60b thereof via a conical ring member 68, which is affixed to each of outer and interior members 20, 22 via circumferential welds 72.
• conical ring member 68 serve to concentrically locate and affix interior member 22 to outer member 20 at one end thereof, such conical ring member 68 serves to retain catalyst 40 within interstitial space 12 .
• a sliding seal 52 is preferably provided at such opposite end 60a.
• the purpose of the sliding seal 52 is to allow for differential thermal growth between the inner member 22 and the outer member 20.
• This sliding seal 52 may be of a number of forms and configurations, as will necessarily now be apparent to a person of skill in the art.
• such sliding seal 52 comprises a first (outer) ring member 50 fixedly secured via circumferential welds 72 to outer member 20, and a second (inner) ring member 54 likewise secured via circumferential welds to inner member 22, which ring members 50, 54 together act to concentrically locate inner liner member 22 within outer member 20.
• the sliding seal 52 comprises merely a single (outer) ring member 50 fixedly secured to said outer member 20, as shown in Fig. 12, to allow not only longitudinal expansion of said inner liner member 22 to said outer liner member 20, but also provide some clearance 55 to permit some radial growth due to thermal expansion in a radial direction.
• the sliding seal 52 comprises merely a single (inner) ring member 54 fixedly secured to the inner liner member 22 via circumferential welds 72, to allow not only longitudinal expansion/contraction of said inner liner member 22 relative to said outer liner member 20, but also provide some radial clearance 55 to permit some radial growth.
• the sliding seal 52 not only concentrically locates inner liner member 22 within outer liner member 20, but also simultaneously allows slidable longitudinal movement of inner liner 22 relative to outer liner member 20 to accommodate differential thermal expansion of outer liner 20 to inner liner member 22 which occurs during methods which employ heat in the collection of oil from hydrocarbon reservoirs of the type contemplated herein, including use in in situ hydrocarbon extraction recovery methods.
• a conical ring member 68 may be affixed to each of outer and interior members 20, 22 via circumferential welds 72, to concentrically locate and affix interior member 22 to outer member 20 and to further retain catalyst 40 within interstitial space 12 .
• annular retainer member 59 may instead be provided on inner liner member 22, adapted to abut an annular shoulder 92 on outer liner member 20.
• a lock ring 57 may be further provided so as to secure and retain retainer member 59 and associated inner liner 22 within outer liner member 20. Lock ring 57 possesses external threads 69 to allow it to be
• lock ring 57 may be dispensed with, and inner liner member 22 secured within outer liner member 20 by one of the ends 60b thereof when another well liner segment 10 is threadably secured together, as shown in Fig. 11.
• use of such externally threaded lock ring 57 is preferred, as such is useful to prevent inadvertent removal of such inner liner member 22 from said outer liner member 20 during shipping or transport of individual well liner segments 10.
• each of mutually opposite ends 60a, 60b of outer well liner 20 possess male external threaded end 61 and female (internal) threaded end 62 respectively, to permit threadable connection of respective ends 60a and 60b of separate well liner segments 10 together, as shown in Fig. 3, 5, 7, 9, & 11 , so as to form a continuous well liner 6 in which to produce oil 15 to surface 13.
• each of mutually opposite ends 70a, 70b on each of inner liner member 22 may possess male and female unthreaded ends 71a, 71b, respectively, which may be insertable one within an other as shown in Fig. 9, to allow fluid coupling of inner liner members together at the time of threadable coupling together of mutually opposite ends 60a and 60b on each outer member 20.
• each of mutually opposite ends 70a, 70b on each inner liner member 22 may possess male 71a and female threaded ends 71b respectively, which permit threadable connection of mutually opposite ends 70a, 70b when mutually opposite ends 60a, 60 on each outer liner 20 are threadably connected.
• Such threaded opposite ends 60a, 60b and 70a, 70b are each typically a national pipe thread (NPT) configuration of the type commonly used for threaded pipe in the oil industry.
• NPT national pipe thread
• each well liner segment 10 will contain approximately 300 pounds of catalyst 40.
• At least one production well 100 is drilled, having a substantially horizontal leg 101 and a substantially vertical production well 102 connected thereto, using horizontal and/or directional drilling techniques which are widely known and used in the art of horizontal drilling.
• the substantially horizontal leg 101 has a heel portion 103 in the vicinity of its connection to the vertical production well 102 and a toe portion 104 at the opposite end of the horizontal leg 101 , said horizontal leg 101 of said production well 100 being situated in a lower part 105 of a hydrocarbon reservoir 1.
• An injection well 107 is provided, for injecting an oxidizing gas into an upper part of reservoir 1.
• a plurality of elongate well liner segments 10 are coupled together via coupling means comprising exterior male 61 threaded portions and female threaded portions on respect ends 60a, 60b of outer well liners 20, and inserted through horizontal well bore 3 so as to form a horizontal well liner 6 within said horizontal leg 101 , as shown in Fig.'s 3, 5, 7, and 9.
• Each of said well liner segments 10 comprise:
• oxidizing gas such as air or oxygen
• oxidizing gas is injected through the injection well 107 and enters the formation through perforations 108 in well 107.
• a source of ignition (not shown) is provided to cause in situ combustion. Alternatively, ignition may be spontaneous following heating of the oil near the injector well 107.
• combustion gases are produced which progressively advance as a combustion front 109, substantially perpendicular to the horizontal leg 101, in the direction from the toe portion 104 to the heel portion 105 of the horizontal leg 101, and fluids drain into the horizontal well liner 6 within said horizontal leg 101 and into said interstitial space 12 filled with catalyst 40 and to contact said catalyst 40 and thereby become upgraded.
• the upgraded and heated petroleum drain by gravity and pressure differential into the horizontal leg 101 , namely the interstitial space 12 where such oil 15 is upgraded by coming into contact with catalyst 40, and thereafter enters inner liner member 22, and in particular inner volume area 80 thereof, where such oil is thereafter pumped to surface 13 .
• a method for the manufacture of well liner segments 10 of the present invention is set out below.
• seal rings 50 and 54 are first circumferentially welded to outer and inner well liner members 20, 22 respectively.
• Inner well liner 22 is then inserted within outer well liner 20, typically each being aligned in a vertical position, so that seal rings 50, 54 are positioned as shown in the Figs. 3, 5,and 6-7.
• Temporary spacers means may be temporarily positioned about a periphery of inner member 22 at end 70b thereof so as to concentrically locate inner member 22 within outer member 20.
• Catalyst pellets 40 are then dropped into the interstial space12, so as to fill such space 12 with catalyst 40. Thereafter, the temporary spacers are removed, and conincal ring member 68 is inserted and circumferentially welded at locations 72 so as to retain inner member 22 concentrically within outer member 20 and retain catalyst 40 within interstitial space 12.
• seal rings 50 and 54 are first circumferentially welded to outer and inner well liner members 20, 22 respectively.
• Inner well liner 22 is then inserted within outer well liner 20, typically each being aligned in a vertical position, so that seal rings 50, 54 are positioned as shown in the Figs. 8-11.
• Locking ring 57 is then inserted as shown in Figs. 8-11 to secure inner member 22 to outer member 22 at such location.
• Catalyst pellets 40 are then dropped into the interstitial space 12 via aperture 99 in annular retainer ring 59, so as to fill such space 12 with catalyst 40. Aperture 99 may thereafter, if desired, be sealed by insertion of a plug (not shown) therein.

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