US1237139A

US1237139A - Method of and apparatus for extracting oil from subterranean strata

Info

Publication number: US1237139A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1917-08-14
Anticipated expiration: 1934-08-14

Description

G. R. YEOMANS.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING 0H. FROM SUBTERR ANEAN STRATA.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. L3. 19!?- 1 ,237, 1 39 Patented Aug. 14,1917.

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GUSTAVUS R. YEOMANS, OF MARIETTA, OHIO.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING OIL FROM SUBTERRANEAN STRATA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

Application filed January 13, 1917. Serial No. 142,173.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, GUSTAVUS R. YEo- 'MANS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Marietta, in the county of \Vashington and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Extracting ()il from Subterranean Strata, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for extracting oil from subterranean strata and it contemplates introducing hot water into the oil bearing strata at such pressure that the water will be forced through the strata and the heat thereof will release the oil so that under the influence of the pressure created by the water the released oil may be driven off through adjacent pumping wells all as fully hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic, vertical, sectional view illustrating one form of appa ratus used in the employment of the method, and

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating how the hot water supply wells are spaced at intervals among pumping wells.

It has long been known that the reason that oil wells cease to flow is not because the oil is exhausted but is because the pressure in the oil bearing strata has become reduced to such a degree that the pressure is no longer suflicient to force the oil to the surface. It has also long been recognized that the oil bearing strata lie between impervious strata and that it is possible to introduce fluid under pressure to the oil bearing strata to increase the pressure therein and to cause the oil to flow to the surface. It has also been known that it is possible to so increase the pressure throughout the strata that the pressure increasing medium may be introduced through one well and the oil driven out through distant wells.

In accomplishing the foregoing results it has heretofore been proposed to introduce air under pressure and various gases under pressure through what may be termed pressure supply wells but as this description proceeds it will be seen that the present invention contemplates the introduction of hot water to the oil bearing strata. Hot water possesses advantages over any of the mediums heretofore used for the reason that it is noncompressible and has considerable weight and body, by virtue of which characteristics a higher degree of pressure may be exerted through the fissures and seams of the strata than could be secured in the employment of a gas but at the same time this pressure exerting medium, viz., the hot water, will retain its heat through a considerable distance of flow. In this connection it is to be noted that I provide means for introducing steam into the hot water adjacent the bottom of the pressure well so that the water is heated to a very high temperature just at the m0- nient that it enters the oil bearing strata.

I am aware of the fact that it has heretofore been proposed to introduce steam and other heating mediums to oil wells but this has usually been done for the purpose of melting the paraffin at and adjacent the bot tom of the well and after the parafiin was melted the introduction of the melting medium ceased. Consequently the introduction of the aforesaid heating mediums was never continued under pressure to such an extent and in such volume as to cause said mediums to penetrate the oil bearing strata and materially raise the pressure therein.

Referring to the drawing 5 designates the casing of a pressure supply well, said casing being provided with a cap 6 from which a water pipe 7 depends. The water pipe 7- is continued at 8 through any suitable heating furnace, indicated conventionally at 9, and said water supply pipe is connected with a pump, the water end of which is indicated at 10. lVater is forced through the pipes 7 and 8 by the pump 10 and discharged at the bottom of the well formed by the casing 5. Some of the water is discharged through the lower end of pipe 7 and some of it is discharged through openings 11 formed in the lower end of the pipe 7. It is apparent that the structure so far described is sulficient to supply hot water to the oil bearing strata indicated at 12 but I prefer to employ an additional means for introducing steam to the water supply pipe for the purpose of maintaining as high a temperature as possible, of the water. 13 indicates a steam boiler from the dome 14 of which a steam pipe 15 leads to a fitting 16 constituting a part of the water supply line. This steam pipe is continued at 17 through the fitting and may terminate at any desired point within the pipe 7. In the present instance I have shown the steam pipe as being extended nearly to the bottom of pipe 7 so that the steam may be introduced into the water just as the water enters the oil bearing strata. The water and steam pipes are preferably provided with suitable shut-off valves 8 ad 15 respectively and also With suital'ile check valves 8" and 15 respectively.

The hot water passes from the pipe 7 into the oil bearing sand and as the pressure rises and the stratum becomes heated, the oil is released from the oil bearing sands and is driven or pumped out of adjacent pumping Wells indicated at 19 and which wells are of the usual and well-known type. By referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that I contemplate the employment of a number of pumping wells and also contemplate the employment of a number of pressure supply wells located at suitable intervals among the pumping wells the pumping wells being indicated by single circles and the pressure supply wells being indicated by double circles, in Fig. 2. By virtue of such arrange ment as this it will be apparent that the entire oil bearing stratum will, in the course of time, become heated, with the result that the oil will be much more readily released therefrom than when the stratum is cold.

However, in order to secure the most eflicient extraction of the oil from the earth, heat alone is not suflicient. This heat must be accompanied by pressure and the greater the pressure the more efficient the results. The Weight of the water alone in a thousand foot well would produce approximately five hundred pounds pressure 'at the bottom of the well. This added to the pressure that could be imparted to the Water by a large pump Would produce such a very high pressure in the oil bearing stratum as to force the hot water therethrough in such manner as to secure more ellicient results than would be possible than with a lighter and compressible medium such as air, for example. The water is maintained at as high a temperzu ture as possible short of converting it into steam. It will of course lose some of its heat as it passes into the stratum but it will be maintained at a temperature materially higher than the normal temperature of the stratum.

A further advantage arising from the employment of hot water is that this water simultaneously does two things. It heats the stratum and it reduces the availa le space in which the gas and oil may lie. In

other words, where the oil bearing sand lies between impervious strata. we find at the base of the oil bearing sands a body of wa- Above the water lies the oil and fi my:-

ter. the oil lies the gas and more oil b" sand. Now it is apparent that if the body of Water is increased so that its le el is raised, the level of the oil Will likewise be raised and the gas above the oil will be forced into a smaller space and consequently compressed. This increased pressure of the gas will likewise aid in increasing the [low at the pumping wells. It is possible that after pumping of hot water into the earth has been continued for some time the level of the water in the stratum may be raised to such an extent that the water may be pumped from some of the pumping wells, in which case this water may be reheated and used over and over again through one of the pressure supply Wells.

In some of the plants making casing head gasolene; that is, making gasolene from the as it comes from the wells. it has been endeavored to increase the flow by the introduction of compressed air to the subterranean strata. These plants have in many cases been rendered non-producing by the introduction of the air. The herein de scribed hot water process will produce more gas and richer gas and render these plants better paying than before since the hot water will release all the oil and gas and dri\ e it before it.

The heating element 9 has been shown as an ordinary furnace because it is apparent that any suitable fuel may be employed therein. However, I can to advantage use the waste gas from the wells as a source of fuel supply for this heating element. This process will require a great deal of hot water but water is n'iaterially cheaper than oil. A block of sand three hundred feet square and ten feet deep contains something over thirty-two thousand barrels of oil and it ill readily be apparent that practically all of this may be recovered by my process because the hot water does several llt-ings that other pressure creating mediunnwill not do.

First, it highly heats oil bearing sands o that the sand readily parts with its oil eontents.

Second, as the water level rises it bodily displaces the oil and causes the body of oil to rise.

Third, owing to the body of the water it carries its heat a longer way into the sand.

Fourth, owing to the weight of the water a very high degree of pressure may be secured that will open up fissures and seams that could not be opened up by other pressure mediums and Fifth, owing to the nen-eompressibility of the water the pump may be caused to art upon the sand with a percussive effect thereby further aiding in opening up new seams and fissures.

further advantage arising from the ear ployment of my method is that I am able in a large measure to trap within a cireunr scribed area all. of the oil contained l ltQi!'.. \Vhere gas or compressed air is utilized as a pressure medium and the pressure in the strata is reduced an individual may, at great expense, raise the pressure in the strata upon his own lease only to have persons upon all-- jacent leases profit by his work. By the use of my method I am able to control the introduction of the hot water in such manner as to maintain the strata heated over any desired area. lut by permitting the water to l!(-- come cold around the boundaries oi that area the oil around the boundaries become :noie or less viscous and o'ilcrs resistnee to the flow through the fissures ot the strata at such points, thereby trap iing, in large measure, the oil within the area that is liept heated.

Having described my invention what I claim is 1. The herein described method of trap ping the contents of an oil bearing stratum and extracting the oil therefrom which consists of sinking a plurality of pumping wells and a pluralty of pressure wells over the area in which the oil is to be trapped, introducing hot water under such pressure and in such quantities through some of the pressure wells as to cause the water to flow through the oil bearing stratum, removing the oil from the stratum through the pumping wells and permitting the water to cool around the boundaries of the area in which the oil is to be trapped.

2. The herein described method of eX- tracting oil from the earth which consists of employing a pumping well and a pressure well spaced from each other, pumping hot water into the oil bearing stratum through the pressure well under such pressure and in such quantities as to cause the water to flow through the oil bearing stratum and removing the oil from the st 'atum through the pumping well whereby the weight of the water increases the effective pressure thereof, the non-compres sibility of the water causing the strokes of the pump to eXert a percussive effect upon the stratum to open up fissures therein and the heat of the water aiding in releasing the oil from the fissures thus opened.

3. The herein described method of extracting oil from the earth which consists of employing a pumping well and a pressure well spaced from each other, pumping hot water into the oil bearing stratum through the pressure well under such pressure and in such quantities as to cause the water to How through the oil bearing stratum and removing the oil from the stratum through the pumping well whereby the weight of the water increases the effective pressure there of, the non-compressibility of the water causing the strokes of the pump to exert a percussive effect upon the stratum to open up fissures therein and the heat of the water aiding in releasing the oil from the fissures thus opened and the water being introduced in such quantities as to raise the water level in the stratum.

4. The herein described method of extracting oil from the earth which consists of introducing to the oil bearing strata hot water under such pressure and in such quantities as to cause the water to flow through the oil bearing strata and removing the oil from the strata at a point distant from the point of introduction thereof.

5. The herein described method of extracting oil from the earth which consists of introducing water at high temperature and pressure to the oil bearing stratum in such quantities as to raise the Water level therein, whereby certain of the contents of the oil bearing stratum are released by the heat and the pressure in the stratum is raised to aid in expelling such released contents of the stratum.

6. The herein described method which consists of introducing hot water through a pressure supply well to the oil bearing strata and withdrawing the oil through another well spaced from the first named Well, said water being introduced at such temperature and in such quantities as to materially heat the oil bearing sand and being introduced at such pressure as to cause it to flow through the fissures of the strata.

7. The herein described method which consists of introducing hot water through a pressure supply well to the oil bearing strata and withdrawing the oil through another well spaced from the first named well, said water being introduced at such temperature and in such quantities as to materially heat the oil bearing sand and being introduced at such pressure as to cause it to flow through the fissures of the strata and said water being introduced in such quantities as to raise the water level in the strata.

8. The herein described method which consists of introducing hot water to the oil bearing strata through a pressure supply well, reheating such water at the point of its entry into said strata, imparting such pressure to the water as to cause it to flow from said well through the fissures of the strata and withdrawing said oil through a well spaced from the first named Well.

9. Means for extracting oils from subterranean strata which consists of a pressure supply well, a water pipe leading to said. well, means for heating the water, means tor putting said water under pressure and a second well remote from the first named well through which the oil released from the oil bearing strata by the heat and pressure of said water is withdrawn and means for additionally heating the water after its entry into the first named well.

'10. Means tor extracting oils from subterranean strata which consists of a pressure supply well a water pipe leading to said well, means for heating the Water, means for putting said water under pressure and a second Well remote from the first named well through which the oil released from the oil bearing strata by the heat and pressure of said water is Withdrawn and means for conducting steam under pressure to the interior of the first named well for the purpose of additionally heating the water therein.

11. In apparatus of the character described, a pressure supply well, a water supply pipe connected therewith and extending downwardly therein at a point adjacent the bottom of said Well, a heating means for said water and means for putting said water under pressure and a steam supply pipe extending downwardly through the water supply pipe and terminating adjacent the lower end thereof.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

GUSTAVUS R. YEOMANS.

\Vitnesses L. G. MEREDITH, EMMA YEOMANS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.