US3470955A - Low-degree api gravity crude oil recovery process by in situ combustion - Google Patents

Low-degree api gravity crude oil recovery process by in situ combustion Download PDF

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US3470955A
US3470955A US686330A US3470955DA US3470955A US 3470955 A US3470955 A US 3470955A US 686330 A US686330 A US 686330A US 3470955D A US3470955D A US 3470955DA US 3470955 A US3470955 A US 3470955A
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crude oil
api gravity
formation
low
degree api
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US686330A
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Fred H Poettmann
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Marathon Oil Co
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Marathon Oil Co
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    • 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
    • E21B43/20—Displacing by water
    • 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

  • Reservoirs containing a highly viscous, low-degree API gravity crude oil e.g. crude oil from the Belridge reservoir in California, require for in situ combustion as high as 25,000 to 30,000 standard cubic feet of air per barrel of crude oil recovered. This high fuel demand deposits about three pounds of coke per cubic foot of reservoir.
  • DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION Production from a subterranean formation containing a low-degree API gravity crude oil can be improved by depositing within the formation a relatively high-degree API gravity crude oil and then establishing combustion. Minimum fuel content necessary to sustain combustion should be deposited to facilitate movement of the lowdegree API crude oil toward a production means within the formation.
  • This amount of high-degree API gravity crude oil will depend upon the well spacing and volume of reservoir to be processed. Generally, from about 2% to about 10% volume of high-degree API gravity crude oil is required, these percents are based on the low-degree API gravity crude oil within the reservoir.
  • Example of such a reservoir is one containing from about 30% to about 70% oil saturation of the low-degree API gravity crude oil.
  • low-degree API gravity crude oil and highdegrce API gravity crude are relative, i.e. the high-degree API gravity crude should have a higher degree API gravity.
  • Low-degree API gravities within the range of from about 8 to about 20 are especially useful with this invention.
  • useful high-degree API gravity crudes include from about 25 to about Injection of the high-degree API gravity crude oil miscibly displaces the low-degree API gravity crude oil away from the well bore. During the displacement, the low-degree API gravity crude oil is removed from the sand grains. Thus, sand grains are cleaned of the lowdegree API gravity crude as the front of the high-degree API gravity crude oil progresses through the formation.
  • An adverse mobility ratio between the crudes can exist when the viscosity difference between the high-degree API gravity crude oil and the low-degree API gravity crude oil is large. Such adversity does not exist when the difference is relatively small. In any case, the adversity is not as great as when natural gas or LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) is used in an in situ process.
  • natural gas or LPG liquefied petroleum gas
  • a mobility buffer can be injected previous to the high-degree API gravity crude oil.
  • the mobility buffer can have a mobility between that of the crude oil within the formation and the high-degree API gravity crude oil to be injected.
  • it can have graded mobilities from a low at the low-degree API gravity crude oil to a high at the front portion of the high-degree API gravity crude oil.
  • 5% up to of the mobility buffer has mobilities graded with distance by a semi-logarithmic straightline function.
  • the mobility buffer can be any liquid which is moveable within the formation. It is preferred that it be compatible with both the lowand high-degree API gravity crude oils and that it not be substantially 100% Water.
  • Examples of mobility buffers are miscible solutions of alcohols, oilexternal emulsions and waterand oil-external micellar solutions.
  • the mobility buffer is an oil-external micellar solution. Examples of micellar solutions can be found in United States Patent No. 3,254,714 to Gogarty et al.; 3,275,075 to Gogarty et al.; 3,301,325 to Gogarty et al., and 3,330,343 to Tosch et al.
  • the mobility buffer can serve to change the wettability of the formation sand. That is from a low-degree API gravity crude oil wet sand to a high-degree API gravity wet sand. Purpose of the change in wettability is to coat the sands with a lower fuel content crude oil, thus reducing the potential coke depositing characteristics of the formation sandsdesirably to 0.5-1 pound of coke per cubic foot of reservoir. Micellar solutions are especially useful for changing the wettability.
  • combustion supporting material is deposited in the well bore and combustion is initiated. Thereafter, the combustion supporting material is continuously injected into the well bore to sustain combustion.
  • the combustion zone of the high-degree API gravity crude oil and combustion supporting material should be sufiicient to advance itself toward a production means Within the formation to facilitate the flow of low-degree API gravity crude oil towards a production well.
  • the combustion supporting material is an oxygen containing solid, liquid or gas (preferably air).
  • the material can be preheated before injection into the well bore.
  • the air can be preheated up to a temperature such that when it comes in contact with the high-degree API gravity crude oil deposited within the formation, combustion is effected.
  • the deposited oil in the formation can be ignited by any means known in the art.
  • a squib, incendiary shell, a gas heater, an electrical igniter, a chemical reaction can be used to obtain combustion temperature.
  • the oxygen-containing material can be heated to combustion supporting temperature and pumped down into the formation to ignite the deposited oilfor example, preheated air is sufiicient if upon contact with the crude oil in the formation the temperature of the mixture is around 500-700 F.
  • a process of recovering crude oil by in situ combustion from a subterranean formation containing a lowdegree API gravity crude oil comprising -(1) injecting from about 1% up to about 20% formation pore volume of a micellar solution into the formation,
  • the low-degree API gravity crude oil has a gravity of from about 8 to about 3.
  • the micellar solution is characterized as having a mobility between that of the low-degree API gravity crude oil and the high-degree API gravity crude oil.
  • micellar solution is characterized as having mobilities graded increasingly with distance from front to rear by a semi-logarithmic straightline function.
  • a process for recovering crude oil by in situ combustion from a subterranean formation containing a lowdegree API gravity crude oil comprising:
  • the mobility buffer has a mobility between that of the low-degree API gravity crude oil and that of the high-degree API gravity crude oil.
  • a process of recovering crude oil by in situ combustion from a subterranean formation containing a lowdegree API crude oil comprising,
  • micellar solution injecting from about 1% to about 20% formation pore volume of micellar solution into the formation
  • micellar solution is characterized as having a mobility between that of the low-degree API gravity crude oil and that of the high degree API gravity crude oil.

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  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Production Of Liquid Hydrocarbon Mixture For Refining Petroleum (AREA)

Description

United States Patent 3,470,955 LOW-DEGREE API GRAVITY CRUDE OIL RE- COVERY PROCESS BY IN SITU COMBUSTION Fred H. Poettmann, Littleton, Colo., assignor to Marathon Oil Company, Findlay, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio No Drawing. Filed Nov. 28, 1967, Ser. No. 686,330 Int. Cl. E21b 43/24 US. Cl. 166260 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Recovery of low-degree API graviy crude oil from a subterranean reservoir is facilitated by injecting into the formation a relatively high-degree API gravity crude oil and establishing and maintaining in situ combustion within the formation.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Recovery of crude oil from subterranean formations by in situ combustion has proved to be very feasible. Fuel requirements, air requirements, and character of the crude oil within the formation dictate the economical feasibility of such a process. United States Patent No. 2,889,881 to Trantham et a1. teaches an in situ combustion process to improve the recovery of a high-degree API gravity crude oil by depositing within the formation a relatively low-degree API gravity crude oil (capable of sustaining combustion) and establishing a combustion front within the formation.
Reservoirs containing a highly viscous, low-degree API gravity crude oil, e.g. crude oil from the Belridge reservoir in California, require for in situ combustion as high as 25,000 to 30,000 standard cubic feet of air per barrel of crude oil recovered. This high fuel demand deposits about three pounds of coke per cubic foot of reservoir.
Such an in situ process is economically marginal.
DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION Production from a subterranean formation containing a low-degree API gravity crude oil can be improved by depositing within the formation a relatively high-degree API gravity crude oil and then establishing combustion. Minimum fuel content necessary to sustain combustion should be deposited to facilitate movement of the lowdegree API crude oil toward a production means within the formation. This amount of high-degree API gravity crude oil will depend upon the well spacing and volume of reservoir to be processed. Generally, from about 2% to about 10% volume of high-degree API gravity crude oil is required, these percents are based on the low-degree API gravity crude oil within the reservoir. Example of such a reservoir is one containing from about 30% to about 70% oil saturation of the low-degree API gravity crude oil.
The terms low-degree API gravity crude oil and highdegrce API gravity crude are relative, i.e. the high-degree API gravity crude should have a higher degree API gravity. Low-degree API gravities within the range of from about 8 to about 20 are especially useful with this invention. Examples of useful high-degree API gravity crudes include from about 25 to about Injection of the high-degree API gravity crude oil miscibly displaces the low-degree API gravity crude oil away from the well bore. During the displacement, the low-degree API gravity crude oil is removed from the sand grains. Thus, sand grains are cleaned of the lowdegree API gravity crude as the front of the high-degree API gravity crude oil progresses through the formation.
ice
An adverse mobility ratio between the crudes can exist when the viscosity difference between the high-degree API gravity crude oil and the low-degree API gravity crude oil is large. Such adversity does not exist when the difference is relatively small. In any case, the adversity is not as great as when natural gas or LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) is used in an in situ process.
When the mobility ratio between the lowand highdegree API gravity crude oils is such to cause operational difliculties, from about 1% to about 20% and preferably 2% to about 10% formation pore volume of a mobility buffer can be injected previous to the high-degree API gravity crude oil. The mobility buffer can have a mobility between that of the crude oil within the formation and the high-degree API gravity crude oil to be injected. Preferably, it can have graded mobilities from a low at the low-degree API gravity crude oil to a high at the front portion of the high-degree API gravity crude oil. Preferably, 5% up to of the mobility buffer has mobilities graded with distance by a semi-logarithmic straightline function.
The mobility buffer can be any liquid which is moveable within the formation. It is preferred that it be compatible with both the lowand high-degree API gravity crude oils and that it not be substantially 100% Water. Examples of mobility buffers are miscible solutions of alcohols, oilexternal emulsions and waterand oil-external micellar solutions. Preferably, the mobility buffer is an oil-external micellar solution. Examples of micellar solutions can be found in United States Patent No. 3,254,714 to Gogarty et al.; 3,275,075 to Gogarty et al.; 3,301,325 to Gogarty et al., and 3,330,343 to Tosch et al.
The mobility buffer can serve to change the wettability of the formation sand. That is from a low-degree API gravity crude oil wet sand to a high-degree API gravity wet sand. Purpose of the change in wettability is to coat the sands with a lower fuel content crude oil, thus reducing the potential coke depositing characteristics of the formation sandsdesirably to 0.5-1 pound of coke per cubic foot of reservoir. Micellar solutions are especially useful for changing the wettability.
After the high-degree API gravity crude oil is deposited within the formation, a combustion supporting material is deposited in the well bore and combustion is initiated. Thereafter, the combustion supporting material is continuously injected into the well bore to sustain combustion. The combustion zone of the high-degree API gravity crude oil and combustion supporting material should be sufiicient to advance itself toward a production means Within the formation to facilitate the flow of low-degree API gravity crude oil towards a production well.
The combustion supporting material is an oxygen containing solid, liquid or gas (preferably air). Also, the material can be preheated before injection into the well bore. For example, the air can be preheated up to a temperature such that when it comes in contact with the high-degree API gravity crude oil deposited within the formation, combustion is effected.
The deposited oil in the formation can be ignited by any means known in the art. For example, a squib, incendiary shell, a gas heater, an electrical igniter, a chemical reaction can be used to obtain combustion temperature. Also, the oxygen-containing material can be heated to combustion supporting temperature and pumped down into the formation to ignite the deposited oilfor example, preheated air is sufiicient if upon contact with the crude oil in the formation the temperature of the mixture is around 500-700 F.
Equivalents obvious to those skilled in the art are considered to be incorporated within the scope of this invention.
What is claimed is:
1. A process of recovering crude oil by in situ combustion from a subterranean formation containing a lowdegree API gravity crude oil, comprising -(1) injecting from about 1% up to about 20% formation pore volume of a micellar solution into the formation,
(2) injecting from about 2% up to about of a relatively high-degree API gravity crude oil into the formation, the percents based on volume of lowdegree API gravity crude oil within the formation,
(3) injecting suflicient air to support combustion of the high-degree API crude oil, and
(4) establishing and maintaining a combustion front within the formation to facilitate movement of the low-degree API gravity crude oil toward a production well within the formation.
2. The process of claim 1 wherein the low-degree API gravity crude oil has a gravity of from about 8 to about 3. The process of claim 1 wherein the micellar solution is characterized as having a mobility between that of the low-degree API gravity crude oil and the high-degree API gravity crude oil.
4. The process of claim 3 wherein from about 5% up to about 100% of the micellar solution is characterized as having mobilities graded increasingly with distance from front to rear by a semi-logarithmic straightline function.
5. The process of claim 1 wherein the high-degree API gravity crude oil has a gravity from about to about 6. A process for recovering crude oil by in situ combustion from a subterranean formation containing a lowdegree API gravity crude oil, comprising:
(1) injecting a mobility buffer into the formation,
(2) injecting into the formation an amount of a relatively high-degree API gravity crude to supply sufficient heat to facilitate movement of the low-degree API gravity crude oil in the formation,
(3) injecting sufiicient oxygen-containing material to support combustion of the high-degree API gravity crude oil, and
(4) establishing and maintaining a combustion front in the formation to facilitate movement of the low degree API gravity crude oil toward a production well within the formation.
7. The process of claim 6 wherein the mobility buffer has a mobility between that of the low-degree API gravity crude oil and that of the high-degree API gravity crude oil.
8. The process of claim 6 wherein the mobility buffer is a micellar solution.
9. A process of recovering crude oil by in situ combustion from a subterranean formation containing a lowdegree API crude oil, comprising,
(1) injecting from about 1% to about 20% formation pore volume of micellar solution into the formation,
(2) injecting relatively high-degree API gravity crude oil into the formation to supply sufiicient heat to facilitate movement of low-degree API gravity crude oil within the formation,
(3) injecting sufiicient oxygen-containing material to support combustion of the high-degree API gravity crude oil, and
(4) establishing and maintaining a combustion front in the formation to facilitate movement of the low-degree API gravity crude oil toward a production well in the formation.
10. The process of claim 9 wherein the micellar solution is characterized as having a mobility between that of the low-degree API gravity crude oil and that of the high degree API gravity crude oil.
11. The process of claim 9 wherein from about 2% to about 10% of the relatively high-degree API gravity crude oil is injected into the formation, the percents based on volume of the low-degree API gravity crude oil within the formation.
12. The process of claim 9 wherein the low-degree API gravity crude oil has an average gravity of from about 8 to about 20.
References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,670,047 2/1954 Mayes et a]. 166-11 3.026937 3/1962 Simm 16611X 3,233,671 2/1966 Chatenever 166-11 3,263,750 8/1966 Hardy l66l1 STEPHEN J. NOVOSAD, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 166272
US686330A 1967-11-28 1967-11-28 Low-degree api gravity crude oil recovery process by in situ combustion Expired - Lifetime US3470955A (en)

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Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2670047A (en) * 1949-04-22 1954-02-23 Socony Vacuum Oil Co Inc Method of initiating subterranean combustion
US3026937A (en) * 1957-05-17 1962-03-27 California Research Corp Method of controlling an underground combustion zone
US3233671A (en) * 1962-12-18 1966-02-08 Sinclair Research Inc Recovery of heavy crude oils by in situ combustion
US3263750A (en) * 1963-05-23 1966-08-02 Sun Oil Co In situ combustion method for high viscosity petroleum deposits

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2670047A (en) * 1949-04-22 1954-02-23 Socony Vacuum Oil Co Inc Method of initiating subterranean combustion
US3026937A (en) * 1957-05-17 1962-03-27 California Research Corp Method of controlling an underground combustion zone
US3233671A (en) * 1962-12-18 1966-02-08 Sinclair Research Inc Recovery of heavy crude oils by in situ combustion
US3263750A (en) * 1963-05-23 1966-08-02 Sun Oil Co In situ combustion method for high viscosity petroleum deposits

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Owner name: MARATHON OIL COMPANY, AN OH CORP

Free format text: ASSIGNS THE ENTIRE INTEREST IN ALL PATENTS AS OF JULY 10,1982 EXCEPT PATENT NOS. 3,783,944 AND 4,260,291. ASSIGNOR ASSIGNS A FIFTY PERCENT INTEREST IN SAID TWO PATENTS AS OF JULY 10,1982;ASSIGNOR:MARATHON PETROLEUM COMPANY;REEL/FRAME:004172/0421

Effective date: 19830420