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Heater and method for recovering hydrocarbons from underground deposits

A heater and exothermic reaction technology, applied in the field of in-situ heating of oil shale to recover liquid shale oil, can solve problems such as hindering economic extraction of products and difficulties

Active Publication Date: 2014-04-16
AMERICAN SHALE OIL
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

The economic extraction of products derived from oil shale has been hindered in part by the difficulty of efficiently heating underground oil shale deposits

Method used

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  • Heater and method for recovering hydrocarbons from underground deposits
  • Heater and method for recovering hydrocarbons from underground deposits
  • Heater and method for recovering hydrocarbons from underground deposits

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Embodiment Construction

[0015] figure 1 is a front view of an oil shale rich field 100 in Colorado known as the Green River Formation. figure 1 is an exemplary, non-limiting illustration. Some of the layers shown in this elevation view include the sulfonic acid zone (Mahogany Zone) 102, nahcolite-rich oil shale caprock (Cap Rock Layer) 104, and illite-rich (Illite) Oil Shale Belt 106. The distances shown are approximate and give a rough indication of the geology of the formation. The water quality in the area above the sulfonic acid belt 102 is generally good. The salinity of the water increases with proximity to the nahcolite-rich oil shale rock caprock 104 . The illite-rich oil shale belt 106 has low permeability.

[0016] One example method of in situ extraction of kerogen includes heating the illite-rich oil shale belt 106 to pyrolysis temperatures. Heat may be provided by a heat source via heater well 108 . Fluid kerogen may be removed via production well 110 . In-situ extraction is furt...

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Abstract

Heater embodiments are presented to aid in the recovery of hydrocarbon from underground deposits. In one embodiment, a heater is provided to a well that has been drilled through an oil-shale deposit. A fuel and an oxidizer are provided to the heater and flue gases are recovered. The heater has a counterflow design and provides a nearly uniform temperature along the heater length. The heater may be designed to operate at different temperatures and depths to pyrolyze or otherwise heat underground hydrocarbon deposits to form a product that is easily recovered and which is useful without substantial further processing. Various embodiments of a counterflow heater are described including heaters having, down the heater length, distributed reaction zones, distributed catalytic oxidation of the fuel, and discrete or continuous heat generation. The heaters may also utilize inert gases from product recovery or from heater flue gases to control the heater temperature.

Description

[0001] Cross References to Related Applications [0002] This application claims the benefit of identically titled US Provisional Application Serial No. 61 / 112,088, filed November 6, 2008, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. technical field [0003] The present invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for facilitating the recovery of hydrocarbon products from subterranean mineral deposits, and more particularly to methods and systems for heating oil shale in situ to recover liquid shale oil. Background technique [0004] Numerous underground oil shale deposits have been discovered in the United States and around the world. In contrast to petroleum deposits, these oil shale deposits are characterized in that they are solid states in which the organic material is a polymer-like structure, often called "kerogen", which is intimately mixed with inorganic mineral components. It has been shown that heating oil shale deposits to...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Patents(China)
IPC IPC(8): E21B43/24
CPCE21B43/243
Inventor A·K·伯恩哈姆H·沃尔曼J·麦肯纳吉R·L·戴
Owner AMERICAN SHALE OIL