Patent application number | Description | Published |
20140060825 | DIRECT STEAM GENERATION CO2 OUTPUT CONTROL - Methods and systems generate steam and carbon dioxide mixtures suitable for injection to assist in recovering hydrocarbons from oil sands based on concentration of the carbon dioxide in the mixtures as influenced by temperature of water introduced into a direct steam generator. Increasing temperature of the water to above 200° C. before introduction into the direct steam generator may utilize heat from an electrical power generation unit. Enthalpy of this preheated water impacts amount of fuel needed to burn in the direct steam generator and hence the concentration of the carbon dioxide, which may be below 11% by mass percent of the steam. | 03-06-2014 |
20140231081 | HYBRID STEAM GENERATION WITH CARBON DIOXIDE RECYCLE - Systems and methods relate to recovering hydrocarbons by injecting into a reservoir outputs from two different types of steam generators along with carbon dioxide. Synergistic results enable lower fuel consumption for such a hybrid based approach versus either type of steam generator alone. One steam generator vaporizes water by thermal transfer from combustion with exhaust from the combustion remaining separated from the steam. Since this type of steam generator outputs a limited carbon dioxide concentration with the steam, at least part of the carbon dioxide injected comes from recycling the carbon dioxide separated out of production fluids recovered from the reservoir. Another steam generator produces the steam by direct water contact with combustion products to produce a resulting fluid including the steam and additional carbon dioxide. | 08-21-2014 |
20140373538 | OXY-BOILER WITH STEAM ASSISTED PRODUCTION - Methods and systems relate to an oxy-boiler used to generate steam injected into a well for assisting recovery of hydrocarbons. Operating conditions of a burner for the oxy-boiler limits oxygen contamination in a resulting flue gas for carbon dioxide recovery and limits size of the oxy-boiler, which may thus be located proximate the well rather at a central processing facility. In contrast to a direct steam generation approach where resulting carbon dioxide is mixed with steam, the oxy-boiler also enables selection of a desired level of carbon dioxide injection, which may be provided with the flue gas that may be exhausted from the oxy-boiler at an injection pressure. | 12-25-2014 |
20150034322 | STEAM GENERATION WITH CARBON DIOXIDE RECYCLE - Systems and methods relate to recovering hydrocarbons by injecting into a reservoir steam along with carbon dioxide recovered from flue gases produced while generating the steam and from separation of produced fluids. Due to benefits from the carbon dioxide injection, carbon dioxide capture rates from the flue gases selected below fifty percent in such combined recovery of the carbon dioxide enables lower fuel consumption even given that additional fuel is needed for the carbon dioxide capture versus steam only operations. As the capture rates from the flue gases increase above fifty percent like when employed for sequestration purposes, such approaches use more fuel than the steam only operations and may not be cost efficient. A carbon dioxide recovery unit coupled to an air-fired boiler or an auxiliary oxy-fired boiler may supply the carbon dioxide recovered from the flue gases. | 02-05-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100206565 | STEAM ASSISTED OIL RECOVERY AND CARBON DIOXIDE CAPTURE - Methods and systems relate to generating a flow of steam and splitting the flow of steam to enable both its injection into a formation to assist in oil recovery and its introduction into a pathway where the steam is used for generating electricity and capturing carbon dioxide (CO | 08-19-2010 |
20100230097 | HYDROCARBON PRODUCTION PROCESS - Methods and apparatus relate to producing hydrocarbons. Injecting a fluid mixture of steam and carbon dioxide into a hydrocarbon bearing formation facilitates recovery of the hydrocarbons. Further, limiting amounts of non-condensable gases in the mixture may promote dissolving of the carbon dioxide into the hydrocarbons upon contact of the mixture with the hydrocarbons. | 09-16-2010 |
20110120717 | GENERATION OF FLUID FOR HYDROCARBON RECOVERY - Methods and apparatus relate to recovering petroleum products from underground reservoirs. The recovering of the petroleum products relies on introduction of heat and solvent into the reservoirs. Supplying water and then solvent for hydrocarbons in direct contact with combustion of fuel and oxidant generates a stream suitable for injection into the reservoir in order to achieve such thermal and solvent based recovery. | 05-26-2011 |
20110259586 | WATER TREATMENT USING A DIRECT STEAM GENERATOR - The present method produces treated water from a direct steam generator. The method begins by injecting water into a direct steam generator. The injected water is then vaporized with the direct steam generator to produce steam and an effluent stream. The combustible water impurities in the water are then combusted inside a chamber in the direct steam generator and the solid particles are removed from the effluent stream to produce a treated stream. | 10-27-2011 |
20120073810 | SITU HYDROCARBON UPGRADING WITH FLUID GENERATED TO PROVIDE STEAM AND HYDROGEN - Methods and apparatus relate to recovery of in situ upgraded hydrocarbons by injecting steam and hydrogen into a reservoir containing the hydrocarbons. A mixture output generated as water is vaporized by direct contact with flow from fuel-rich combustion provides the steam and hydrogen. The steam heats the hydrocarbons facilitating flow of the hydrocarbons and reaction of the hydrogen with the hydrocarbons to enable hydroprocessing prior to recovery of the hydrocarbons to surface. | 03-29-2012 |
20120227964 | CARBON DIOXIDE GAS MIXTURE PROCESSING WITH STEAM ASSISTED OIL RECOVERY - Methods and apparatus relate to processing flue gas from oxy-fuel combustion. Steam generated without contact of the steam with the flue gas combines with the flue gas for injection into a formation to facilitate oil recovery from the formation. Fluids produced include the oil and carbon dioxide with a lower concentration of oxygen than present in the flue gas that is injected. | 09-13-2012 |
20130062065 | INDIRECT DOWNHOLE STEAM GENERATOR WITH CARBON DIOXIDE CAPTURE - Methods and systems for enhancing recovery of hydrocarbons below a permafrost layer are provided which use a downhole combustion device to inject a heated fluid into a subterranean formation to enhance hydrocarbon recovery through viscosity reduction. The system is configured to avoid adversely thermally affecting the permafrost, which is highly undesirable. One or more heat exchangers may be used in conjunction with the combustion device to enhance heat transfer of various streams. The heat exchanger(s) mitigate the adverse effects of various streams on the permafrost by lowering the return stream temperatures, which are transported through the wellbore. A carbon dioxide capture system may be provided to recover carbon dioxide from the combustion device exhaust. Certain optional embodiments allow the amount of carbon dioxide introduced into the formation to be independently controlled to further enhance the hydrocarbon recovery. | 03-14-2013 |
20130068458 | HEAT RECOVERY METHOD FOR WELLPAD SAGD STEAM GENERATION - The invention provides a method of recovering heat from hot produced fluids at SAGD facilities that utilize wellpad steam generation such as Direct Steam Generators (DSG). | 03-21-2013 |