Enhanced Hydrocarbon Recovery By Vaporizing Solvents in Oil Sand Formations
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United States of America Patent
Stats
-
N/A
Issued Date -
N/A
app pub date -
Jan 23, 2007
filing date -
Feb 27, 2006
priority date (Note) -
Abandoned
status (Latency Note)
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Abstract
The present invention involves a method and apparatus for enhanced recovery of petroleum fluids from the subsurface by injecting a hydrocarbon solvent vapor in contact with the oil sand formation and the heavy oil and bitumen in situ. Multiple propped vertical hydraulic fractures are constructed from the well bore into the oil sand formation. The hydrocarbon solvent vapor and a non-condensing diluent gas are injected into the well bore, fill the hydraulic fractures, and thus contact and diffuse into the in situ bitumen. The hydrocarbon solvent vapors diffuse into the bitumen from the vertical faces of the propped fractures. The bitumen softens and flows by gravity to the well bore, exposing fresh surface of bitumen for the process to progressively soften and mobilizes the bitumen in a predominantly circumferentially, i.e. orthogonal to the propped fracture, diffusion direction at a nearly uniform rate into the oil sand deposit. The mobile oil may be deasphalted by the condensed solvent, leaving the heavy asphaltenes behind in the oil sand pore space with little loss of inherent fluid mobility in the processed oil sands. The processed product is produced with the dissolved solvent along with a tail diluent gas. The tail diluent gas is enriched with hydrocarbon solvent and re-injected into the process zone and the cycle repeated.
First Claim
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Family

- 15 United States
- 10 France
- 8 Japan
- 7 China
- 5 Korea
- 2 Other
Patent Owner(s)
Patent Owner | Address | |
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GEOSIERRA LLC | 3730 CHAMBLEE TUCKER RD ATLANTA GA 30341 |
International Classification(s)

- 2007 Application Filing Year
- E21B Class
- 1728 Applications Filed
- 1264 Patents Issued To-Date
- 73.15 % Issued To-Date
Inventor(s)
Inventor Name | Address | # of filed Patents | Total Citations |
---|---|---|---|
Hocking, Grant | Alpharetta, GA | 54 | 801 |
# of filed Patents : 54 Total Citations : 801 |
Cited Art Landscape
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Patent Citation Ranking
- 15 Citation Count
- E21B Class
- 46.13 % this patent is cited more than
- 18 Age
Forward Cite Landscape
- No Forward Cites to Display

Maintenance Fees
Fee | Large entity fee | small entity fee | micro entity fee | due date |
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Fee | Large entity fee | small entity fee | micro entity fee |
---|---|---|---|
Surcharge after expiration - Late payment is unavoidable | $700.00 | $350.00 | $175.00 |
Surcharge after expiration - Late payment is unintentional | $1,640.00 | $820.00 | $410.00 |
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