Brian E Reynolds

US Patent:

41777522, Dec 11, 1979

Filed:

Aug 24, 1978

Appl. No.:

5/936438

Inventors:

Alfred Brown - Houston TX
Brian L. Reynolds - Cookeville TN
Wilbur L. Hall - Bellaire TX

Assignee:

Texaco Inc. - White Plains NY

International Classification:

E21B 4324

US Classification:

166263

Abstract:

The vertical conformance of a steam drive process is improved and steam override reduced by penetrating the zone between one injector and one producer, with an infill well which is in fluid communication with the bottom half of the formation, and producing petroleum from the infill well after steam channeling has occurred at the production well. After the water cut of the fluids being produced from the infill well reaches 95 percent, the infill well is converted from a producer to an injector and hot water is injected into the lower portion of the formation via the infill well and fluids are produced from the production well. By this means, oil is recovered from the lower portions of the formation adjacent the production well. After water breakthrough occurs at the production well, steam is injected into the infill well and fluids are recovered from the production well. By this multi-step process involving the infill well, the amount of oil recovered from the portion of the formation in the recovery zone defined by the injection and production well is increased significantly.