Methods and systems are provided for optimizing bitumen production from a plurality of wells employing steam-based recovery techniques such as SAGD, using hyperspectral imaging of produced emulsion samples to estimate total bitumen content at each well as a means of determining steam injection adjustment to enhance production.

A process for producing diluent for use in a hydrocarbon recovery process includes heating a dilbit feed stream comprising hydrocarbons produced from a hydrocarbon reservoir and an added diluent, to a temperature of 350° C. or less, fractionating the dilbit feed stream after heating to produce a light fraction and a heavy fraction, the light fraction comprising the diluent, additional light hydrocarbons, and sour water, separating the sour water from a remainder of the light fraction, and stabilizing the remainder of the light fraction to provide recovered diluent and cooling the recovered diluent. A volume of the recovered diluent is greater than a volume of the added diluent.

The invention relates to the field of oil production, in particular, to a method for extracting high-viscosity, heavy oil or bitumen. The equipment package includes a ground frequency generator combined with a power and control unit and 2 downhole instruments. One downhole device is an electrohydraulic downhole device with a plasma discharger (hereinafter referred to as DEHDPD) of directional action, designed to create microcracks in the oil reservoir. The second well device has a long length (up to 50 meters) and consists of alternately alternating microwave and acoustic emitters (hereinafter DDMWAE), which simultaneously or alternately affect the oil reservoir. Downhole devices are lowered into the well, their movement along the horizontal well and power supply to them is carried out using a umbilical cable. Oil production from the well is carried out using a pump fixed between the umbilical cable and the DDMWAE. The use of the invention makes it possible to increase the efficiency and environmental friendliness of extraction of high-viscosity, heavy oil or bitumen from a horizontal well due to the complex application of acoustic and electromagnetic wave technologies.

Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for increasing production performance in a Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage system. In one implementation, an upper mating unit of an inverted shroud assembly is received with a lower mating unit of the inverted should assembly in a slidable relationship. The upper mating unit is coupled to a pump-intake assembly. The lower mating unit is coupled to a motor-seal assembly. The slidable relationship secures the pump-intake assembly to the motor-seal assembly. A motor of the motor-seal assembly is directly cooled by opening the motor to a production well based on an exterior attachment of the motor-seal assembly relative to an inverted shroud.

Disclosed are methods for producing hydrocarbons from a subterranean reservoir. The methods comprise penetrating the subterranean reservoir with a plurality of well pairs that are laterally displaced across a well pad in an array. The methods further comprise operating the plurality of well pairs under a first set of conditions that induce a solvent-concentration gradient, a temperature gradient, or a combination thereof within the subterranean reservoir by: (i) injecting varying concentrations of steam, solvent, or combinations thereof across the array, and (ii) producing hydrocarbons from the reservoir via the plurality of well pairs. The methods further comprise operating the plurality of well pairs under a second set of conditions that delocalize the solvent-concentration gradient, the temperature gradient, or the combination thereof across the array to enhance hydrocarbon production.

A steam diverter apparatus for forming part of a downhole tubing string is provided. The apparatus may be used in a SAGD operation to control flow of steam into a formation. The apparatus includes a tubular housing defining steam-admitting ports, and containing a moveable shift sleeve. The apparatus is modifiable for use with position shifting tools of different outer diameters by interchanging first and second sets of the shift sleeve and insert rings having different minimum inner diameters within the housing. The open flow area of the apparatus is modifiable by plugs that block the ports and are removably attached to the housing. The plug, the shift sleeve, or both of them may be made of a dissolvable material, so that they can be dissolved by a chemical solution injected into the tubing string, for the purpose of controlling steam flow through the ports.

Methods and systems produce petroleum products by insulating a thermal hydrocarbon recovery process from heat loss to surrounding areas of a formation utilizing an insulating composition including a non-gaseous phase component introduced into the reservoir that is different from water and insoluble in the hydrocarbons. The insulating composition may be disposed in the reservoir adjacent to where the heat loss is desired to be limited. In addition, the insulating composition may be disposed in a thief zone and may also be from an agent activated to form the composition at such desired locations by selecting activation dependent on at least one of temperature, time delay and oil saturation.

The proposed method is an improved chemical flooding of an oil reservoir, especially one containing heavy oil or bitumen, that is cheaper than traditional chemical flooding techniques. This is obtained by viscosifying the displacing phase with a polyol, such as glycerol and/or its derivatives. Glycerol and its derivatives are an excellent additive because they are cheaper than the more commonly used chemicals, work only as a viscosifying agent, do not alter the reservoir properties, and have a wide range of viscosity facilitating the displacement of a wider range of heavy oils. This improved chemical flooding can be used with any other enhanced oil recovery technique, including thermal means, solvent assisted and polymer floodings.

A process includes injecting mobilizing fluid, including a solvent, through an injection well and into a hydrocarbon-bearing formation. Fluids are produced from the hydrocarbon-bearing formation to a surface through a well, and injection of the mobilizing fluid is discontinued. Gas flow to the surface from the well is inhibited by injecting a loss circulation material that inhibits solvent-vapor flow from exiting the formation through the well such that a fluid column that includes the well kill fluid, the loss circulation material, or a combination thereof is maintained within the well. The well is opened to perform work thereon After degradation of the loss circulation material, injecting the mobilizing fluid and producing the produced fluids is commenced.

A method for forming a sleeve for wrapping around and insulating a joint of a downhole tubing string is provided. The method includes the steps of providing a mold, applying insulation around the mold, winding an interfacing material around the insulation; and applying a polymer onto the interfacing material to bind to the interfacing material to form the sleeve.