A steam operated flow control device and method is disclosed. In one mode, the flow control device enables steam to be injected into a subterranean formation region containing hydrocarbons. In another mode, the flow control device enables the hydrocarbons to be produced from the subterranean formation to the surface. The flow control device includes a piston disposed between a housing and a mandrel having aligned ports, which slides between a first position where one set of ports align with the ports in the housing and the mandrel and a second position where another set of smaller ports align with the ports in the housing and mandrel. The piston is operated by a bellows having a chamber which contains a fluid. The fluid responds to temperature and/or pressure variations.

A nozzle for mitigating against solvent flashing in a solvent-assisted hydrocarbon extraction process comprises a fluid passage extending between an inlet and an outlet, wherein the fluid passage comprises a converging region, a throat, and a diverging region, and wherein at least the converging region is provided with a gradually reducing internal diameter. Preferably, the angle of convergence of the converging region is equal to or less than about 5 degrees.

A nozzle for mitigating against solvent flashing in a solvent-assisted hydrocarbon extraction process comprises a fluid passage extending between an inlet and an outlet, wherein the fluid passage comprises a converging region, a throat, and a diverging region, and wherein at least the converging region is provided with a gradually reducing internal diameter. Preferably, the angle of convergence of the converging region is equal to or less than about 5 degrees.

A method for selective solution mining mineral recovery may include heating a wellfield injection brine to a temperature from about 100° C. to about 250° C.; injecting the heated wellfield injection brine into an underground wellfield to dissolve soluble minerals therein, creating a hot brine solution; removing the hot brine solution from the underground wellfield; and recovering the soluble minerals from the hot brine solution by cooling the hot brine solution to a temperature of from about −10° C. to about 5° C. and causing the soluble minerals to precipitate recovered minerals in a solid form.

A method for selective solution mining mineral recovery may include heating a wellfield injection brine to a temperature from about 100° C. to about 250° C.; injecting the heated wellfield injection brine into an underground wellfield to dissolve soluble minerals therein, creating a hot brine solution; removing the hot brine solution from the underground wellfield; and recovering the soluble minerals from the hot brine solution by cooling the hot brine solution to a temperature of from about −10° C. to about 5° C. and causing the soluble minerals to precipitate recovered minerals in a solid form.

Processes are provided for conformance control in the production of hydrocarbons from reservoirs, involving the distribution of mobilizing injection fluids into a formation through a number of injection fluid distribution points spaced apart along an injection well. The volume and/or position of mobilizing fluid outflows at the distribution points is adjusted based on criteria that include selected reservoir parameters measured at spatially distributed measurement points in the reservoir. An operational system is provided so that these measurements provide a proxy for recovery chamber conformance.

Processes are provided for conformance control in the production of hydrocarbons from reservoirs, involving the distribution of mobilizing injection fluids into a formation through a number of injection fluid distribution points spaced apart along an injection well. The volume and/or position of mobilizing fluid outflows at the distribution points is adjusted based on criteria that include selected reservoir parameters measured at spatially distributed measurement points in the reservoir. An operational system is provided so that these measurements provide a proxy for recovery chamber conformance.

The present disclosure belongs to the technical field of clean and efficient mining of deep unconventional or conventional resources, and discloses a pilot-scale supercritical water oxidation oil and hydrogen production system capable of realizing long-distance multi-stage heating of organic rock. The system comprises a supercritical water generator, a supercritical water pyrolysis reaction system for organic rock, an oxygen injection system and an oil-gas condensation and collection system, wherein the supercritical water generator mainly comprises a water injection system, a front-section preheating reaction system, a second-stage heating system and a third-stage heating system. The reaction system can carry out a pilot-scale simulation process of supercritical water pyrolysis for organic rock, a multi-stage heating function is realized, the maximum reaction distance is 8 m or more, and the release characteristics of oil-gas products under different reaction distances are explained. Meanwhile, the parameters of high-temperature residual carbon oxygenation hydrogen production are obtained, and the supercritical water oxidation oil and hydrogen production process of long-distance multi-stage heating of organic rock is completely simulated.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a method and method for recovery of solution mined minerals. The method may include creating superheated steam using a steam boiler; passing the superheated steam through a turbine/generator to generate electricity; reheating the steam exiting the turbine/generator to saturation with a steam reheater; using the saturated steam with an absorption chiller to create chilled water; and recovering minerals using the chilled water in a cooling crystallizer system. In embodiments, the method and system may be used to recover minerals, such as potash (KCl), washing soda (Na.sub.2CO.sub.3.10H.sub.2O); nahcolite (NaHCO.sub.3); and glauber salt (NaSO.sub.4.10H.sub.2O). The method may utilize the trigeneration of steam, electrical, and chilled water utilities, which may be used for a recovery process.

The disclosure provides a method and apparatus for predicting an optimal exploitation approach for shale oil in-situ conversion. The method includes: determining a lower limit temperature required for completely converting convertible organic matter in a shale to be measured into oil and gas, based on a pre-established relationship between the temperature rise rate and the lower limit temperature; determining an optimal well distance of heating wells, based on a thermal field parameter of a target reservoir of interest, an optimal heating time corresponding to the lower limit temperature, and a pre-established relationship between an optimal well distance of heating wells and the optimal heating time; determining an oil yield equivalent based on a temperature and an oil yield equivalent of the shale; determining an optimal well pattern; the lower limit temperature, the optimal well distance of heating wells, the oil yield equivalent and the optimal well pattern are optimal parameters.