Artificial aquifers in hydrologic cells for primary and enhanced oil recoveries, for exploitation of heavy oil, tar sands and gas hydrates

摘要

Artificial aquifers for hydrologic cells are used to recover hydrocarbons from carbonaceous formations. Artificial aquifers of a hydrologic cell for primary or enhanced oil recovery are constructed through the use of a conventional hydrofrac technique to make a pair of vertical extensional fractures across two parallel horizontal boreholes. Hydrocarbons move under a pressure gradient from a source aquifer to a sink aquifer. In another arrangement, artificial aquifers for exploitation of tar sands and gas hydrates are constructed through the removal of hydrocarbons which plug the pore space of the host rock. Hydrocarbons are induced to move vertically across a very large cross-sectional area from a source aquifer to a sink aquifer.