Among 974 patent applications relating to the production of unconventional oil, registered in patent offices around the world in 2018, and selected for examination in this overview, several documents stand out for having distinctive characteristics and deserve special attention. It is obvious that the evaluation of technical essence of an invention is extremely challenging and will be highly subjective. Therefore, the evaluative reference points in this overview were chosen conventionally: bibliographical rating of patent documents as defined at www.aenert.com, inventions combining achievements from different areas of knowledge and proposing solutions at the junction of different technologies, new applications not being part of a previously formed patent system, groups of patent documents joined by their intention to resolve the most important problems in the development of unconventional oil production.
A set of patent applications from those having the highest bibliographical rating (17-18) in the present selection is dedicated to the improvement of characteristics of gas turbine unit operation, exhaust gas from which is used to stimulate heavy oil production. Among others, they include:
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A GAS TURBINE ENGINE / A: US20180003083A1 / IPC: F01D25/30, F02C3/34, F02C9/28, F02C6/00, F02C6/18 / Huntington Richard A, Dhanuka Sulabh K / General Electric Company, ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company / Appl. date: 30.08.2017; Publ. date: 04.01.2018
用于在具有排气再循环的燃气涡轮系统中的氧化剂通道的系统和方法 (System and method for an oxidant passageway in a gas turbine system with exhaust gas recirculation) / A: CN107850307A / IPC: F23R3/04, F23R3/06 / Allen Jonathan Kay, Trout Jesse Edwin, Slobodyanskiy Ilya Aleksandrovich, Borchert Bradford David, Kazakis Michael V, Sidko Igor Petrovich / Exxonmobil Upstream Res Co / Appl. date: 12.01.2016; Publ. date: 27.03.2018
响应于电网过频率事件用于化学计量的排气再循环燃气涡轮的系统和方法 (Systems and methods to respond to grid over frequency events for a stoichiometric exhaust recirculation gas turbine) / A: CN108141166A / IPC: H02P9/04, F01D15/10, F02C9/38 / THATCHER JONATHAN CARL, SLOBODYANSKIY ILYA ALEKSANDROVICH, VOREL AARON LAVENE / EXXONMOBIL UPSTREAM RES CO / Appl. date: 30.12.2015; Publ. date: 08.06.2018
估计具有排气再循环的燃气涡轮的燃烧当量比的系统和方法 (Systems and methods of estimating a combustion equivalence ratio in a gas turbine with exhaust gas recirculation) / A: CN107864660A / IPC: F02C9/40, F02C3/34 / VOREL AARON LAVENE, THATCHER JONATHAN CARL / EXXONMOBIL UPSTREAM RES CO / Appl. date: 30.12.2015; Publ. date: 30.03.2018
These applications are aimed at solving the problems of ensuring environmental balance and ecological protection (Environmental balance and protection) and technologically related to the operations of thermal stimulation in hydrocarbon production (Steam injection or Gas injection). Also, each of these applications complements previously developed patent families. For instance, patent application US20180003083A1 can be assigned to a group of patent documents previously published in the USA, Japan and China, as well as in WIPO (WO2015084747). The application discloses a method of combusting oxidant and fuel in a gas turbine engine with the production of exhaust gas, including partial processing of the exhaust gas in a catalyst layer, and control of combustion temperature parameters in different areas of gas flow and its composition. The document also discloses a system configuration capable of ensuring the supply of a portion of the exhaust gas to a hydrocarbon extraction system, while its second portion is directed toward a power recovery expander.
In a patent application by Suncor Energy Inc
Enhanced techniques for dewatering thick fine tailings with flocculant dosing on clay basis / A: AU2017272207A1 / IPC: C10G1/04 / REVINGTON Adrian, SANCHEZ Ana, BUGG Trevor, OMOTOSO Oladipo / Suncor Energy Inc / Appl. date: 06.12.2017; Publ. date: 04.01.2018
a method is disclosed for the processing of tailings after the production of oil-bearing sands by the means of specialized chemical agents – flocculants. The application is the extension of a group of documents previously published in Canada, the USA, and Australia. The proposed technical solution is aimed at the problems related to the groups "Energy, gas or water consumption" and "Low efficiency of secondary processing", as well as to the technological process of Waste processing.
Patent application by Baker Hughes Inс.
METHODS OF EXTRACTING HYDROCARBONS FROM SUBTERRANEAN FORMATIONS / A: US20180044580A1 / IPC: C09K8/80, C09K8/58, C09K8/68, C09K8/524 / MAZYAR OLEG A, KHABASHESKU VALERY N, KUZNETSOV OLEKSANDR V, JOHNSON MICHAEL H / BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC / Appl. date: 24.10.2017; Publ. date: 15.02.2018
published in the patent office of the USA is the extension of a series of similar applications and proposes a technical solution aimed, among other things, at maintaining the required permeability of the underground formation by injecting a specialized siliceous solution preventing the formation of stable chemical compositions capable of reducing the permeability of the system.
Patent application disclosing technical solutions at the junction of different technologies generally have several sections of the International patent classification. Patent application by the group of companies CENOVUS
PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING STEAM FROM PRODUCED WATER / A: CA2972383A1 / IPC: B01D21/01, C02F1/24, C02F1/463, C02F9/02, E21B43/24, E21B43/40, F22B37/48, C02F1/40, C09K8/592 / ADAMS STEWART A H, SUN SUSAN WEI, LEVESQUE JEAN-PHILIPPE / CENOVUS ENERGY INC, CENOVUS FCCL LTD / Appl. date: 05.07.2017; Publ. date: 06.01.2018
relates to the regeneration of waste water for the production of steam for its subsequent injection into the oil-bearing formations and involves several physico-chemical and mechanical processes and specialized equipment, including the separation of suspended solid particles from fluids by means of sedimentation and with the use of flocculants, processing of water with flotation, and units for the separation or removal of oily and greasy substances, which altogether covers four sections of the International patent classification. This industrial discipline is of great technological and ecological importance and is aimed at solving such problems as environmental balance and protection; energy, gas or water consumption; high capital or running costs; and low efficiency of primary production, and is related to the technological operations of waste processing and steam injection.
Among the provisionally new patent applications that are not part of an existing patent family, the following should be acknowledged:
Blowdown Pressure Maintenance With Foam / A: US20180216449A1 / IPC: E21B43/24, E21B43/18, E21B43/16, C09K8/594 / Benzvi Amos, Abbate Jason, Wheeler Thomas J, Wickramathilaka-Gamage Siluni L, Chhina Harbir, Filstein Alexander E, Seib Brent D / CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY / Appl. date: 16.06.2017; Publ. date: 02.08.2018
HYDROCARBON RECOVERY WITH INJECTION OF PRESSURIZED FLUID AND PRODUCTION VIA SINGLE WELL / A: CA2965633A1 / IPC: E21B43/20, E21B43/16, E21B43/24 / LASTIWKA MARTIN, WATT ALAN / SUNCOR ENERGY INC. / Appl. date: 01.05.2017; Publ. date: 01.11.2018
HORIZONTAL FRACTURES IN VARIOUS COMBINATIONS OF INFILL WELLS, INJECTION WELLS, AND PRODUCTION WELLS / A: CA2961312A1 / IPC: E21B43/26, E21B43/30 / IRANI MAZDA, KING ROBERT WAYNE / SUNCOR ENERGY INC. / Appl. date: 16.03.2017; Publ. date: 16.09.2018
These three have the highest rating values for this category of documents.
Of all main technological processes related to the additional stimulation of heavy oil production, the inventors in the present patent document selection demonstrated the strongest interest in Steam injection and Chemical stimulation.
Improvement of the efficiency of Steam injection processes is to a substantial degree reflected in the patent applications of the following applicants: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. (WO2018063193A1, FR3056627A1, CA3028633A1, etc.), China Petroleum & Chemical Company (CN108019194A, CN107664031A, CN109025894A, etc.), PetroChina Company Limited (CN107701158A, CN108119112A, etc.), and Sinopec Exploration and Development Research Institute (CN107664031A, CN107664030A).
Patent applications of such companies as Aramco Services Company Inc. (WO2018144277A1, WO2018144299A1, etc.), Saudi Arabian Oil Company (US20180320063A1, US20180222796A1, US20180222797A1, etc.), Chevron USA, Inc. (EP3387023A1, MX2018007008A, BR112017007484A2, BR112018011616A2), Dow Global Technologies LLC (US20180037809A1, BR112017022729A2, etc.), and Rohm and Haas Company (US20180037809A1, BR112017022729A2, etc.) are dedicated to the improvement of Chemical stimulation technology efficiency.
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