Patent ID: 9670766
Date: 2017-06-06
CPC Classifications: C10G,E21B

Claim:
1. A steam based method of recovering and processing a hydrocarbon mixture from a subterranean formation, comprising: (i) injecting steam into said formation to mobilise said hydrocarbon mixture; (ii) recovering said mobilised hydrocarbon mixture, wherein said mobilised hydrocarbon mixture comprises water and hydrocarbon; (iii) separating said hydrocarbon mixture to produce separated water and separated hydrocarbon, wherein a first diluent is added to said mobilised hydrocarbon mixture prior to said separation; (iv) fractionating said separated hydrocarbon to produce at least one heavier fraction and at least one lighter fraction; (v) deasphalting said heavier fraction to produce a deasphalted hydrocarbon and asphaltenes; (vi) adding a second diluent to said deasphalted hydrocarbon; (vii) combusting said asphaltenes in an oxycombustion process to generate steam and CO (viii) injecting said steam produced in step (vii) into said formation, wherein said method is at least partially self-sufficient in terms of steam generation, and wherein at least some of said first and second diluent for addition to said mobilised hydrocarbon mixture and to said deasphalted hydrocarbon comprises said lighter fraction obtained directly during fractionation.