Patent ID: 6679326
Filing Date: 2004-01-20
Classification: E21B

Abstract:
A process for forming a pressure barrier enclosure of production strata comprising:(a) a central shaft shell lining a shaft from a ground surface through overburden strata to near or into production strata; (b) high pressure conduits and recovery conduits extend from a manifolded connection to injection fluid and/or recovery fluid conduits above the ground surface, into the shell and sealingly and laterally there through to an end location within the production strata, and where the production strata is underlain with a floor strata; (c) extending the ends of the high pressure conduits laterally most distally to the shell as compared to the ends of the recovery conduits, the ends of high pressure conduits forming an outer perimeter laterally about the shell in the production strata; (d) injecting injection fluid at approximately a highest pressure into the production strata at the ends of the highest pressure conduits to form the pressure barrier enclosure between the overburden strata and the floor strata; (e) by way of the recovery conduits removing from the enclosure a collection of desired fluids from the production strata and at least some of the injected fluid to form a lower pressure zone within the enclosure; and (f) the highest pressure injection fluids are heated to above about 300Â° F. before injection, are collected in part by recovery from the recovery conduits, separated from the desired fluids, re-heated to above about 300Â° F. and re-injected into the production strata through the high pressure conduits and the enclosure receives a net heat input of above about 2000 Btu's per cubic foot of production strata.