Patent ID: 7631690

Claim:
A method for treating a hydrocarbon containing formation, comprising: treating a first zone inside a treatment area of the formation; beginning treatment of a plurality of zones of the formation at selected times after the treatment of the first zone begins, the treatment of at least two successively treated zones beginning at a selected time after treatment of the previous zone begins; wherein at least two of the successively treated zones are adjacent to the zone treated previously; wherein the successive treatment of the zones proceeds in an outward, substantially spiral sequence from the first zone such that the treatment of the zones moves substantially spirally outwards towards a boundary of the treatment area; wherein treatment of at least two of the zones comprises: providing heat from one or more heaters located in two or more first sections of the zone; allowing some of the heat to transfer from at least two of the first sections to two or more second sections of the zone; wherein the first sections and the second sections are arranged in a checkerboard pattern within the zone, the checkerboard pattern having at least one of the first sections substantially surrounded by three or more of the second sections and at least one of the second sections substantially surrounded by three or more of the first sections; and producing at least some hydrocarbons from the second sections, wherein at least some of the hydrocarbons produced in the second sections comprise fluids initially in the first sections.