Patent ID: 7984759

Claim:
A process for extracting liquid hydrocarbons from an underground reservoir, comprising the steps of: (a) providing at least one injection well for injecting an oxidizing gas into the underground reservoir; (b) providing at least one production well having a substantially horizontal leg and a substantially vertical production well connected thereto, the horizontal leg having a heel portion in the vicinity of its connection to the vertical production well and a toe portion at the opposite end of the horizontal leg; (c) injecting an oxidizing gas through the injection well to conduct in situ combustion, so that combustion gases are produced so as to cause the combustion gases to progressively advance laterally as a front, substantially perpendicular to the horizontal leg, and fluids drain into the horizontal leg; (d) providing a tubing inside the production well within said vertical leg and at least a portion of said horizontal leg for the purpose of injecting a hydrocarbon condensate into said horizontal leg portion of said production well; (e) injecting a hydrocarbon condensate diluent into said tubing so that said condensate is conveyed into said horizontal leg portion via said tubing; and (f) recovering hydrocarbons in the horizontal leg of the production well from said production well.