Patent ID: 7740065

Claim:
A process for upgrading whole crude oil, the process comprising the steps of: injecting into an injection well a pressurized recovery fluid at a pressure exceeding the recovery fluid's minimum miscibility pressure such that the recovery fluid is operable to sweep an underground formation to enhance recovery of whole crude oil from a production well, the recovery fluid being intimately mixed with the whole crude oil upon recovery from the production well to create a high pressure stream, wherein the whole crude oil comprises a light fraction and a heavy fraction; depressurizing the high pressure stream under conditions to maintain miscibility of a small portion of the recovery fluid within the heavy fraction, and separating the heavy fraction from the high pressure stream to form a light crude oil stream and a heavy fraction stream, the light crude oil stream containing a significant portion of the recovery fluid; separating the recovery fluid from the light crude oil stream to form a light fraction stream; reforming the heavy fraction stream into a reformed heavy fraction by contacting the heavy fraction stream with a water feed stream under supercritical conditions, wherein the reformed heavy fraction has reduced amounts of heavy fraction, asphaltene, sulfur, nitrogen or metal containing substances as compared to the whole crude oil.