Patent ID: 6911417

Claim:
A method for removing bound water from a wellbore portion of a subterranean formation containing crude oil penetrated by a wellbore, the method comprising: a) injecting into the near-wellbore portion a quantity of a mixture containing a hydrocarbonaceous liquid, the hydrocarbonaceous liquid being miscible with the crude oil in the formation, about 0.5 to about 2 volume percent of an ethoxylated alcohol, containing from about 8 to about 12 carbon chain length alkyl groups with an average of about 2 to about 4 ethylene oxide groups per molecule of alcohol; about 0.2 to about 2 volume percent of at least one alkylpolyglycoside containing alkyl groups containing from about 8 to about 16 carbon atoms and having an average oligomerization number from about 1.2 to about 1.8; and; about 1.5 to about 4 volume percent of a linear alkyl alcohol containing from about 4 to about 6 carbon atoms, the quantity being a quantity sufficient to fill the near-wellbore portion of the formation to a radial distance of up to about 3 feet outwardly from the well bore; b) maintaining the mixture in the near-wellbore portion for a time from about 6 to about 96 hours; and, c) removing the mixture from the near-wellbore portion.