Patent ID: 8534358

Claim:
A method for heating a hydrocarbon reservoir, the method comprising: providing an installation having a first wellbore equipped with an injection string fitted with an adjustable choke and an extraction string fitted with an adjustable choke, a set of sensors, intended to measure physical variables, and an automatic device making it possible to control and monitor the operation of the installation; circulating steam from one string to the other; controlling a steam injection flow rate in function of a target value; keeping a set of physical variables within a predetermined range of values by continuous action of the automatic device on the choke of the injection string and on the choke of the extraction string, the physical variables including a fluid extraction flow rate, which is kept above a predetermined minimum value, and a bottom hole pressure in the first wellbore, which is kept below a bottom hole pressure critical value, the automatic device acting continuously on the choke of the injection string so as to reach a target pressure without the bottom hole pressure in the first wellbore exceeding the bottom hole pressure critical value and without the steam injection flow rate measured at the injection string being above the predetermined minimum value; and injecting steam into the first wellbore.