Patent ID: 7461693

Claim:
A method of producing hydrocarbon fuel products from a body of fixed fossil fuels beneath an overburden comprising the steps of: (a) transmitting electrical energy down a borehole to heat said body of fixed fossil fuels to a first predetermined temperature; (b) providing a critical fluid with reactants or catalysts down said borehole, including a mixture of carbon dioxide as said critical fluid having a concentration of 80-100% and an oxidant, said oxidant comprises a mixture of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) having a concentration of 0 to 20% and oxygen (O 2 ) having a concentration of 0 to 20%, for diffusion into said body of fixed fossil fuels at a predetermined pressure; (c) transmitting electrical energy down said borehole to heat said body of fixed fossil fuels and critical fluid to a second predetermined temperature; and (d) heating said critical fluid and said fixed fossil fuels with said electrical energy to said second predetermined temperature to initiate reaction of said reactants in said critical with a fraction of said hydrocarbon fuel products in said body of fixed fossil fuels causing a portion of the remainder of said hydrocarbon fuel products to be released for extraction as a vapor, liquid or dissolved in said critical fluid.