Patent ID: 8820406

Claim:
A system for treating a subsurface formation, comprising: a first wellbore at least partially located in a hydrocarbon containing formation, wherein the first wellbore comprises a substantially horizontal or inclined portion in the hydrocarbon containing layer in the formation; a first conductor at least partially positioned in the substantially horizontal or inclined portion of the first wellbore, wherein the first conductor comprises electrically conductive material; at least one conducting material substantially surrounding the first conductor in the substantially horizontal or inclined portion of the first wellbore; a second conductor located in the hydrocarbon containing layer in the formation, wherein the second conductor comprises a substantially horizontal or inclined portion in the hydrocarbon containing layer in the formation, wherein the second conductor comprises electrically conductive material; at least one conducting material substantially surrounding the substantially horizontal or inclined portion of the second conductor, wherein the conducting material that substantially surrounds the first or second conductor comprises graphite; and a power supply coupled to the first conductor, the power supply configured to electrically excite the electrically conductive materials of the first conductor such that current flows between the electrically conductive materials in the first conductor, through at least a portion of the formation, to the second conductor, and the current resistively heats at least a portion of the formation between the two conductors.