Patent ID: 8770288

Claim:
A method of recovering oil from a subterranean oil reservoir that includes a wellbore, the method comprising: supplying a water stream to a fluid heating assembly, wherein the fluid heating assembly comprises a heater and a mixing volume; supplying a noncondensable gas stream to the fluid heating assembly; generating a heat stream with the heater, wherein the heat stream comprises heat; heating the water stream and the noncondensable gas stream, wherein the heating consists of transferring the heat stream from the heater to the water stream and the noncondensable as stream; generating a combined stream, comprising the water stream and the noncondensable gas stream, in the mixing volume at a combined stream total pressure that exceeds a critical pressure of water, wherein the combined stream total pressure includes a steam partial pressure and a noncondensable gas partial pressure, and wherein the steam partial pressure is less than the critical pressure of water; and supplying a portion of the combined stream to the subterranean oil reservoir.