Patent ID: 8616279

Claim:
A method for recovering hydrocarbons from a subsurface formation in a development area, comprising: applying heat to the subsurface formation using in situ heat in order to pyrolyze formation hydrocarbons into hydrocarbon fluids; producing the hydrocarbon fluids from one or more hydrocarbon production wells; pumping water from an injection pump into one or more water injection wells; circulating the water from the one or more water injection wells through the subsurface formation, into one or more water production wells, and up to a water treatment facility at the surface of the development area; treating the water at the water treatment facility in order to (i) substantially separate hydrocarbons from the water, and wherein the water treatment facility is also configured to (ii) substantially remove organic materials from the water; determining a pore volume of a portion of the subsurface formation through which the treated water is circulated; and circulating the treated water from an injection pump through the subsurface formation over time in a volume that represents about 2 to 6 times the determined pore volume.