Patent ID: 8607862

Claim:
A method for in-situ conveying of bitumen or very heavy oil from sand deposits as resevoirs by applying thermal energy to the reservoir in order to reduce the viscosity of the bitumen or very heavy oil, the method comprising: heating and liquefying the bitumen or very heavy oil by means of a inductive conductor loop, to such a degree that it is in a condition to be led away using an extraction pipe: compensating the inductivity of the inductive conductor loop section by section; and arranging the inductive conductor loop and the extraction pipe relative to one another such that an extraction rate is maximized, wherein the inductive conductor loop is subdivided into three inductive sub-condustors, wherein a plurality of currents in the three inductive sub-conductors are routed with a predetermined phase displacement, wherein adjusted inductor currents are selected in different phases of the method, according to a plurality of modes of operation, in order to adjust advantageous heating output distributions, wherein a first mode of operation is defined as including one inductive sub-conductor as a forward conductor and two inductive sub-conductors as return conductors and uses a generator as an alternating current source and a phase displacement between the three inductive sub-conductors is 120°, wherein a second mode of operation includes a current feed having a same amplitude and 120° phase displacement, three phase current, a uniform heating output for the three inductive subconductors is obtained, and wherein a third mode of operation includes at least partially discontinuing one inductive sub-conductor, using one inductive sub-conductor as a forward conductor and one inductive sub-conductor as a return conductor.