Systems and methods for producing oil and/or gas

Abstract

A system for producing oil and/or gas from an underground formation comprising a well above the formation; a mechanism to inject an enhanced oil recovery formulation into the formation, the enhanced oil recovery formulation comprising water and an additive; and a mechanism to produce oil and/or gas from the formation.

1 . A system for producing oil or gas from an underground formation comprising:
 a well above the formation;   a mechanism to inject an enhanced oil recovery formulation into the formation, the enhanced oil recovery formulation comprising water and an additive comprising a chemical having a solubility in water of at least 1% (at atmospheric conditions) and a octanol-water partitioning coefficient of at least 1 (at atmospheric conditions); and   a mechanism to produce oil or gas from the formation.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a second well a distance from the first well, wherein the mechanism to produce oil or gas from the formation is located at the second well. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mechanism to inject is located at the well, and wherein the mechanism to produce oil or gas from the formation is located at the well. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the underground formation is beneath a body of water. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a mechanism for injecting an immiscible enhanced oil recovery formulation into the formation after the water and an additive has been released into the formation. 
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising an immiscible enhanced oil recovery formulation selected from the group consisting of water in gas or liquid form and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the well comprises an array of wells from 5 to 500 wells. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mechanism to produce oil or gas from the formation is located at the well. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the additive comprises a chemical having a solubility in water of at least 2% at a pressure of 50 bars and a temperature of 25 degrees centigrade. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the additive comprises a chemical having a crude oil-water partitioning coefficient of at least 2 at a pressure of 50 bars and a temperature of 25 degrees centigrade. 
     
     
         12 . A method for producing oil or gas comprising:
 injecting water and an additive comprising a chemical having a solubility in water of at least 1% at atmospheric conditions and a octanol-water partitioning coefficient of at least 1 at atmospheric conditions into a formation from a first well; and   producing oil or gas from the formation from a second well.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein a mixture of the water and the additive comprises from about 50% to about 99% water by moles. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the water and the additive is injected at a pressure from 0 to 37,000 kilopascals above the initial reservoir pressure, measured prior to when injection begins. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising converting at least a portion of the recovered oil or gas into a material selected from the group consisting of transportation fuels, heating fuels, lubricants, chemicals, and polymers. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the underground formation comprises an oil having an API from 10 to 100. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the water further comprises a water soluble polymer adapted to increase a viscosity of the mixture. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12  further comprising reducing a bubble point of the oil in the formation with the additive. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising increasing a swelling factor of the oil in the formation with the additive. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising reducing a viscosity of the oil in the formation with the additive. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the water and the additive is injected into a reservoir having a reservoir temperature of at least 100 degrees centigrade measured prior to when injection begins. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the underground formation comprises a permeability from 0.0001 to 15 Darcies.