Stimulation method and system for enhancing oil production

Abstract

A method of recovering in situ hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation includes injecting a volume of fluid with composition comprising 0.01 mass % or more of at least one ketone and 50 mass % or more of water into an injection well completed in the subterranean formation; and producing at least a fraction of the injected volume of fluid and in situ hydrocarbons from the subterranean formation through a production well completed in the subterranean formation. A hydrocarbon recovery system includes an injection apparatus connected to a well formed in a subterranean formation and a storage container in fluid communication with the injection apparatus. The container includes the at least one ketone and water.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of recovering in situ hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation containing in situ hydrocarbons, the method comprising the steps of:
 injecting a volume of fluid with composition comprising 0.01 mass % or more of at least one ketone and 50 mass % or more of water into an injection well completed in the subterranean formation; and   producing at least a fraction of the injected volume of fluid and in situ hydrocarbons from the subterranean formation through a production well completed in the subterranean formation.   
     
     
         2 . The method of producing in situ hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation according to  claim 1 , said method further comprising the steps of:
 placing a well in a subterranean formation; and   inducing a fracture in at least a portion of the subterranean formation, wherein the surface area of the induced fracture is at least 0.1 square meters.   
     
     
         3 . The method of producing in situ hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation according to  claim 2 , wherein said step of injecting occurs before, simultaneously with, or after said step of inducing a fracture in the subterranean formation. 
     
     
         4 . The method of producing in situ hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation according to  claim 1 , further comprising the step of permitting the injected volume of fluid to reside for a period of time in the subterranean formation before said at least a fraction of the injected volume of fluid and the in situ hydrocarbons are produced from the subterranean formation 
     
     
         5 . The method of producing in situ hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation according to  claim 1 , wherein the injected volume of fluid comprises water, at least one ketone, and at least one surfactant. 
     
     
         6 . The method of producing in situ hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one ketone is acetone. 
     
     
         7 . The method of producing in situ hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation according to  claim 1 , wherein the composition of the injected volume of fluid comprises at least 0.1 mass % ketone. 
     
     
         8 . The method of producing in situ hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation according to  claim 1 , wherein the composition of the injected volume of fluid comprises 0.5 mass % to 10 mass % ketone and 50 mass % to 90 mass % water. 
     
     
         9 . The method of producing in situ hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of injecting is cyclic or continuous. 
     
     
         10 . The method of producing in situ hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation according to  claim 1 , wherein the injected volume of fluid is injected continuously into a first injection well in fluid communication with the subterranean formation and in situ hydrocarbons are produced from a second production well in fluid communication with the subterranean formation. 
     
     
         11 . The method of producing in situ hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation according to  claim 1 , further comprising the step of separating the at least one ketone from the produced injected volume of fluid and in situ hydrocarbons. 
     
     
         12 . The method of producing in situ hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation according to  claim 11 , further comprising the step of re-injecting the separated ketone into the subterranean formation. 
     
     
         13 . The method of producing in situ hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation according to  claim 11 , wherein the volume of fluid enters the subterranean formation in the liquid phase. 
     
     
         14 . An in situ hydrocarbon recovery system comprising:
 a well connected to a subterranean formation containing in situ hydrocarbons;   an injection apparatus connected to said well; and   at least one storage container in fluid communication with the injection apparatus,   wherein said at least one storage container includes at least one ketone and wherein said at least one storage container includes water.   
     
     
         15 . The in situ hydrocarbon recovery system according to  claim 14 , wherein there are a plurality of storage containers, and at least one of said plurality of storage containers includes at least one ketone and at least one of said plurality of storage containers includes water. 
     
     
         16 . The in situ hydrocarbon recovery system according to  claim 14 , wherein said at least two storage containers include a fluid composition comprising 0.01 mass % or more of at least one ketone and 50 mass % or more of water. 
     
     
         17 . The in situ hydrocarbon recovery system according to  claim 14 , wherein said at least two storage containers include water, at least one ketone, and at least one surfactant. 
     
     
         18 . The in situ hydrocarbon recovery system according to  claim 14 , wherein the at least one ketone is acetone. 
     
     
         19 . The in situ hydrocarbon recovery system according to  claim 14 , further comprising a second well in fluid communication with the subterranean formation for recovering in situ hydrocarbons from the subterranean formation. 
     
     
         20 . A method of altering the wettability of a subterranean formation containing in situ hydrocarbons, the method comprising the steps of:
 injecting a volume of fluid with a composition comprising 0.01 mass % or more of at least one ketone and 50 mass % or more of water into an injection well completed in the subterranean formation, wherein the subterranean formation is comprised of at least 10 mass % carbonate rock, thereby contacting the carbonate rock of the subterranean formation with at least a fraction of the injected volume of fluid; and   permitting the injected volume of fluid to reside for a period of time in the subterranean formation.   
     
     
         21 . The method of altering the wettability of a subterranean formation according to  claim 20 , wherein said step of injecting occurs before, simultaneously with, or after inducing a fracture with surface area greater than 0.1 square meter in the subterranean formation. 
     
     
         22 . The method of altering the wettability of a subterranean formation according to  claim 20 , wherein the composition of the injected volume of fluid comprises water, at least one ketone, and at least one surfactant. 
     
     
         23 . The method of altering the wettability of a subterranean formation according to  claim 20 , wherein the at least one ketone is acetone. 
     
     
         24 . The method of altering the wettability of a subterranean formation according to  claim 20 , wherein the composition of the injected volume of fluid comprises at least 0.1 mass % ketone. 
     
     
         25 . The method of altering the wettability of a subterranean formation according to  claim 20 , wherein the composition of the injected volume of fluid comprises 0.5 mass % to 10 mass % ketone and 50 mass % to 90 mass % water. 
     
     
         26 . The method of altering the wettability of a subterranean formation according to  claim 20 , wherein the step of injecting is cyclic or continuous. 
     
     
         27 . The method of altering the wettability of a subterranean formation according to  claim 20 , wherein said step of injecting a volume of fluid further comprises injecting the volume of fluid into the subterranean formation in the liquid phase. 
     
     
         28 . A method of recovering hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation containing in situ hydrocarbons, the method comprising the steps of:
 building a computational model to simulate injecting a ketone and water into a subterranean formation containing in situ hydrocarbons;   making a determination on how to operate an oil recovery process from the subterranean formation based on said computational model; and   recovering hydrocarbons from the subterranean formation.   
     
     
         29 . The method of recovering hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation according to  claim 27 , wherein the step of making a determination further comprises determining injection rates, injection temperatures, injection pressures, injection duration, injection frequency, production rates, production pressures, production duration, and/or production frequency based on said computational model.