Patent · US Expired

Method of monitoring the spacial production of hydrocarbons from a petroleum reservoir

US4479204A · kind A · utility

17Cited by
5References
28Claims
0Family size

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJun 1, 1981
Grant dateOct 23, 1984
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 1, 2001

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01V1/30
  • WIPO fieldCivil engineering
  • WIPO sectorOther fields

Abstract

In the injection of fluids into subsurface geological formations, such as for the purpose of recovering a mineral in that formation, it is important that the flow progress of that fluid is known at all points in the subsurface. This information is provided by injecting a selected fluid into the formation. This fluid may be a gas, or a liquid, or a mixture of gas and liquid. When this fluid is in the subsurface formation there will be a mixture of gas and liquid in selected proportion in the formation. This mixture in a geologic formation overlain by a shale, for example, will have a much higher reflection coefficient. A source of seismic waves is operated at the surface, and the received reflections are compared between spaced positions on the surface.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.