ADDITIVES FOR IMPROVING HYDROCARBON RECOVERY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
L Field of the Invention
The disclosure pertains to hydrocarbon production or recovery. Ill particular, the
disclosure pertains to hydrocarbon production or recover)-' methods incorporating steam, water,
and/or additives,
2. Description of the Related An
At or beneath its surface, the earth contains deposits of crude oil and bituminous sands,
known as tar sands or oil sands. If these deposits are located sufficiently close to the earth's
surface, they can he recovered using surface or strip mining techniques. The mined ore typically
contains about 10-15% bitumen, 80-85% mineral matter with the balance being water, and
requires separation of the valued bitumen product from the mineral matter. This bitumen
liberation process begins by initially mixing or slurrying the ore with warm water in a
hydrotransport line. The resultant slurry is then fed to a primary separation vessel or cell. In this
separation process, additional warm water is added and the majority of the liberated bitumen will
become attached to air bubbles where it is recovered by flotation. The bitumen liberation and
recovery process generally occurs at a pH of about 8,5, which is generally obtained with the
assistance of caustic soda. The coarse mineral matter is removed from the bottom of the vessel
and a middlings portion, containing water, fine mineral matter, and suspended bitumen is sent for
further bitumen recover}'.
If the crude oil or bituminous sands are located sufficiently below the surface of the earth,
oil wells can be drilled to assist in the extraction of these materials. However, heavy
hydrocarbons can prove difficult to recover or produce due to their high viscosities. Various
extraction, recovery, or production methods are known in the art such as flooding the formation
with steam in an attempt to reduce the viscosity of the hydrocarbons to enable flow and aid in
production.
One such method known as Cyclic Steam Simulation or the "huff~and~puff ' method
involves stages of injecting high pressure steam, soaking the formation, and production. 'The
initial stage involves steam injection for a period of weeks to months to heat the hydrocarbon,
bitumen or heavy oil resource in the reservoir, thereby reducing its viscosity such that it will be
able to flow. Following injection, the steam is allowed to soak in the formation for a period of
days to weeks to allow heat to further penetrate the formation. The heavy oil, sufficiently
reduced in viscosity, is then produced from the same well until production begins to decline upon
which time the three step cycle is repeated.
Another recovery or production method used in the art is referred to as steam assisted
gravity drainage (SAGD). The SAGD recovery method relies on two parallel, horizontal wells
approximately 1 km in length. An upper "injector well" resides above a lower "producing well."
The producing well is situated as close as possible to the bottom of the reservoir. Initially, steam
is injected into both wells to begin heating the formation. After a period of time, the formation is
sufficiently heated such that the viscosity of the hydrocarbons or bitumen is reduced and the
hydrocarbons or bitumen are now able to enter the production well Once tins occurs, steam
injection into the production well is ceased.
Low pressure steam is continuously injected into the injector well, resulting in the
formation of a steam chamber, which extends laterally and above as the process continues. At
the edge of the steam chamber, the steam releases its latent heat into the formation. This process
heats the hydrocarbons and/or bitumen causing it to be sufficiently reduced in viscosity to drain
along the edge of the steam chamber under the influence of gravity to the lower producing well.
It can then be pumped to the surface along with the resultant steam condensate. At that point, the
formed water and bitumen emulsion is separated.
In addition to imparting a viscosity reduction on the hydrocarbons and/or bitumen, the
steam condenses and a hydrocarbon-in-water emulsion forms allowing the hydrocarbon to travel
more readily to the producing well. SAGD processes typically recover about 55% of the original
hydrocarbon or bitumen-in-place over the lifetime of the well.
Although this process has advantages, there are drawbacks as well. For example, with
respect to bitumen production, the SAGD process relies on the energy intensive production of
steam to assist with bitumen recovery, it requires natural gas, significant amounts of fresh water,
and water recycling plants,. Further, as the method relies upon gravity drainage, production rates
can be limited due to the high viscosity of the bitumen. Although the prior art has contemplated
different variations to the SAGD process, such as the addition of certain additives, the additives
have not been successful and their presence has resulted in, for example, emulsions of additive,
water, and bitumen that cannot be broken because the additives have caused the emulsion to be
stable.
Therefore, seeking out additives that could increase the amount of bitumen produced for
the same steam input Is highly desirable. Additives could possess properties such as directly
improving the heat efficiency within a formation as well as reducing the oil-water intertacia!
tension. Moreover, successful additives will lower the steam to oil ratio meaning less steam will
be necessary to produce the same amount of bitumen due to the presence of the additive. Also,
desirable additives will not interfere with the resulting emulsion such that it cannot be broken.
Finally, a successful additive should be volatile enough to be earned with the steam through the
sand pack to reach the bitumen pay.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A process for recovering a hydrocarbon from a subterranean formation is disclosed. The
subterranean formation can include any number of wells, such as two wells. The disclosed
process includes the steps of contacting a hydrocarbon from a subterranean formation with steam
or water, contacting the hydrocarbon with one or more aromatic hydrocarbons, and recovering
the hydrocarbon. The hydrocarbon can be contacted by the steam or water and/or the one or more
aromatic hydrocarbons at any time during recovery of the hydrocarbon. The hydrocarbon is
selected from the group consisting of light or heavy crude oil bitumen, an oil sand ore, a tar sand
ore, and combinations thereof The hydrocarbon can be contacted with the steam or water and
aromatic hydrocarbon inside of the subterranean formation or outside of the subterranean
formation. The steam and the aromatic hydrocarbons can be injected into the subterranean
formation independently or as a mixture. The process can be a steam assisted gravity drainage
process that incorporates the addition of the one or more aromatic hydrocarbons
A process for the recover)' of bitumen from a subterranean formation is also disclosed.
The subterranean formation can include any number of wells, such as two wells. The process
includes the steps of contacting the bitumen with steam or water, contacting the bitumen with one
or more aromatic hydrocarbons, and recovering the bitumen. The bitumen can be contacted by
the steam or water and/or the one or more aromatic hydrocarbons at any time during recovery of
the bitumen. The bitumen can be contacted with the steam or water and aromatic hydrocarbon
inside of the subterranean formation or outside of the subterranean formation. The steam and the
aromatic hydrocarbons can be injected into the subterranean formation independently or as a
mixture. The process can be a steam assisted gravity drainage process that incorporates the one or
more aromatic hydrocarbons.
A composition or mixture of components is also disclosed. The composition or mixture
includes a hydrocarbon, water or steam, and one or more aromatic hydrocarbons. The
hydrocarbon can be selected from the group consisting of light or heavy crude oil, bitumen, an oil
sand ore, a tar sand ore, and combinations thereof.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the
present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better
understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter
that form the subject of the claims of the invention, it should be appreciated by those skilled in
the art thai the conception and the specific embodiments disclosed may be readily utilized as a
basis for modifying or designing other embodiments for carrying out the same purposes of the
present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent
embodiments do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended
claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTON OF THE DRAWINGS
A detailed description of the invention is hereafter described with specific reference being
made to the drawings in which;
Figure 1 is comparative data for the blank. 250 ppm and 375 ppm of methyl salicylate,
Figure 2 is comparative data for the blank, 3-methyl salicylic acid, and methyl salicylate.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
This disclosure relates to methods of producing or recovering hydrocarbons, such as light
or heavy crude oil, bitumen, and oil or tar sand ores. Compositions and mixtures including the
produced or recovered hydrocarbons are also disclosed herein.
It has been found that addition of additives, such as aromatic hydrocarbons, greatly
enhances hydrocarbon extraction, In the present application, hydrocarbon is understood to mean
viscous or heavy crude oil, light crude oil, tar sands or oil sands oil, or bitumen.
A process for recovering a hydrocarbon is disclosed involving two parallel, horizontal
wells approximately 1 km in length. The process can be an SAGD process or any other suitable
process. An upper injector well resides above a lower producing well in the SAGD process. The
wells can be separated by any suitable distance, tor example, approximately 4-6 meters. Initially,
steam is injected downho!© into one or both of the wells where it condenses and begins heating
the formation and the hydrocarbon(s) therein. Generally, steam is injected into the well head and
this process is readily understood by those skilled in the art. The steam can be injected at high
pressures and can be at a temperature of about 500 °C„ After a period of time, the formation is
sufficiently heated such that the viscosity of the hydrocarbon is reduced.
Over time, low pressure steam can be continuously injected into the injector well,
resulting in the formation of a steam chamber , further healing the hydrocarbon causing it to he
sufficiently reduced in viscosity to drain along the edge of the steam chamber to the lower
producing well by way of gravity where it can be pumped to the surface along with the
condensed steam and/or the additive. At that point, the water and/or additive are separated from
the hydrocarbon in water emulsion and the hydrocarbon can be recovered using various known
methods in the art such as "breaking" the emulsion.
An additive according to the present disclosure, such as an aromatic hydrocarbon, can
also be injected into either one of the wells, or both of the wells. The additive can be injected
independently of the steam or it can be added as a mixture with the steam. The steam may be
injected continuously or intermittently into one or both of the wells. Moreover, the additive may
be injected continuously or intermittently into one or both of the wells. Also, if the steam and
additive are added as a mixture, the mixture can be added either contmuousiy or intermittently
into one or both of the wells.
Additive addition may occur at, but is not limited to, the steam header, at the well head,
or it can be added into the boiler feed water,
The additive can be injected into one or both of the wells at any point during production
such as when production begins or when production begins to diminish, For example, when
hydrocarbon production begins to decline in the weii, the additive described herein can be added.
By adding the additive after production has begun to decline, the recovery level can be brought
back to or near an optima! or peak hydrocarbon recovery level
A process for the recovery of bitumen from a subterranean formation is also disclosed.
The process can be a steam assisted gravity drainage process and the bitumen can be recovered
from a hydrocarbon bearing ore, such as oil sands or tar sands. The process may involve two
parallel, horizontal wells approximately 1 km in length, which are drilled in an oil sand or tar
sand formation. An upper injector well resides above a lower producing well The wells can be
separated by any suitable distance, for example, approximately 4-6 meters. Initially, steam is
injected downhole into one or both of the wells where it condenses and begins heating the
formation and the bitumen therein. Generally, steam is injected into the well head and this
process is readily understood by those skilled in the art. The steam condenses and heats the
formation and the bitumen residing therein. The steam can be injected at high pressures and can
be at a temperature of about 500 °C. After a period of time, the formation is sufficiently heated
such that the viscosity of the bitumen is reduced.
Over time, low pressure steam can be continuously injected into tlie injector well,
resulting In the formation of a steam chamber, further heating the bitumen causing it to be
sufficiently reduced in viscosity to drain along the edge of the steam chamber to the lower
producing well by way of gravity where it can be pumped to the surface along with the
condensed steam and/or an additive. At that point, the water and/or additive are separated from
the bitumen in water emulsion and the bitumen can be recovered using various known methods
in the art such as "breaking" the emulsion.
An additive according to the present disclosure, such as an aromatic hydrocarbon, can
also be injected into either one of the wells, or both of the wells, to contact the bitumen. The
additive can be injected independently of the steam or it can be added as a mixture with the
steam, The steam may be injected continuously or intermittently into one or both of the wells.
Moreover, the additive may be injected continuously or intermittently into one or both of the
wells. Also, if the steam and additive are added as a mixture, the mixture can be added either
continuously or intermittently into one or both of the wells.
Additive addition may occur at, but is not limited to, the steam header, at the well head,
or It can be added into the boiler feed water,
The additive can be injected into one or both of the wells at any point during recovery
such as when production begins or when production begins to diminish. For example, when
bitumen production begins to decline in the well, the additive described herein can be added. By
adding the additive after production has begun to decline, the recovery level can he brought back
to or near an optimal or peak bitumen recover)' level.
It is noted that when carrying out the recovery or production methods disclosed herein,
any number of wells, even a single well, can be used. No matter the number of wells selected,
the steam and additive described herein can be injected into any of the wells, or all of the wells,
The additive cars be injected independently of the steam or It can be added as a mixture with the
steam into any of the wells. The steam may be injected continuously or intermittently into any of
the wells. Moreover, the additive may be injected continuously or intermittently into any of the
wells. Also, if the steam and additive are added as a mixture, the mixture can be added either
continuously or intermittently into any of the wells.
Also, hydrocarbons can be mined or extracted from a formation and the hydrocarbon can
be separated outside of the formation using any known method in the art such as, for example, a
primary separation vessel. Such a separation process can be carried out with the assistance of
heated water, the additive disclosed herein, and optionally other additives, such as caustic soda.
In certain variations, the hydrocarbons are fed into hydrotransport lines and contacted therein by
the heated water and optionally the additives, which conditions the ore and starts the bitumen
liberation process. The resultant slurry can then be fe d into one or more primary separation
vessels. A hydrocarbon primary froth is separated at the top of the vessel while the sand settles
at the bottom. The hydrocarbon froth is then subjected to further processing.
The contents other than those in the hydrocarbon primary froth can go through secondary
separation processes where further hydrocarbon can he recovered.
The additive disclosed herein can be added either separately, or as a mixture with the
heated water, at any time during primary, secondary, and/or tertiary separation or recovery, to
enhance the hydrocarbon recovery and/or minimize the amount of water used.
Further bitumen can be mined or extracted from a formation and the bitumen can he
separated from, for example, oil or tar sand, outside of the ionnation using any known method in
the art such as, for example, a primary separation vessel. Such a separation process can be
carried out with the assistance of heated water, the additive disclosed herein, and optionally other
additives, such as caustic soda. la certain variations, the oil or tar sand bitumen is ted into
hydrotransport lines and contacted therein by the heated water and optionally the additives,
which conditions the ore and starts the bitumen liberation process. The resultant slurry can then
be fed into one or more primary separation vessels, A bitumen primary froth is separated at the
top of the vessel while the sand settles at the bottom. The bitumen froth is then subjected to
further processing.
The contents other than those in the bitumen primary froth can go through secondary
separation processes where further bitumen can be recovered.
The additive disclosed herein can be added either separately, or as a mixture with the
heated water, at any time- during separation or secondary separation, to enhance the bitumen
recover}' arid/or minim ize the amount of water or used.
Compositions are also disclosed herein. The compositions can include one or more
hydrocarbons, water or steam, and one or more additives. The additives can be the additives
described in the present application, such as the aromatic hydrocarbon additives. Such a
composition can be obtained from a subterranean formation by contacting one or more
hydrocarbons in a subterranean formation with heated water or steam, contacting the one or more
hydrocarbons in the subterranean formation with an additive, such as an aromatic hydrocarbon
described herein, and recovering the resulting emulsion from the formation. Such a composition
can also be obtained by contacting the hydrocarbon with water or steam, as well as an additive,
such as an aromatic hydrocarbon described herein, outside of the subterranean formation.
Also disclosed is a composition including water or steam, an additive, such as the
aromatic hydrocarbons described herein, and bitumen. Such a composition can be obtained from
a subterranean formation by contacting bitumen in a subterranean formation with heated water or
steam, contacting the bitumen in the subterranean formation with an additive, such as an aromatic
hydrocarbon described herein, and recovering the resulting emulsion from the formation. The
water or steam and additive can be added independently of each other or can be added as a
mixture. Such a composition can also be obtained by contacting the bitumen with water or
steam, as well as as additive, such as an aromatic hydrocarbon described herein, outside of the
subterranean formation.
Various additives aire contemplated by the present disclosure. The additive disclosed
herein can be, for example, one or more aromatic hydrocarbons. The additive possesses some
degree of aromaticity. Typically, unless surface or strip mining techniques are being used, the
aromatic hydrocarbon has an atmospheric boiling point of less than or equal to about 300 °C.
The aromatic hydrocarbon should have volatility sufficient to allow for delivery to the production
front unless surface or strip mining techniques are being used. The aromatic hydrocarbon can
possess at least one functional group. For example, the aromatic hydrocarbon additive can
possess any functional group selected from the group consisting of but not limited to, an alcohol,
ether, aldehyde, ketone, carboxylic acid, or ester functional group, or any combination thereof.
Examples of aromatic hydrocarbon additives useful in connection with the present disclosure
include, but are not limited to, methyl salicylate, methy!sa!icylic acid (3,4,5, or 6-methyl
substituted), salicylic acid, phenyl acetate, benzoic acid, methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate, benzyl
acetate, benzaidehyde, or acetophenone, and any combination or mixture thereof. Typically, the
one or more aromatic hydrocarbons are added at a concentration from about 25 to about 50,000
ppm by weight of the aromatic hydrocarbon in the steam (vvt/wt aromatic hydrocarbon additive to
steam basis). The preferred dosage o f the aromatic hydrocarbons is from about 1,000 ppm to
about 5,000 ppm, with the most preferred being about 10 0 to about 1,000 ppm.
The foregoing additives increase the amount of bitumen produced for the same steam
input. Without wishing to be bound by any theory, it is considered that these additives could
possess properties such as directly improving the heat efficiency within a formation as well as
reducing the oil-water interfacial tension. Moreover, the disclosed additives will lower the steam
to oil ratio meaning less steam will be necessary to produce the same amount of hydrocarbon or
bitumen due to the presence of the additive. Further, these additives will not interfere with the
resulting emulsion such that it cannot be broken. When the emulsion product is recovered from
the formation, it must be broken to obtain the desired hydrocarbons. It has been found that
ceitala amine additives can interfere with this process such that the produced emulsion cannot be
broken and therefore, the desired hydrocarhon(s) cannot readily be obtained. The additives of the
present disclosure overcome this problem. Finally, these additives are volatile enough to be
carried with the steam through the sand pack to reach the bitumen pay.
Processes wherein the additive of the present disclosure can be beneficial to the
hydrocarbon recovery include, but are not limited to, cyclic steam stimulation, steam assisted
gravity drainage, vapor recover}' extraction methods, mining or extraction techniques, and the
like.
The foregoing may be better understood by reference to the following examples, which
are Intended only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
Example 1
A sample of oiEsands ore (15 g) was charged into a pre-weighed stainless steel holder
containing several holes. The oilsands ore contained 13.5 1% bitumen, 83 45% solids, and 3.04%
water, A cellulose thimble to account for any solids extracted as a consequence of the method,
approximately 4 cm in length, was placed beneath the stainless holder and the two were placed
into a jacket Soxhlet extractor. Deionized water (300 mL) and methyl salicylate was charged
into a 500 mL round bottom flask beneath the extractor unit. Blank runs were additionally
conducted in the same manner excluding methyl salicylate. The extractor and round bottom flask
were wrapped with insulation and aluminum foil, and the extraction ran at high temperature for 4
hours, The extraction was then allowed to cool, the stainless holder removed, wiped of any
extracted bitumen, and allowed to dry in a 105 °C oven for 2 days. The cellulose thimble
containing any solids extracted as a consequence of the extraction process was placed in the oven
to dry overnight.
Following drying in the oven, the stainless holder and cellulose thimble were allowed to
cool to room temperature and weighed. The amount of bitumen extracted was determined based
on the amount of bitumen initially present in the ore, accounting for solids losses In the
extraction process and water losses in the oven, To determine the amount of bitumen extracted,
it was assumed that 66% of the connate water in the original ore sample would be lost over a 2
day period in the oven (Equation I).
Equation 1. Bitumen extracted (%) using Test Method A,
Dosages of 250 or 375 ppm of methyl salicylate (based on the water) were tested (FIG 1
and Table 1), The mean bitumen extracted for the blank (n=5) was 15.06% (SD=1 .87%), the 250
ppm dose of methyl salicylate (n::;4) was 24.67% (SD=5.48%) and the 375 ppm dose was
3.2.78% (SD-T .85%). All of the methyl salicylate additions resulted in ^-values of less than 0.05
when compared to the blank, and were considered to he statistically significant (Table 2),
Table 1. Mean, standard deviation, and number of runs for the blank and methyl salicylate runs.
Table 2, Comparative data with p ~values for additives tested. A p-value less than 0.05 Indicated
a statistically significant difference.
Example 2
Using the above test method, 3-methyl salicylic acid was tested at a dosage of 375 ppm
(based on the water). Addition of this compound to the extraction experiment resulted In a mean
bitumen extracted (n=3) of 24 11% (SD=6.28%), which was a statistically significant
improvement over the blank. Results are shown in FIG 2 and Table 3. Table 4 shows that the
data resulted in/rvalues of less than 0,05 when compared to the blank, and were considered to be
statistically significant.
Table 3. Additives tested with number of repeat nms, the mean arid standard deviation for the
runs.
Table 4, Comparative data with p-values for additives tested. A p-value less than 0.05 indicated
a statistically significant difference,
Example 3
Oilsands ore (15 g) was charged into a stainless holder containing several holes on the
bottom and an open top. For these experiments, extraction glassware that enabled direct contact
of steam and volatilized additive with the ore was used. Deionized water or boiler feed water
(BFE), as specified, (200 mL) and additive were added to the round bottom portion of extraction
glassware. Directly above the round bottom portion of the extraction flask sat a coarse stainless
steel grid to support the holder containing the oilsands ore sample. The extraction flask was
wrapped with insulation and aluminum foil and the experiment was refluxed for 4 h. The
collected bitumen in water was separated using a rotary evaporator (rotovap) and subsequently
extracted with toluene into a 100 mL volumetric flask. Bitumen stuck to the sides of the flask
was extracted with toluene and added to the bitumen obtained following rotovap separation. The
bitumen on the sides of the stainless holder was accounted for by collecting with a pre-weighed
cleaning tissue. The pH of the water following rotovap separation was measured.
Following the bitumen extraction with steam and volatized additive, the remaining
bitumen in the ore was deiemiined by Dean-Stark extraction with toluene. A blank was also run
In the same manner without additive using either deionized water or BFE, as specified. The
bitumen extracted with steam was compared to the total bitumen extracted and expressed as %
bitumen recovery (Equation 2),
Equation 2 . Bitumen Recovery Using Test Method B,
Using this test method, salicylic acid and phenyl acetate were tested in addition to methyl
salicylate. All of these additives outperformed the blank (Table 5). Two additional experiments
were carried out using BFE instead of deionized water. The blank for this run had a bitumen
recover>' of 11.24% whereas the methyl salicylate (dosed at 565 ppni based on the concentration
in the water) had a bitumen recovery of 17.36%,
Table 5, pH and Bitumen Recovery' data for additives investigated,
All of the compositions and methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and
executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While this invention
may be embodied in many different forms, there are described in detail herein specific preferred
embodiments of the invention, The present disclosure is an exemplification of the principles of
the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments illustrated.
In addition, unless expressly stated to the contrary, use of the term "a" is intended to include "at
least one" or "one or more," For example, "a device" is intended to include "at least one device"
or "one or more devices "
Any ranges given either in absolute terms or in approximate terms are intended to
encompass both, and any definitions used herein are intended to be clarifying and not limiting.
Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the
invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported
as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certain errors
necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements.
Moreover, all ranges disclosed herein are to be understood to encompass any and all subranges
(including all fractional and whole values) subsumed therein,
Furthermore, the invention encompasses any and all possible combinations of some or all
of the various embodiments described herein. It should also be understood that various changes
and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to
those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore
intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.
CLAIMS
The claimed invention is;
1. A process for recovering a hydrocarbon from a subterranean formation comprising
the steps of: (i) contacting a hydrocarbon from a subterranean formation with steam or water; (ii)
contacting the hydrocarbon from the subterranean formation with one or more aromatichydrocarbons,
wherein the hydrocarbon from the subterranean formation is contacted with the
steam or water and the one or more aromatic hydrocarbons inside of the subterranean formation
or outside of the subterranean formation; and (iii) recovering the hydrocarbon from the
subterranean formation.
2. The process of claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon from the subterranean formation is
selected from: heavy or light crude oil, bitumen, an oil sand ore, a tar sand ore, and combinations
thereof.
3. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step contacting the hydrocarbon from
the subterranean formation with the water or steam and/or the one or more aromatic
hydrocarbons at any time during recovery of the hydrocarbon from the subterranean formation.
4. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of contacting the hydrocarbon
from the subterranean formation with one or more aromatic hydrocarbons having atmospheric
boiling points of less than or equal to about 300 °C and/or one or more aromatic hydrocarbons
comprising a functional group selected from: an alcohol, ether, aldehyde, ketone, carboxylic acid,
and ester functional group, and combinations thereof
5. The process of claim I, further comprising the step of contacting the hydrocarbon
from the subterranean formation with one or more aromatic hydrocarbons selected from: methyl
salicylate, methylsalicylic acid (3,4,5, or 6-methyl substituted), salicylic acid, phenyl acetate,
benzoic acid, methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate, benzyl acetate, benzaldehyde, and acetophenone, and
any combination or mixture thereof.
6. The process of claim 1, wherein the one or more aromatic hydrocarbons are added
at a concentration from about 25 to about 50,000 ppm by weight of the aromatic hydrocarbon in
the steam.
7, The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of injecting the steam and the
aromatic hydrocarbons into the subterranean formation independently or injecting the steam and
the aromatic hydrocarbons into the subterranean formation as a mixture.
8. The process of claim 1, wherein the subterranean formation comprises any number
of wells.
9 The process of claim 1, wherein the subterranean formation comprises two wells.
10. A process for the recovery of bitumen from a subterranean formation comprising
the steps of; (i) contacting the bitumen with steam or water; (ii) contacting the bitumen with one
or more aromatic hydrocarbons, wherein the bitumen is contacted with the Stefan or wafer and the
one or more aromatic hydrocarbons inside of the subterranean formation or outside of the
subterranean formation; and (Hi) recovering the bitumen,
11. The process of claim 10, further comprising the step contacting the bitumen with the
steam or water and/or the one or more aromatic hydrocarbons at any time during recovery of the
bitumen.
12. The process of claim 10, further comprising the step of contacting the bitumen with
one or more aromatic hydrocarbons having atmospheric boiling points of less than or equal to
about 300 °C and/or one or more aromatic hydrocarbons comprising a functional group selected
from: an alcohol, ether, aldehyde, ketone, earboxyllc acid, and ester functional group, or any
combination thereof.
13. The process of claim 10, further comprising the step of contacting the bitumen with
one or more aromatic hydrocarbons selected from: methyl salicylate, methylsalicylic acid (3,4,5,
or ό-methyl substituted), salicylic acid, phenyl acetate, benzoic acid, methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate,
benzyl acetate, benza!dehyde, and acetophenone, and any combination or mixture thereof.
14. The process of claim 10, wherein the one. or more aromatic hydrocarbons are added
at a concentration from about 25 to about 50,000 ppm by weight of the aromatic hydrocarbon in
the steam.
15. The process of claim 10, further comprising the step of injecting the steam and the
aromatic hydrocarbons into the subterranean formation independently or injecting the steam and
the aromatic hydrocarbons into the subterranean formation as a mixture.
16. The process of claim 10, wherein the subterranean formation comprises any number
of wells,
17. The process of claim 10, wherein the subterranean formation comprises two wells.
18. A composition comprising a hydrocarbon from a subterranean formation, water or
steam, and one or more aromatic hydrocarbons,
19. The composition of claim 18» wherein the hydrocarbon is selected from: heavy or
light crude oil, bitumen, an oil sand ore, a tar sand ore and combinations thereof
20. The composition of claim 18, wherein the one or more aromatic- hydrocarbons have
atmospheric boiling points of less than or equal to about 300 °C or wherein the one or more
aromatic hydrocarbons are selected from; methyl salicylate s methylsalieylic acid (3,4,5, or 6~
methyl substituted), salicylic acid, phenyl acetate, benzoic acid, methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate,
benzyl acetate, benzaldehyde, and acetophenone, and any combination or mixture thereof.