Methods for separating oil and/or gas mixtures
View Patent ↗A method for producing oil, comprising injecting water and a solvent into a formation; producing a mixture comprising water, solvent, oil, and gas from the formation; separating the mixture into a first stream comprising oil, water, and a first portion of the solvent, and a second stream comprising gas and a second portion of the solvent, and exposing the second stream to water to remove the second portion of the solvent from the gas.
1. A method for producing oil, comprising:
injecting water and a solvent into a formation;
producing a mixture comprising water, solvent, oil, and gas from the formation;
separating the mixture into a first stream comprising oil, water, and a first portion of the solvent, and a second stream comprising gas and a second portion of the solvent,
exposing the second stream to water to remove the second portion of the solvent from the gas and obtaining a mixture comprising water and solvent, and
injecting the mixture comprising water and solvent into the formation.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising separating oil from the first stream to form a third stream comprising water and the first portion of the solvent.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising exposing the third stream to gas to remove the first portion of the solvent from the water.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising converting at least a portion of the produced oil or produced gas into a material selected from the group consisting of transportation fuels, heating fuels, lubricants, chemicals, and polymers.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the water injected into the formation further comprises a water soluble polymer adapted to increase a viscosity of the mixture.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reducing the bubble point of oil in the formation with the solvent.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising increasing the swelling factor of oil in the formation with the solvent.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reducing the viscosity of oil in the formation with the solvent.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the formation is an underground formation.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the underground formation has a temperature of at least 100 degrees centigrade as measured prior to injection of water and solvent into the formation.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the underground formation has a permeability from 0.0001 to 15 Darcies.