High-Performance Downhole Heater Cables

Hooker, Matthew¹, Michael Stewart¹, Michael Tupper¹ (1) Composite Technology Development, Lafayette, CO

As the global demand for petroleum continues to increase, alternative sources of oil will be required to offset this demand. One potential source of additional petroleum is oil recovered from oil shale. World wide reserves from oil shale are estimated at 3.7 trillion barrels of oil, or a supply that is 40% larger than the conventional global supply of petroleum. Two thirds of this oil shale is thought to be located in the US. The ability to cost-effectively obtain this resource would reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign governments and provide the U.S. economy with a secure, reliable source of petroleum. The traditional approach to obtaining oil from shale, mining and processing the shale on the surface, has been found to be uneconomical, even at today’s oil prices. The use of in-situ heating of the shale as a means to recover oil from the shale is showing promise in regards to improved efficiency, acceptable economics, increased use of existing oil recovery infrastructure, and reduced environmental impact. One key need is for down hole heaters capable of long-term operation at high temperatures and voltages. Composite Technology Development, Inc. (CTD) is developing down hole heaters that utilize a high-performance, ceramic-based composite insulation system. This high temperature ceramic-based composite insulation material, NANUQ™ 1250X used in heaters for in-situ heating of oil shale promises to provide heater performance that can significantly aid in the cost-effective development of the in-situ process for the oil recovery from shale. A summary of the performance characteristics of these devices will be presented and discussed relative to the industry need.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90055©2006 AAPG Rocky Mountain Section Meeting, Billings, Montana