Systems and methods for producing oil and/or gas

Abstract

A system including a mechanism for recovering oil and/or gas from an underground formation, the oil and/or gas comprising one or more sulfur compounds; a mechanism for converting at least a portion of the sulfur compounds from the recovered oil and/or gas into a carbon oxysulfide formulation; and a mechanism for releasing at least a portion of the carbon oxysulfide formulation into a formation.

1 . A system for producing oil and/or gas comprising:
 a mechanism for recovering oil and/or gas from an underground formation, the oil and/or gas comprising one or more sulfur compounds;   a mechanism for converting at least a portion of the sulfur compounds from the recovered oil and/or gas into a carbon oxysulfide formulation; and   a mechanism for releasing at least a portion of the carbon oxysulfide formulation into the formation.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the mechanism for recovering comprises a well in the underground formation and a recovery facility at a topside of the well;   wherein the mechanism for converting comprises a converting facility fluidly connected to the recovery facility; and   wherein the converting facility is adapted to produce the carbon oxysulfide formulation from at least a portion of the sulfur compound recovered from the well.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the mechanism for recovering comprises a first well drilled in the underground formation for recovering the oil and/or gas, and a production facility at a topside of the first well; and   wherein the mechanism for releasing the carbon oxysulfide formulation comprises a second well in the underground formation for releasing the carbon oxysulfide formulation into the formation.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the first well is at a distance of 15 meters to 250 kilometers from the second well. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the underground formation is beneath a body of water, and/or the mechanism for converting is above the body of water, such as a production platform; floating production, storage, and offshore loading vessel (FPSO); or a tension leg platform. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a mechanism for injecting water, the mechanism adapted to inject water into the underground formation after carbon oxysulfide formulation has been released into the formation. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mechanism for recovering comprises at least one well, the at least one well comprising a casing and/or a perforation. 
     
     
         8 . A method for producing oil and/or gas comprising:
 recovering oil and/or gas from an underground formation, the oil and/or gas comprising at least one sulfur compound;   converting at least a portion of the sulfur compound from the recovered oil and/or gas into a carbon oxysulfide formulation; and   releasing at least a portion of the carbon oxysulfide formulation into the formation.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising recovering carbon oxysulfide formulation from the oil and/or gas, if present, and then injecting at least a portion of the recovered carbon oxysulfide formulation into the formation. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein releasing comprises injecting at least a portion of the carbon oxysulfide formulation into the formation in a mixture with one or more of hydrocarbons; water in the form of liquid and/or vapor; sulfur compounds other than carbon oxysulfide, such as carbon disulfide; carbon dioxide; carbon monoxide; or mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The methods of  claim 8 , further comprising heating the carbon oxysulfide formulation prior to injecting the carbon oxysulfide formulation into the formation, or while within the formation. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein converting the sulfur compound into the carbon oxysulfide formulation comprises oxidizing at least a portion of the sulfur compound to sulfur or sulfur dioxide, and reacting at least a portion of the sulfur or sulfur dioxide with oxygen and a hydrocarbon to form the carbon oxysulfide formulation. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein converting sulfur compound to carbon oxysulfide formulation comprises oxidizing at least a portion of the sulfur compound into sulfur dioxide, and then converting at least a portion of the sulfur dioxide to sulfur. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein another material is injected into the formation after the carbon oxysulfide formulation is injected, for example the another material selected from the group consisting of air, water in the form of liquid and/or vapor, carbon dioxide, and/or mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the carbon oxysulfide formulation is injected at a pressure from 0 to 37,000 kilopascals above the initial reservoir pressure, measured prior to when carbon disulfide injection begins. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein any oil, as present in the underground formation prior to the injecting the carbon oxysulfide formulation, has a viscosity from 0.14 cp to 6 million cp, for example a viscosity from 0.3 cp to 30,000 cp, or from 5 cp to 5,000 cp. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the underground formation comprises a permeability from 0.0001 to 15 Darcies, for example a permeability from 0.001 to 1 Darcy. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein any oil, as present in the underground formation prior to the injecting the carbon oxysulfide formulation, has a sulfur content from 0.5% to 5%, for example from 1% to 3%. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising converting at least a portion of the recovered oil and/or gas into a material selected from the group consisting of transportation fuels such as gasoline and diesel, heating fuel, lubricants, chemicals, and/or polymers. 
     
     
         20 . A system for producing oil and/or gas comprising:
 a mechanism for recovering oil and/or gas from a first underground formation, the oil and/or gas comprising one or more sulfur compounds;   a mechanism for converting at least a portion of the sulfur compounds from the recovered oil and/or gas into a carbon oxysulfide formulation; and   a mechanism for releasing at least a portion of the carbon oxysulfide formulation into a second underground formation.   
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the first formation is a distance of less than 1000 kilometers from the second formation, for example less than 500, or less than 250 kilometers. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 20 , further comprising a connection between the mechanism for converting and the mechanism for releasing. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the connection comprises a pipe. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the mechanism for recovering is within a distance of 100 kilometers from the mechanism for converting, for example within a distance of 10 kilometers or within a distance of 5 kilometers. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 20 , further comprising at least one unit selected from the group consisting of catalytic cracking, hydrocracking, hydrotreating, coking, thermal cracking, distilling, reforming, polymerization, isomerization, alkylation, blending, and dewaxing. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the at least one unit is adapted to convert the recovered oil and/or gas into at least one material selected from the group consisting of transportation fuels such as gasoline and diesel, heating fuel, lubricants, chemicals, and/or polymers.