A method is provided for recovering oil from a subterranean oil-bearing formation. One or more pairs of electrodes are inserted into the ground in proximity to a body of oil in said formation. A voltage difference is then established between the electrodes to create an electric field in the oil-bearing formation. As voltage is applied, the current is manipulated to induce oxidation and reduction reactions in components of the oil. The oxidation and reduction reactions lower the viscosity in the ...

The extraction of hydrocarbon fuel products such as kerogen oil and gas from a body of fixed fossil fuels such as oil shale is accomplished by applying a combination of electrical energy and critical fluids with reactants and/or catalysts down a borehole to initiate a reaction of reactants in the critical fluids with kerogen in the oil shale thereby raising the temperatures to cause kerogen oil and gas products to be extracted as a vapor, liquid or dissolved in the critical fluids. The hydrocarb...

The invention relates to a foldable stand (1) comprising a longitudinally extending support (2) which is carried by two legs (3), each leg (3) being connected to the support (2) via a journal (4) having a central axis (5), said stand (1) being foldable between an operational position, in which the legs (3) extend in one plane and the support (2) extends away from said plane and a rest position in which the legs (3) extend in said plane and the support (2) also extends in said plane substantially...

A bow stand includes an upper section and a lower section connected by an articulating joint that allows the upper and lower sections to be folded flat against each other for compact storage. A point at the lower end of the lower section is pushed into the ground and an archer's bow is set into a U-shaped bracket mounted at the top of the top section for temporarily storing the bow without having it touch the ground.

A transmitter on a bottomhole assembly (BHA) is used for generating a transient electromagnetic signal in an earth formation. A receiver on the BHA receives signals that are indicative of formation resistivity and distances to bed boundaries. The transmitter and receiver may have axes that are parallel to or inclined to the axis of the BHA. The transmitter and the receiver are on a tubular on a damping portion of the BHA that includes cuts for attenuating eddy currents. The damping portion may i...

Methods are provided that include the steps of providing wells in a formation, establishing one or more fractures (12) in the formation, such that each fracture intersects at least one of the wells (16, 18), placing electrically conductive material in the fractures, and generating electric current through the fractures and through the material such that sufficient heat (10) is generated by electrical resistivity within the material to pyrolyze organic matter in the formation into producible hydr...

A method of enhancing oil production from an oil bearing formation includes the steps of providing a first borehole in a first region of the formation and a second borehole in a second region of the formation. A first electrode is positioned in the first borehole in the first region, and a second electrode is positioned in proximity to the second borehole in the second region. A voltage difference is established between the first and second electrodes to create an electric field across the plugg...

Pulsed power sources are installed in one or more wells in the reservoir interval. The pulse sources include (1) an electrohydraulic generator that produces an intense and short lived electromagnetic pulse that travels at the speed of light through the reservoir, and an acoustic pulse from the plasma vaporization of water placed around the source that propagates through the reservoir at the speed of sound in the reservoir and (2) an electromagnetic generator that produces only an intense and sho...

A down hole heating system for use with oil and gas wells which exhibit less than optimally achievable flow rates because of high oil viscosity and/or blockage by paraffin (or similar meltable petroleum byproducts). The heating unit the present invention includes shielding to prevent physical damage and shortages to electrical connections within the heating unit while down hole (a previously unrecognized source of system failures in prior art systems). The over-all heating system also includes h...

In a collapsible supporting device for a portable computer, a pair of base members and a pair of interconnecting members are connected pivotally to a coupling seat. A pair of supporting members are coupled to the interconnecting members, respectively. The supporting device is operable to move from a folded position, where the base members and the interconnecting members are disposed parallel to each other, to a supporting position, where the interconnecting members are disposed between the base ...