Patents
US 7591311 B2: Process for recovering heavy oil
- Granted
- 2009-09-22
- Filed
- 2008-02-11 application 12029092
- Type
- Utility · 16 claims
- Elsewhere
- Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗
Abstract
A method for recovering oil includes recovering an oil-water mixture from a well and separating oil from the oil-water mixture to produce an oil product and produced water. The produced water is directed to an evaporator which produces steam that is condensed to form a distillate. Thereafter the distillate is directed to a steam generator and is heated to form steam and water. At least a portion of the water is recirculated through the steam generator. Another portion of the water is mixed with the steam to form a steam-water mixture that is injected into an injection well.
Source: PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 (ipg090922.xml).
Assignees
| Assignee | Type | Place | Also on furp.org | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HPD, LLC 8 patents | US company or organization | Plainfield, IL | HPD, LLC State business registration EXACT high confidence: identical full name and state | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Inventors
| Inventor | Place | Patents | Person page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keith R. Minnich | Pewaukee, WI | 11 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Mark C. Nicholson | Pewaukee, WI | 5 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
CPC categories
| Subclass | Category | First group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| E21B | Earth or rock drilling; obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells | E21B43/2408 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).
Assignments and security interests
| Recorded | What | From | To | Reel/frame | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-01-27 | Name change Change of name | VEOLIA WATER SOLUTIONS & TECHNOLOGIES NORTH AMERICA, INC. signed 2014-12-19 | VEOLIA WATER TECHNOLOGIES, INC. MOON TOWNSHIP, PA | 34817/437 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2013-01-10 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | HPD, LLC signed 2012-12-28 | VEOLIA WATER SOLUTIONS & TECHNOLOGIES NORTH AMERICA, INC. MOON TOWNSHIP, PA | 29601/496 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2008-02-14 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | MINNICH, KEITH R signed 2008-02-11 NICHOLSON, MARK C. signed 2008-02-11 | HPD, LLC PLAINFIELD, IL | 20511/905 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
Documents recorded with the USPTO Assignment Recordation Branch that list this patent. A security interest is a lender’s claim on the patent as collateral; a release ends it.
USPTO bulk data: PatentsView granted patents, disambiguated (PVGPATDIS) for patents, assignees, inventors, places and CPC categories; the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (ECORSEXC) for assignments and security interests. Patents filed in the last 20 years. No claims or full text. Links to other records are by name (and state): EXACT means the identical full name and state; FUZZY means a looser name match, with the confidence shown.