Systems and processes for use in treating subsurface formations

• Main Authors: RONALD MARSHALL BASS, GENE RICHARD LAMBERTH, GEORGE LEO STEGEMEIER, ALAN ANTHONY DEL PAGGIO, STEPHEN PALMER HIRSHBLOND, JAMES L MENOTTI, ALLAN JAMES SAMUEL, RANDY CARL JOHN, DONG-SUB KIN, SAU-WAI WONG, CHESTER LEDLIE SANDBERG, WILLIAM GEORGE COIT, ZAIDA DIAZ, PAUL TAYLOR HAMILTON, STANLEY LEROY MASON, PETER TERRY GRIFFIN, CHIA-FU HSU, FREDERICK GORDON CARL, KENNETH MICHAEL COWAN, VIJAY NAIR, JEANARLES GINESTRA, CHRISTOPHER KELVIN HARRIS, DAVID SCOTT MILLER, XUEYING XIE, THOMAS JOSEPH KELTNER, THOMAS DAVID FOWLER, WOLFGANG DEEG, BILLY JOHN II MCKINZIE, RONNIE WADE WATKINS, MICHAEL DAVID FAIRBANKS, AUGUSTINUS WILHELMUS MARIA ROES, HAROLD J VINEGAR, WILLEM JAN ANTOON HENRI SCHOEBER
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 25.02.2009
• Subjects: EARTH DRILLING; EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT OR PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLEDVEHICLES; ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES, IN GENERAL; FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MINING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR ASLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING; VEHICLES IN GENERAL

A heater is described. The heater includes a ferromagnetic conductor and an electrical conductor electrically coupled to the ferromagnetic conductor. The ferromagnetic conductor is positioned relative to the electrical conductor such that an electromagnetic field produced by time-varying current flow in the ferromagnetic conductor confines a majority of the flow of the electrical current to the electrical conductor at temperatures below or near a selected temperature.