USING SELF-REGULATING NUCLEAR REACTORS IN TREATING SUBSURFACE FORMATION Russian patent published in 2014 - IPC E21B36/00 E21B43/24 

FIELD: physics, atomic power.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to systems and methods of treating a subsurface formation. An in situ heat treatment system for extracting hydrocarbons from a subsurface formation comprises a self-regulating nuclear reactor; a system of pipes at least partly lying in the core of the self-regulating nuclear reactor with a first heat carrier which circulates through the system of pipes and a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is designed to allow the first heat carrier to pass through it in order to heat a second heat carrier. The second heat carrier is designed to raise the temperature of at least part of the formation to a point higher than the temperature which enables to form a mobile fluid, light cracking and/or pyrolysis of hydrocarbon-containing material, resulting in formation, in the subsurface formation, of mobile fluids, fluids that are a result of light cracking and/or fluids that are a result of pyrolysis. The influx of heat into at least part of the formation over time at least approximately correlates with the decay rate of the self-regulating nuclear reactor.

EFFECT: high efficiency of formation heating.

19 cl, 8 dwg