NEW SUBSURFACE EQUIPMENT AND TECHNIQUES ISOLATES STEAM FOR INCREASED PRODUCTION IN THERMAL PROJECTS.

New subsurface equipment and techniques have been developed using new materials which perform well in a steam environment. Some new capabilities are: minimize heat losses above the productive interval; simultaneously split a steam injection stream; accurately place a steam injection stream sequentially; provide a means of recovering or washing-over a steam injection string. Also, new types of isolation packers have been developed for excluding intervals within a producing well where steam has broken through. These subsurface equipment and techniques have been developed especially for thermal hydrocarbon recovery projects but can also be used in non-thermal wells.