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Introduction To Thermal Recovery

The document provides an overview of thermal enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods, including cyclic steam stimulation (CSS), steam flooding, and steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). CSS involves injecting steam into a well to heat and reduce the viscosity of oil, followed by production periods. At high depletion, CSS transitions to steam flooding. Steam flooding uses injected steam to displace oil towards producers. SAGD uses horizontal well pairs with steam injected into the upper well to form a steam chamber that allows heated oil to drain downwards into the lower producing well through gravity drainage. Examples of CSS calculations and SAGD project details are also included.

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Shely Rivera
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100% found this document useful (1 vote)
307 views49 pages

Introduction To Thermal Recovery

The document provides an overview of thermal enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods, including cyclic steam stimulation (CSS), steam flooding, and steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). CSS involves injecting steam into a well to heat and reduce the viscosity of oil, followed by production periods. At high depletion, CSS transitions to steam flooding. Steam flooding uses injected steam to displace oil towards producers. SAGD uses horizontal well pairs with steam injected into the upper well to form a steam chamber that allows heated oil to drain downwards into the lower producing well through gravity drainage. Examples of CSS calculations and SAGD project details are also included.

Uploaded by

Shely Rivera
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to Thermal

Recovery

CHAPTER 1
Recovery Methods

Primary Natural Drive


Conventional

Recovery mechanisms
Recovery

IOR Methods
Pressure
Secondary maintenance
Recovery
Waterflooding

Tertiary
EOR Methods Recovery

Thermal Solvent Chemical


Recovery Injection Injection Others
Definition

 Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is defined as


the oil recovery by the injection of materials
not normally present in the reservoir

 Improved oil recovery (IOR) is not as well


defined as EOR, but It includes horizontal
wells, infill drilling, conformance and
conventional and EOR methods.
Thermal EOR

Thermal
EOR

Insitu
Steam
Combustion
Thermal EOR

Thermal
EOR

Insitu
Steam
Combustion

ko A dpo
qo  
o dx
Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS)
Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS)

Source: reference 1
CSS

 CSS is used to reduce oil viscosity by heating it


with steam.
 This process is also known by the names “Steam Soak”
and “Steam Huff’n’Puff”.
 In this process:
 steam is injected into the well for a period of time ranging
from a few days to a few weeks.
 The well is allowed to sit or “soak” for a period of time that
ranges from zero to several days. During this “soak” time,
the steam condenses and transfers heat to the rock in the
near wellbore area.
 At the end of the “soak” period the well is placed on
production until the oil production rate drops to a level
that justifies another steam injection cycle
Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS)

 Mechanisms
 Thermal expansion
 Viscosity reduction
 Gas out of solution
 Wellbore cleanup
 Gravity drainage
 Compaction
 Wettability changes
 Flashing water
 Relative permeability hysterisis
Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS)

rh  heated radius
re
re  drainage radius
rh rw  wellbore radius
o  oil vis cos ity

 re 
o (cold ) ln  
q0 (hot )
  rw 
q0 (cold )  rh   re 
o (hot ) ln    o (cold ) ln  
 
 rw   rh 
Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS)

rh  heated radius ( ft )
Q f  net amount of heat available to formation ( Btu )
M s  Heat capacity per cubic feet of steam saturated rock ( Btu / ft F )
re
Ts  Steam temperatur e ( F )
T  Re servoir temperatur e ( F )
h  Formation thickness ( ft )
rh

Qf
rh 
 M s (Ts  T ) h
CSS-Example

 Calculate the productivity increase of a well


which produces oil from a reservoir with 1100
cp initial viscosity, assuming that after the first
cycle
 Heated radius is 47 ft
 Reservoir temperature is 100 F
 Reservoir temperature of the heated area is 300 F
 Drainage radius is 700 ft
 Wellbore radius is 0.29 ft
 Oil viscosity at 300 F is 10 cp
CSS Simulation

Example
Value
Property
Average Porosity (%) 34.4
Average Horizontal Permeability (d) 6.95
Kh : Kv ~ 5:1
Average Thickness (m) 15
Depth (m) 200
Rock Compressibility (kPa-1) 1x10-5
Rock heat capacity (J/m3 C) 2.347x106
Thermal conductivity of reservoir rock (J/m day C) 6.6x105
CSS Simulation
Example
100000

10000

1000

Viscosity (cp)
100

10

0.1
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
Temperature (C)

The initial pressure in the simulation model was set at 2,150 kPa and the initial
temperature was assumed constant at 20C.

Model: One horizontal injector and one horizontal producer well with an injector and
producer inter-well distance of 100 m. The length of the wells is 200 m. A 2D 22 x
1 x 11 grid was used in the simulations.
CSS Simulation
Example
Operating constraints
CSS Cycle
Operating constraint
Steam Injection Rate (m3/day) 200
Maximum Bottom Hole Injection 3,500
Pressure (BHPmax) (kPa)
Maximum Liquid Production Rate 80
(m3/day)
Minimum Producer BHP (BHPmin) 500
(kPa)
Specified Injection Temperature (C) 180
Steam Quality (fraction) 0.80
Time of Injection 30 days / cycle
Soak period (days) 15
CSS Simulation
Example
CSS Simulation
Example
CSS Simulation
Example
CSS

 CSS is converted into a Steam Flood when the


cycle time between heating and production
becomes less effective as the reservoir pressure
depletes.
 CSS can improve horizontal well performance
as well as vertical well performance. However,
the benefit for horizontal wells will be less
dramatic since flow restrictions are less severe
in horizontal wells.
Steam Flooding (steam drive)
Steam Flooding (steam drive)

 Zone 1, condensing zone,


hot water at steam
temperature
 Zone 2, Steam saturated
zone, oil saturation
reduced.
 Zone 3, hot water
transition zone (T
reaching reservoir Source: reference 1
temperature
 Zone 4, oil bank
Steam Flooding (steam drive)

 Because the density


differences between
steam and reservoir
fluids:
 Steam override, producing
early breakthrough
 Because of reservoir
heterogeneity and
viscosity density
 Steam channeling,
producing early
breakthrough Source: reference 1
 Both phenomena
reduces steam drive
efficiency
Steam Flooding (steam drive)

Source: reference 1
 Mechanisms
 Oil viscosity reduction

 Oil displacement by water bank (zone 4)

 Thermal expansion of the oil (zone 3)

 Oil displaced by steam (zone 1)

 Distillation process
Steam Flooding (steam drive)

Source: reference 1
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD)
SAGD

 In regular steam drive, fingering and steam override


are major concerns.
 The intention behind developing SAGD was to devise
a process whereby heavy oil or bitumen is
systematically removed, while maintaining a high
degree of thermal efficiency
SAGD

 If steam were injected above, but close to, a producing well, the steam
would rise, and the condensate, together with the bitumen would fall
into the producer
 During Butler’s time, horizontal well technology was very immature, so
many people didn’t believe it could work. Only after UTF demonstrated
its feasibility using underground tunnels, people started to take SAGD
seriously.
 The major concern during that time was whether the steam would
breakthrough into the producer or not.
 If the condensate and oil are not removed too quickly, you can avoid
steam breakthrough at the producing well
 Although the injector and producer are fairly close, the mechanism will
cause the steam chamber to expand gradually and eventually drain a
very large volume
 Advantage: the injector and producer do not have to span the drainage
area
SAGD

AOSTRA Dover UTF


Project
SAGD

 Continuous steam
injection into steam
chamber
 Steam flows to interface
and condenses at
interface
 Heated oil and
condensate drain to
producer
 Flow is caused by gravity Source: reference 2
(not pressure!)
 Chamber grows upwards
and laterally
SAGD projects in Alberta
 SAGD is an early commercial process

SAGD Project Operator Size (Mbopd) Status

Christina Lake EnCana/ConocoPhillips 18 Producing since 2006


Christina Lake MEG Energy 25 Proposed 2008
Dover SAGD Petro-Canada - Producing
Foster Creek Encana 40 - 60 Producing
Hangingstone JACOS 10 Pilot
Jackfish Devon 35 Proposed 2008
Joslyn Total 45 Producing until 2010
Kirby CNRL - Suspended
Long Lake (onside upgrader) OPTI/Nexen 72 Under construction
Mackay River Petro-Canada 30 - 74 Producing until 2010
Meadow Creek Petro-Canada - Proposed
Suncor Firebag 1&2 Suncor 70 Producing
Sunrise (offsite upgrader) Husky 50 - 200 Proposed 2008
Surmont ConocoPhillips/Total 100 Producing 2006-2012
Burnt Lake CNRL - Producing
Hilda Lake Shell Canada - Proposed
Orion Blackrock - Experimental
Tucker Lake Husky 30 Producing since 2006
Project locations
SAGD configuration

Steam chamber

Steam front Cold oil


Condensate
SAGD

 Steam chamber pressure is maintained constant during


much of the process
 Need hot communication between injector and producer to
initiate SAGD (it is impossible to push steam through cold
bitumen)
 Electrical heating

 Steam

 SAGD is a very gentle, unforced process


 It is necessary to prevent production of live steam
 Presence of bottom water, top water or gas cap will impact
the thermal efficiency of the process
SAGD

 Presence of non-condensable gases in oil will


 Improve SOR
 Reduce viscosity early on during the process

 Vertical heterogeneity, such as inter-bedded shale, will


impact the vertical steam chamber growth, and prevent
fluids from draining efficiently
SAGD
Slope drainage model

2So kgh
q
mvS
(at y = 0 (bottom of steam chamber))

 The rate of drainage depends on drainage


height, but not on its horizontal extension
(q is arbitrary)
Insitu Combustion
Insitu Combustion

 Zone 1, combustion
zone, where the oxygen
is consumed, highest
temperature zone (300-
650 ˚C)
 Zone 2, Hot and clean
sand that heats the
injected air
 Zone 3, Fluids are
vaporized, coke left
behind
 Zone 4, heat is released Source: reference 1
 Zone 5, oil bank
Insitu Combustion

 The heat generated


 Reduces oil viscosity

 Increases sweep efficiency

 Vaporizes some liquids

 Produces miscible fluids

Source: reference 1
Insitu Combustion

 Wet Combustion

Source: reference 1
Insitu Combustion

 The combustion Override Split-production


Horizontal well (COSH) process
Insitu Combustion

 The combustion Override Split-production


Horizontal well (COSH) process
Solvents
EOR
Solvent Injection
Solvent Injection

 Mechanisms
 Oil viscosity reduction
 Oil swelling

 Extraction

 Solution gas drive

 Miscible displacement
 No capillary forces
Cyclic Solvent Injection (CSI)

 Analogous to CSS but using


solvents

continued sand production


at cuts  0.5%

depth ~
400 - 600 m

thickness ~
2-7m
Vapor Extraction (VAPEX)

 Analogous to SAGD but


using solvents
vapour Mobilized oil
chamber

Solvent vapour
Injector Oil sand

Producer
Steam & Solvent
Hybrid Processes

HEAT

Solvent Steam
(VAPEX) VAPEX SAGD (SAGD)
Plus Steam Plus Solvent
References
1. Applied Enhanced Oil Recovery, Aurel Carmona
2. Thermal Recovery of Oil and Bitumen, Roger Butler
3. Enhanced Oil Recover, Larry Lake
4. Thermal Recovery, Prats

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