Influence of solvent injection temperature in steam-solvent assisted gravity drainage process for heavy oil reservoirs of Brazilian Northeast
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v12i7.42644Keywords:
Steam-solvent injection; Heavy oil; ES-SAGD; Reservoir modeling; Enhanced oil recovery; Thermal method.Abstract
The solvent–steam assisted gravity drainage is an oil recovery process that combines the advantages of thermal and miscible effects, and it has been successfully tested, especially in Canada, where many heavy oil reservoirs are located. This method uses two parallel horizontal wells drilled one above the other, the upper injects steam and solvent and the lower produces oil. This process has not been applied yet in Brazil, where there are heavy oil reservoirs, especially in northeast region. Based on this context, this research aimed to study the application of the ES-SAGD process in a semisynthetic reservoir, with characteristics similar to those found in the Brazilian Northeast, specifically to analyze the influence of the solvent injection scheme on ES-SAGD. Numerical simulations were performed using commercial software from CMG. It was analyzed several steam-solvent injection rates, using two injected temperatures for solvent, (at reservoir or at steam temperature´s), in order to minimize explosion risks, that can be due to high temperatures. Results showed that solvent injection temperature has great influence on oil recovery, it is better for oil production when it is inject hot solvent, because cold solvent generates a cooling of the steam. However, it is possible to injected cold solvent (at reservoir temperature), and increase oil production, changing some steam properties, avoiding explosions risks.
References
Anklam, E.G. (2001). Horizontal Well Productivity and Wellbore Pressure Behavior Incorporating Wellbore Hydraulics. Ph.D dissertation, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma.
Anklam, E.G. & Wiggins, M. L. (2005). A Review of Horizontal-Wellbore Pressure Equations. Proc. SPE Production Operations Symposium, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. https://doi.org/10.2118/94314-MS.
Chai,M., Chen, Z., Nourozieh, H., Yang, M. & Chai, B. (2023). Introduce dimethyl ether (DME) as a solvent for steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) co-injection: An effective and environmental application. ELSEVIER. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2023.127639.
Chang, J., Ivory, J., Forshner, K. & Feng, Y. (2013). Impact of Solvent Loss during Solvent Injection Processes. Proc. SPE Heavy Oil Conference-Canada, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. https://doi.org/10.2118/165476-MS.
Dong, X., Liu, H., Chen, Z., Wu, K., Lu, N. & Zhang, Q. (2019). Enhanced oil recovery techniques for heavy oil and oilsands reservoirs after steam injection. ELSEVIER. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.01.244.
Edmunds, N. R. & Gittins, S. D. (1993). Effective Application of Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage of Bitumen to Long Horizontal Well Pairs. J. Can. Petrol. Technol. Vol. 32, pp. 49-55. https://doi.org/10.2118/93-06-05.
Gates, I. D. (2007). Oil Phase Viscosity Behavior in Expanding-Solvent Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage. J. Pet. Sci. Eng., 59, 123–134.
Irani, M., Sabet, N. & Bashtani, F. (2021). Horizontal producers deliverability in SAGD and solvent aided-SAGD processes: Pure and partial solvent injection. ELSEVIER. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2021.120363.
Jha, R. K. Kumar, M., Benson, I. & Hanzlik, E. (2013). New insights into steam/solvent-coinjection- Process Mechanism. Proc. SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, San Antonio, Texas, USA. https://doi.org/10.2118/159277-PA.
Kumar, A. & Hassanzadeh, H. (2020). Impact of shale barriers on performance of SAGD and ES-SAGD — A review. ELSEVIER. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2020.119850
Le Gallo, Y. L. & Latil, M. J. (1993). Modeling Thermal and Pressure Drops for Multiphase Flow in Thermal Horizontal Wells. Proc. SPE Western Regional Meeting, Anchorage, Alaska. https://doi.org/10.2118/26077-MS
Li, W. & Mamora, D. (2010). Experimental Investigation of Solvent Co-Injection in Vapor and Liquid Phase to Enhance SAGD Performance. Proc. SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Florence, Italy. https://doi.org/10.2118/133277-MS.
Li, W., Mamora, D.& Li, Y. (2011). Solvent- Type and Ratio Impacts on Solvent- aided SAGD Process. SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering. Vol. 14, pp. 320-331. https://doi.org/10.2118/130802-PA.
Liu, J., Jiang, Z., Feng, X., Liao, R., Feng, D., Zhang, X. & Aikeremu, H. (2020). An Experimental Study on the Pressure Distribution in Horizontal Gas Wells. Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing. http://dx.doi.org/10.32604/fdmp.2020.010722.
Lyu, C., Zhong, L., Wang, Q., Zhang, W., Han, X., Chen, M., Zhu, Y & Yang, J. (2023). Core scale analysis of low viscosity oil injection in enhancing oil recovery of heavy oil reservoirs. ELSEVIER. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2023.127432.
Ma, Z.& Leung, J.Y. (2020). Design of warm solvent injection processes for heterogeneous heavy oil reservoirs: A hybrid workflow of multi-objective optimization and proxy models. ELSEVIER. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2020.107186.
Mohan, V., Su, Y., Wang, J. & Gates, I.D. (2022). Rich solvent - Steam assisted gravity drainage (RS-SAGD): An option for clean oil sands recovery processes. ELSEVIER. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clet.2022.100463.
Nasr, T.N.& Isaacs, E.E. (2001). Process for Enhancing Hydrocarbon Mobility Using A Steam Additive. US Patent # 6,230,814.
Nasr, T. N., Beaulieu, H., Golbeck, H. & Heck, G. (2002). Novel Expanding Solvent-SAGD Process “ES-SAGD”. Proc. Petroleum Society’s Canadian International Petroleum Conference, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. https://doi.org/10.2118/2002-072-EA.
Nasr, T. N., Beaulieu, H., Golbeck, H. & Heck, G. (2003). Novel Expanding Solvent-SAGD Process “ES-SAGD”. TECHNICAL NOTE. J. Can. Petrol. Technol., Vol. 42, pp. 13-16. https://doi.org/10.2118/03-01-TN.
Nasr T. N. & Ayodele, O. R. (2005). Thermal Techniques for the Recovery of Heavy Oil and Bitumen. Proc. SPE International Improved Oil Recovery Conference in Asia Pacific, Kuala, Lumpur, Malaysia. https://doi.org/10.2118/97488-MS.
Nasr, T. N.& Ayodele, O. R. (2006). New Hybrid Steam-Solvent Processes for the Recovery of Heavy Oil and Bitumen. Proc. International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. https://doi.org/10.2118/101717-MS.
Orr, B. (2009). ES-SAGD; Past, Present and Future. Proc. SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, New Orleans, Louisiana. https://doi.org/10.2118/129518-STU.
Shareef, N. F. & Abdulwahid, M. A. (2022). Experimental and numerical study of slug flow in horizontal perforated wellbore. ELSEVIER. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2022.111239.
Thorne, T.& Zhao, L. (2008). The impact of pressure drop on SAGD process performance. Proc. Canadian International Petroleum Conference, Calgary, Alberta. https://doi.org/10.2118/2008-016.
Wu, Y., Liu, X., Du, X., Zhou, X., Wang, L., Li, J., Li, Y., Li, X. & Li, Y. (2020). The ES-SAGD theoretical model by modifying the SAGD model based on the oil viscosity reduction characteristics of solvents was validated by experiments and can be used to predict ES-SAGD production dynamics. Petroleum Exploration and Development.
You, N., Yoon, S.& Lee, C. W. (2012). Steam chamber evolution during SAGD and in thin layer oil sand reservoirs using a 2-D scaled model. ELSEVIER. 18, 2051-2058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiec.2012.05.026.
Zargar, Z. & Farouq Ali, S.M. (2020). Solvent co-injection with steam-assisted gravity drainage process performance evaluation–New analytical treatment in relation to constant injection rate. ELSEVIER. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2020.120679.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Tayllandya Suelly Praxedes; Jennys Lourdes Meneses Barillas
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
