Warm VAPEX: A Thermally Improved Vapor Extraction Process for Recovery of Heavy Oil and Bitumen

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 5934-5946 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Rezaei ◽  
O. Mohammadzadeh ◽  
I. Chatzis
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Extraction Process ◽  
Vapor Extraction

Revisiting the Butler-Mokrys Model for the Vapor-Extraction Process

SPE Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (02) ◽  
pp. 511-521
Author(s):  
V.. Mohan ◽  
P.. Neogi ◽  
B.. Bai
Keyword(s):  
Concentration Profile ◽  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Extraction Process ◽  
Previous Model ◽  
Oil Reservoir ◽  
Vapor Extraction ◽  
Oil Viscosity ◽  
Solvent Vapor ◽  
Vapor Interface ◽  
Heavy Oil Reservoir

Summary The dynamics of a process in which a solvent in the form of a vapor or gas is introduced in a heavy-oil reservoir is considered. The process is called the solvent vapor-extraction process (VAPEX). When the vapor dissolves in the oil, it reduces its viscosity, allowing oil to flow under gravity and be collected at the bottom producer well. The conservation-of-species equation is analyzed to obtain a more-appropriate equation that differentiates between the velocity within the oil and the velocity at the interface, which can be solved to obtain a concentration profile of the solvent in oil. We diverge from an earlier model in which the concentration profile is assumed. However, the final result provides the rate at which oil is collected, which agrees with the previous model in that it is proportional to h, where h is the pay-zone height; in contrast, some of the later data show a dependence on h. Improved velocity profiles can capture this dependence. A dramatic increase in output is seen if the oil viscosity decreases in the presence of the solvent, although the penetration of the solvent into the oil is reduced because under such conditions the diffusivity decreases with decreased solvent. One other important feature we observe is that when the viscosity-reducing effect is very large, the recovered fluid is mainly solvent. Apparently, some optimum might exist in the solubility φo, where the ratio of oil recovered to solvent lost is the largest. Finally, the present approach also allows us to show how the oil/vapor interface evolves with time.

Steady State Analysis of Heated Soil Vapor Extraction Process With Air Sparging

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. M. Mohan Das ◽  
R. S. Amano ◽  
T. Roy ◽  
J. Jatkar
Keyword(s):  
Extraction Process ◽  
Soil Vapor Extraction ◽  
Air Sparging ◽  
Saturated Zone ◽  
Vapor Extraction ◽  
Combined System ◽  
Discrete Phase Modeling ◽  
Discrete Phase ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Heated Soil

Heated Soil Vapor Extraction (HSVE), developed by Advanced Remedial Technology is a Soil remediation process that has gained significant attention during the past few years. HSVE along with Air sparging has been found to be an effective way of remediating soil of various pollutants including solvents, fuels and Para-nuclear aromatics. The combined system consists of a heater/boiler that pumps and circulates hot oil through heating wells, a blower that helps to suck the contaminants out through the extraction well, and air sparging wells that extend down to the saturated region in the soil. Both the heating wells and extraction wells are installed vertically in the saturated region in contaminated soil and is welded at the bottom and capped at the top. The heat source heats the soil and the heat is transported inside the soil by means of conduction and convection. This heating of soil results in vaporization of the gases, which are then absorbed by the extraction well. Soil vapor extraction cannot remove contaminants in the saturated zone of the soil that lies below the water table. In that case air sparging may be used. In air sparging system, air is pumped into the saturated zone to help flush the contaminants up into the unsaturated zone where the contaminants are removed by SVE well. In this analysis an attempt has been made to predict the behavior of different chemicals in the unsaturated and saturated regions of the soil. This analysis uses the species transport and discrete phase modeling to predict the behavior of different chemicals when it is heated and absorbed by the extraction well. Such an analysis will be helpful in predicting the parameters like the distance between the heating and extraction wells, the temperature to be maintained at the heating well and the time required for removing the contaminants from the soil.

Upscaling Study of Vapor Extraction Process Through Numerical Simulation

2012 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 697-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Xu ◽  
F. Zeng ◽  
Y. Gu ◽  
K. D. Knorr
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Extraction Process ◽  
Vapor Extraction

Gas Solubility Measurement in Heavy Oil and Extra Heavy Oil at Vapor Extraction (VAPEX) Conditions

2013 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 2528-2535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Varet ◽  
François Montel ◽  
Djamel Nasri ◽  
Jean-Luc Daridon
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Gas Solubility ◽  
Vapor Extraction ◽  
Solubility Measurement
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