Semi-Analytical Modeling of Steam-Solvent Gravity Drainage of Heavy Oil and Bitumen, Part 1: Enhanced Flow Rate at Mobile Zone

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moosa Rabiei Faradonbeh ◽  
Thomas Grant Harding ◽  
Jalal Abedi
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Analytical Modeling ◽  
Gravity Drainage

A Semianalytical Model for Simulating Combined Electromagnetic Heating and Solvent-Assisted Gravity Drainage

SPE Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (04) ◽  
pp. 1248-1270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lanxiao Hu ◽  
Huazhou Andy Li ◽  
Tayfun Babadagli ◽  
Majid Ahmadloo
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Hybrid Technique ◽  
Solvent Injection ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Oil Flow

Summary Solvent/thermal hybrid methods have been proposed recently to enhance heavy-oil recovery and to overcome the shortcomings that are encountered when either method is solely applied. One of the methods for this hybridization is to combine electromagnetic (EM) heating and solvent injection to facilitate heavy-oil production by gravity drainage. This approach has several advantages including reduced CO2 emissions, decreased water consumption, and appropriateness for water-hostile reservoirs. We are currently lacking any mathematical model for better understanding, designing, and optimizing this hybrid technique, which is partly attributed to this technique still being in its infancy. We propose a semianalytical model to predict the oil-flow rate resulting from the combined EM heating and solvent-assisted gravity drainage. The model first calculates the temperature distribution within the EM-excited zone caused by the radiation-dominated EM heating. Using different attenuation coefficients within and beyond the vapor chamber, the model can properly describe the corresponding temperature responses in these regions. Next, an average temperature of the chamber edge contributed by EM heating is used to estimate the temperature-dependent properties, such as vapor/liquid equilibrium ratios (K-values), heavy-oil/solvent-mixture viscosity, and solvent diffusivity. Subsequently, a 1D diffusion equation is used to calculate the solvent-concentration distribution ahead of the chamber edge. Eventually, the oil-flow rate is evaluated with the calculated temperature and solvent distributions ahead of the chamber edge. The proposed model is validated against the experimental results obtained in our previous study, and the predicted oil-flow rate agrees reasonably well with the experimental data. The proposed model can efficiently predict the oil-flow rate of this hybrid process. We conduct sensitivity analyses to examine the effect of major influential factors on the performance of this hybrid technique, including EM heating powers, solvent types, solvent-injection pressures, and initial reservoir temperatures. The modeling results demonstrate that a higher EM heating power, a heavier solvent, and a higher solvent-injection pressure could accelerate the oil-recovery rate, but tend to lower the net present value (NPV) and increase the energy consumption. In summary, the newly proposed model provides an efficient tool to understand, design, and optimize the combined technique of EM heating and solvent-assisted gravity drainage.

Analytical Solutions and Derivation of Relative Permeabilities for Water-Heavy Oil Displacement and Gas-Heavy Oil Gravity Drainage Under Non-Isothermal Conditions

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (01) ◽  
pp. 181-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. J. Argüelles-Vivas ◽  
T.. Babadagli
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Gradient ◽  
Relative Permeability ◽  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Variable Temperature ◽  
Spontaneous Imbibition ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Positive Temperature ◽  
Relative Permeability Curves ◽  
Isothermal Gas

Summary Analytical models were developed for non-isothermal gas/heavy-oil gravity drainage and water-heavy oil displacements in round capillary tubes including the effects of a temperature gradient throughout the system. By use of the model solution for a bundle of capillaries, relative permeability curves were generated at different temperature conditions. The results showed that water/gas-heavy oil interface location, oil-drainage velocity, and production rate depend on the change of oil properties with temperature. The displacement of heavy oil by water or gas was accelerated under a positive temperature gradient, including the spontaneous imbibition of water. Relative permeability curves were greatly affected by temperature gradient and showed significant changes compared with the curves at constant temperature. Clarifications were made as to the effect of variable temperature compared with the constant (but high) temperatures throughout the bundle of capillaries.

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