The Impact of Clay Type on the Asphaltene Deposition during Bitumen Extraction with Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasin Unal ◽  
Taniya Kar ◽  
Albina Mukhametshina ◽  
Berna Hascakir
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage ◽  
Asphaltene Deposition ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Bitumen Extraction ◽  
Clay Type

Novel insights on the impact of top water on Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage in a point bar reservoir

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 616-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen E. Austin-Adigio ◽  
Jingyi Wang ◽  
Jose M. Alvarez ◽  
Ian D. Gates
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Point Bar ◽  
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage ◽  
The Impact

An Investigation into Current Sand Control Testing Practices for Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage Production Wells

Eng ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 435-453
Author(s):  
Omar Kotb ◽  
Mohammad Haftani ◽  
Alireza Nouri
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Testing Procedure ◽  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage ◽  
Mcmurray Formation ◽  
Sand Control ◽  
Production Wells ◽  
Brine Chemistry ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Impact

Sand control screens (SCD) have been widely installed in wells producing bitumen from unconsolidated formations. The screens are typically designed using general rules-of-thumb. The sand retention testing (SRT) technique has gained attention from the industry for the custom design and performance assessment of SCD. However, the success of SRT experimentation highly depends on the accuracy of the experimental design and variables. This work examines the impact of the setup design, sample preparation, near-wellbore stress conditions, fluid flow rates, and brine chemistry on the testing results and, accordingly, screen design. The SRT experiments were carried out using the replicated samples from the McMurray Formation at Long Lake Field. The results were compared with the test results on the original reservoir samples presented in the literature. Subsequently, a parametric study was performed by changing one testing parameter at a test, gradually making the conditions more comparable to the actual wellbore conditions. The results indicate that the fluid flow rate is the most influential parameter on sand production, followed by the packing technique, stress magnitude, and brine salinity level. The paper presents a workflow for the sand control testing procedure for designing the SCD in the steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) operations.

Optimisation of Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage [SAGD] for Improved Recovery from Unconsolidated Heavy Oil Reservoirs

2011 ◽  
Vol 367 ◽  
pp. 403-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Babs Mufutau Oyeneyin ◽  
Amol Bali ◽  
Ebenezer Adom
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Oil Industry ◽  
Steam Injection ◽  
Thermal Capacity ◽  
Thermal Recovery ◽  
Viscosity Reduction ◽  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage ◽  
The Impact

Most of the heavy oil resources in the world are in sandstone reservoir rocks, the majority of which are unconsolidated sands which presents unique challenges for effective sand management. Because they are viscous and have less mobility, then appropriate recovery mechanisms that lower the viscosity to the point where it can readily flow into the wellbore and to the surface are required. There are many cold and thermal recovery methods assisted by gravity drainage being employed by the oil industry. These are customised for specific reservoir characteristics with associated sand production and management problems. Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) based on horizontal wells and gravity drainage, is becoming very popular in the heavy oil industry as a thermal viscosity reduction technique. SAGD has the potential to generate a heavy oil recovery factor of up to 65% but there are challenges to ‘’realising the limit’’. The process requires elaborate planning and is influenced by a combination of factors. This paper presents unique models being developed to address the issue of multiphase steam-condensed water-heavy oil modelling. It addresses the effects of transient issues such as the changing pore size distribution due to compaction on the bulk and shear viscosities of the non-Newtonian heavy oil and the impact on the reservoir productivity, thermal capacity of the heavy oil, toe-to-heel steam injection rate and quality for horizontal well applications. Specific case studies are presented to illustrate how the models can be used for detailed risk assessment for SAGD design and real-time process optimisation necessary to maximise production at minimum drawdown. Nomenclature

The Effect of Clay Type on Steam-Assisted-Gravity-Drainage Performance

2015 ◽  
Vol 54 (06) ◽  
pp. 412-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taniya Kar ◽  
Albina Mukhametshina ◽  
Yasin Unal ◽  
Berna Hascakir
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage ◽  
Clay Type

Predicting Geomechanical Dynamics of the Steam-Assisted-Gravity-Drainage Process. Part I: Mohr-Coulomb (MC) Dilative Model

SPE Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (04) ◽  
pp. 1223-1247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mazda Irani
Keyword(s):  
Shear Zones ◽  
Thermal Recovery ◽  
Absolute Permeability ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage ◽  
Recovery Processes ◽  
Stress Changes ◽  
Caprock Integrity ◽  
The Impact

Summary In the steam-assisted-gravity-drainage (SAGD) recovery process, the injection of high-pressure/high-temperature steam causes significant stress changes at the edge of the heated zone or steam chamber. These stress changes include shear dilation, which can both enhance the absolute permeability and result in horizontal and vertical formation displacements. The importance of considering geomechanical effects in thermal-recovery processes has been extensively discussed in the literature, but the prediction and surveillance of the resulting effects, such as the impact on production enhancement and reservoir displacement, have in many cases been neglected. Furthermore, issues related to these geomechanical effects on thermal production have been the subject of considerable debate in the industry with no conclusive, meaningful assessments of the effect on reservoir deliverability and production, or of the associated risks that such geomechanical effects have on wellbore and caprock integrity. This study will focus on identification of the main findings from an extensive monitoring program conducted on the original SAGD pilot project conducted at the Underground Test Facility (UTF) in the late 1980s and a seismic program conducted during the last several years by an SAGD operator at a commercial thermal-recovery project. The measured displacements and identified dilation shear zones in these applications were compared with a Mohr-Coulomb (MC) dilative model. This paper illustrates some of the pros and cons of using such analytical models through comparison of the results based on field evidence of the dilation and shearing effects, and how these mechanisms affect both reservoir productivity (revenue) and wellbore and caprock integrity. Although the discussion on the geomechanical effects in thermal-recovery processes will no doubt continue, this study will provide field-supported results to illustrate both beneficial and potentially challenging impacts that these geomechanical effects can have in a thermal-recovery project.

Asphaltene Precipitation During Bitumen Extraction With Expanding-Solvent Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage: Effects on Pore-Scale Displacement

SPE Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (02) ◽  
pp. 380-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albina Mukhametshina ◽  
Taniya Kar ◽  
Berna Hascakir
Keyword(s):  
High Energy ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Steam Generation ◽  
Injection Strategy ◽  
Steam Chamber ◽  
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage ◽  
Asphaltene Fraction ◽  
Solvent Type ◽  
The Impact

Summary Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is a proved enhanced-oil-recovery technique for oil-sand extraction. However, the environmental and the economic challenges associated with steam generation limit the application of this technology. To address these issues, we have investigated the effectiveness of expanding-solvent-SAGD (ES-SAGD) over base SAGD on a bitumen sample (8.8 °API). Experimental studies are conducted with a 2D physical model. Different strategies for solvent injection are tested (coinjection and cyclic injection) to examine the impact of the deposition of the asphaltene fraction of the bitumen on porous media and the behavior of the asphaltene fraction in produced oil. Toluene is used as asphaltene-soluble solvent, and n-hexane is selected as asphaltene-insoluble. Steam-chamber development is monitored with temperature profiles from 47 separate positions. The oil rate, recovery factor, and the produced-oil quality are evaluated together. The effectiveness of SAGD and ES-SAGD is discussed by considering the role of asphaltenes and their interactions with clays in both produced- and residual-oil samples. This study reveals that coinjection of hydrocarbon solvents with steam enhances the steam-chamber development with higher oil-production rate. Moreover, ES-SAGD results in recovery of more-upgraded oil and has a lesser environmental impact. We observe that the selections of solvent type and injection strategy are the most crucial parameters for the design of a hybrid SAGD process, and solvent cost and toxicity can be minimized with the recycling of solvent for continuous injection of solvents. High-energy consumption for steam generation during the SAGD process can be reduced by coinjection of proper solvent type with steam at a proper injection strategy. Our study reveals that the ES-SAGD process has environmental and economic benefits that are preferable to those of the base SAGD. However, some solvents can cause undesirable effects because of asphaltene destabilization and precipitation in production or transportation lines. The results of this work show that not only asphaltenes but also the other fractions of oil, along with the reservoir-clay type and the clay amount, affect the ES-SAGD performance.

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