Design, Testing, and Field Performance of Steam-Injection Flow-Control Devices for Use in SAGD Oil Recovery

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan McChesney ◽  
John Edlebeck
Keyword(s):  
Flow Control ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Field Performance ◽  
Steam Injection ◽  
Injection Flow ◽  
Flow Control Devices ◽  
Control Devices

Flow Control Devices in Steam Assisted Thermal Applications: A Way to Optimize Both Steam Injection and Fluids Production

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Da Zhu ◽  
Alberto Uzcategui
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Flow Control ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Steam Injection ◽  
Control Device ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Pressure Drops ◽  
Steam Flooding ◽  
Flow Control Devices ◽  
Control Devices

Abstract Flow Control Device (FCD) completions in steam assisted thermal applications have been implemented in several places: Canada, California, China, Oman and Colombia, among others. Such completion configurations have been more common in recent years to mitigate or avoid uneven and/or improper steam placement and steam breakthrough, which are some of the critical issues operators have experienced in these developments. This study presents different FCD technologies designed to optimize the steam injection and fluids production for diverse steam assisted applications including SAGD, CSS and Steam Flooding. Three FCD technologies are introduced: (i) supersonic steam injection FCD, (ii) steam choking FCD and (iii) multi-directional FCD. Extensive Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations, analytic near-wellbore simulations and flow loop testing were conducted to evaluate the performance of the three technologies: (i) the supersonic steam injection FCD showed a high pressure recovery (therefore, less upstream pressure requirements) and a reduction of the cumulative steam-oil ratio, (ii) the steam choking FCD demonstrated the highest steam choking capability for these type of devices and (iii) the multi-directional FCD showed promising results for CSS applications to allow for supersonic steam injection during the injection phase and steam choking capabilities during the production phase Common FCD deployment risks such as erosion, scaling potential and high pressure drops were reviewed to provide the reader with a high level understanding of the factors which could induce these issues. Finally, field data where FCD completions have been installed is presented to compare the FCD wells performance versus conventional well designs and illustrate the success of these completions strategies. Keywords: flow control devices, supersonic steam injection, steam choking

An Overview of the Field Performance of Tubing Deployed Flow Control Devices in the Surmont SAGD Project

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristian Nespor ◽  
Jesus Chacin ◽  
Julian Ortiz ◽  
Julie Morter ◽  
Uliana Romanova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Control ◽  
Field Performance ◽  
Flow Control Devices ◽  
Control Devices

Flow Profiling Using Fiber Optics in a Horizontal Steam Injector with Liner-Deployed Flow Control Devices

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Javaheri ◽  
Minh Tran ◽  
Richard Scot Buell ◽  
Timothy Lee Gorham ◽  
Jack Sims ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Control ◽  
Fiber Optics ◽  
Optical Fibers ◽  
Probabilistic Approach ◽  
Steam Injection ◽  
Flow Profile ◽  
Distributed Temperature Sensing ◽  
Capital Costs ◽  
Flow Control Devices ◽  
Control Devices

Abstract Horizontal steam injectors can improve the efficiency of thermal operations relative to vertical injectors. However, effective in-well and reservoir surveillance is needed to understand steam conformance. Uniform steam chest development improves steam-oil-ratio (SOR) in continuous steam injection and accelerates recovery in cyclic steam injection. Conformance of the injected steam can be achieved by flow control devices (FCD) deployed on either tubing or liner. A new liner-deployed FCD was used in a horizontal steam injector in the Kern River field. The liner-deployed FCD is intended to replace the tubing-deployed FCDs while reducing capital costs, surveillance costs, and well intervention costs for conformance control. Fiber optics was used for surveillance, which is the most promising method in horizontal steam injectors considering reliability, accuracy, and cost. Fiber optic data enables monitoring the performance of liner-deployed FCDs as well as estimating the flow profile along the lateral length. Multi-mode Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) optical fibers and single-mode Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) optical fibers were installed in the well for these objectives. Algorithms for interpreting DTS were improved to include a new technique, Shape Language Modeling (SLM), and a probabilistic approach. The configuration of the FCDs was changed during a well intervention, and it was monitored by DTS and DAS. Data from both DTS and DAS confirms the open/closed position of the sliding sleeve of FCDs initially and after the intervention. The probabilistic estimates of steam outflow in several FCD configurations match well with the theoretical outflow that is expected from the critical flow of steam through chokes installed in the FCDs.

scholarly journals Prediction of flow-control devices' noise with modified acoustic perturbation equations

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 619-627
Author(s):  
Luca Fenini ◽  
Stefano Malavasi
Keyword(s):  
Flow Control ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
International Standards ◽  
The Other ◽  
Computational Time ◽  
Noise Prediction ◽  
Acoustic Perturbation ◽  
Flow Control Devices ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Perturbation Equations

Abstract Fluid-dynamic noise emissions produced by flow-control devices inside ducts are a concerning issue for valve manufacturers and pipeline management. This work proposes a modified formulation of Acoustic Perturbation Equations (APE) that is applicable to industrial frameworks where the interest is addressed to noise prediction according to international standards. This formulation is derived from a literature APE system removing two terms allowing for a computational time reduction of about 20%. The physical contribution of the removed terms is discussed according to the literature. The modified APE are applied to the prediction of the noise emitted by an orifice. The reliability of the new APE system is evaluated by comparing the Sound Pressure Level (SPL) and the acoustic pressure with the ones returned by LES and literature APE. The new formulation agrees with the other methods far from the orifice: moving over nine diameters downstream of the trailing edge, the SPL is in accordance with the other models. Since international standards characterize control devices with the noise measured 1 m downstream of them, the modified APE formulation provides reliable and faster noise prediction for those devices with outlet diameter, d, such that 9d < 1 m.

The Application of Shape Memory Alloy as Vortex Generators and Flow Control Devices for Enhanced Convective Heat Transfer

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd. S. Aris ◽  
Ieuan Owen ◽  
Chris. J. Sutcliffe
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Flow Control ◽  
Shape Memory ◽  
Convective Heat Transfer ◽  
Heat Transfer Enhancement ◽  
Convective Heat ◽  
Vortex Generators ◽  
Transfer Enhancement ◽  
Flow Control Devices ◽  
Control Devices

This paper is concerned with convective heat transfer enhancement of heated surfaces through the use of vortex generators and flow control devices. A preliminary proof-of-concept investigation has been carried out into the use of active vortex generators and flow control elements, both manufactured from Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) which are activated at set temperatures. The vortex generators change their shape to intrude further into the flow at high temperature to enhance heat transfer, while they maintain a low profile at low temperatures to minimise flow pressure losses. One set of vortex generators was made from pre-alloyed powders of SMA material in an advanced rapid prototyping process known as Selective Laser Melting (SLM). Another set of devices was also made from commercially available flat annealed thin SMA sheets for comparison purposes. The flow control elements are devices that preferentially guide the flow to heated parts of a surface, again using temperature-activated SMAs. Promising results were obtained for both the vortex generator and flow control device when their temperatures were varied from 20° to 85°C. The vortex generators responded by increasing their angle of attack from 20° to 35° while the wavy flow control elements straightened out at higher temperatures. As the designs were two-way trained, they regain their initial position and shape at a lower temperature. The surface temperature of the heated plate on which the active devices were positioned reduced between 8 to 51%, indicating heat transfer enhancement due to the generated vortices and changes in air flow rates.

A Mathematical Model to Predict Solvent/Steam Flashing in Pure Solvent or Solvent/Steam Coinjection in Horizontal Producers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mazda Irani ◽  
Nasser Sabet ◽  
Farzad Bashtani ◽  
Kousha Gohari
Keyword(s):  
Flow Control ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Relative Permeability ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Liquid Pool ◽  
Solvent Injection ◽  
Recovery Processes ◽  
Flow Control Devices ◽  
Pure Solvent ◽  
Control Devices

Summary Although the steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process is still the preferred thermal-recovery process method for Athabascan deposits in Alberta, Canada, the interest in solvent-based techniques is growing due to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions and water treatment concerns. In SAGD process, the thermodynamic trapping or subcool trapping is quite efficient due to strongly dependency of bitumen viscosity to temperature. As Irani (2018) discussed subcool trapping for solvent applications such NsolvTM recovery process is inefficient due to week dependency of solvent viscosity to temperature. Other factor that effects the efficiency of the thermodynamic trapping is that the pure solvent injection recovery processes are operated at low pressure and it is not large temperature window for operators to apply large subcools. Such challenges make the pure solvent injection recovery processes a perfect case for deployment of Flow-Control-Devices (FCDs). FCDs have demonstrated significant potential for improving recovery in SAGD production wells. FCD experience in SAGD has been primarily positive and most producers performed better with FCDs. Application of FCDs are even more important in pure-solvent injection recovery processes due to large amount of solvent in the liquid pool and also low latent heat of solvent in comparison of water. With FCDs, the draw-down pressure is typically higher, resulting in flashing near the well bore, which is largely correlated to latent heat of the main fluid in the liquid pool. The flashing creates either steam or vapour breakthrough that causes the reduction in the relative permeability of the liquid phase. Such mobility reduction creates new equilibrium that stabilizes at lower rates. Such new equilibrium analysis is conducted by forcing a new temperature gradient to the model. Such condition creates an environment that leads into extensive solvent-breakthrough called solvent-coning in this study. The main output of such analysis is the produced solvent gas-fraction produced at the sand-face. The gas-fraction is an important input for the flow control devices (FCDs) especially at subcools close to the zero, as it controls its behavior. EoS model is also created and simplified to be possible to used in defining different equilibrium conditions. This type of analysis can help the operators evaluate the effectiveness of different type of FCDs, whether they are primarily momentum- or friction-style devices for application of the pure solvent injection recovery processes. This study is the first of its kind that couple the EoS and Darcy flow in the liquid pool. The model includes all the factors into a liquid-relative-permeability, and limitation of the liquid flow into producer is modeled by Darcy flow and reduction of such relative-permeability.

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