Effects of Heavy Oil-Solvent Interfacial Tension on Gravity Drainage in the vapor extraction (VAPEX) Process

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaodong Yang ◽  
Yongan Gu
Keyword(s):  
Interfacial Tension ◽  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Vapor Extraction

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.

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.

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

scholarly journals Effect of Composition and Interfacial Tension on the Rheology and Morphology of Heavy Oil-In-Water Emulsions

ACS Omega ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (27) ◽  
pp. 16460-16469
Author(s):  
Marianna P. Arinina ◽  
Kirill V. Zuev ◽  
Valery G. Kulichikhin ◽  
Alexander Ya. Malkin
Keyword(s):  
Interfacial Tension ◽  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Oil In Water

Feasibility of time-lapse gravity and gravity gradiometry monitoring for steam-assisted gravity drainage reservoirs

Geophysics ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. WA99-WA111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anya Reitz ◽  
Richard Krahenbuhl ◽  
Yaoguo Li
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Great Success ◽  
Gravity Gradiometry ◽  
Steam Chamber ◽  
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage ◽  
The Cost

There is presently an increased need to monitor production efficiency as heavy oil reservoirs become more economically viable. We present a feasibility study of monitoring steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) reservoirs using time-lapse gravimetry and gravity gradiometry. Even though time-lapse seismic has historically shown great success for SAGD monitoring, the gravimetry and gravity gradiometry methods offer a low-cost interseismic alternative that can complement the seismic method, increase the survey frequency, and decrease the cost of monitoring. In addition, both gravity-based methods are directly sensitive to the density changes that occur as a result of the replacement of heavy oil by steam. Advances in technologies have made both methods viable candidates for consideration in time-lapse reservoir monitoring, and we have numerically evaluated their potential application in monitoring SAGD production. The results indicate that SAGD production should produce a strong anomaly for both methods at typical SAGD reservoir depths. However, the level of detail for steam-chamber geometries and separations that can be recovered from the gravimetry and gravity gradiometry data is site dependent. Gravity gradiometry shows improved monitoring ability, such as better recovery of nonuniform steam movement due to reservoir heterogeneity, at shallower production reservoirs. Gravimetry has the ability to detect SAGD steam-chamber growth to greater depths than does gravity gradiometry, although with decreasing resolution of the expanding steam chambers.

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