Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology
Volume 49,
Number 9,
September 2010,
pp. 42-55
Summary
Heavy oil and bitumen are expected to become increasingly important sources
of fuel in the coming decades. Steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is a
commercially viable and widely used recovery technique for heavy oil and
bitumen. However, it remains an expensive technique and requires large energy
input in the form of steam. Energy intensity of SAGD, as well as environmental
concerns such as fresh water usage and CO2 emission, make it
imperative to find new oil extraction technologies. Coinjecting a hydrocarbon
additive with steam offers the potential of higher oil rates and recoveries
with lower energy and water consumption.
A reservoir simulation study using a 20X12X15 3D Cartesian model and
Athabasca fluid and reservoir properties was conducted to evaluate this
process. The role of hydrocarbon additive in the steam chamber and its effect
on the performance of SAGD was investigated.
Simulation results revealed the parameters that will have the greatest
impact on the process performance and indicated the effectiveness of each
hydrocarbon additive in improving the performance of SAGD. The results also
showed that selecting the most suitable hydrocarbon additive depends on the
operating conditions as well as the original reservoir fluid composition.
© 2010. Society of Petroleum Engineers
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History
- Original manuscript received:
16 October 2009
- Meeting paper published:
17 June 2009
- Revised manuscript received:
20 May 2010
- Manuscript approved:
24 June 2010
- Published online:
1 September 2010
- Version of record:
1 September 2010
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