H. Golbeck

Novel Expanding Solvent-SAGD Process "ES-SAGD"

The steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process has been successfully tested in field pilots, and commercial applications are currently underway by a number of oil companies. The process yields higher oil rates and faster reservoir depletion, as compared to other in situ oil recovery processes. Current developments of the SAGD process are aimed at improving oil rates, improving oil-to-steam ratios OSR, reducing energy, and minimizing water disposal requirements. In addition to SAGD, progress has been made in the development of solvent injection process. These processes result in lower oil rates and energy, requirements as compared to SAGD. At the present time, limited field results are available for the solvent processes to allow for adequate evaluation of field performance. A novel approach for combining the benefits of steam and solvents in the recovery of heavy oil and bitumen has been undertaken at the Alberta Research Council (ARC). A newly patented Expanding Solvent SAGD ES-SAGD process has been developed. The process has been successfully field-tested and resulted in improved oil rates improved OSR, and lower energy and water requirements as compared to SAGD. The paper discusses the concept and laboratory testing of the ES-SAGD process.

SAGD Operating Strategies

The steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process has emerged as an effective technology for the recovery of oil from oil sands deposits that are deeply buried for surface mining. In general, the process involves drilling paired horizontal wells, one well above the other and separated by a distance, near the bottom of the oil-bearing formation. The top well is used to inject steam into the oil sands, heating up the oil and allowing it to drain, under the action of gravity, into the bottom well. The paper first provides a review of the technological advances made in SAGD operating strategies. In addition to the successful field testing at the Underground Test Facility (UTF), the SAGD process has been recently extended to other types of reservoirs. These include reservoirs with lower permeability as compared to that at the UTF site and reservoirs with bottom water transition zones. Challenges facing application of the process in such types of reservoirs will be discussed. Concepts to overcome the challenges will be presented in terms of laboratory studies that have been carried out. The concepts tested include: the use of mechanical means such as drilling vertical drainage channels between paired horizontal wells; combining a vertical well with paired horizontal wells and potential for solvent and gaseous additives in steam (to improve SOR and reduce water requirements). Results provide valuable observations for field seale development of a more robust and economically viable process.

SAGD Wind-Down: Lab Test and Simulation

As SAGD moves from pilot test to commercial operation, a number of issues need to be dealt with. These include diagnosing and solving operational problems and improving energy efficiency. One of the methods of improving energy efficiency is to prolong oil production after steam injection stops by using the energy remaining in place. The results of a laboratory experiment and corresponding numerical history matching are reported in this paper. The study showed that the hot chamber continued its expansion after steam injection was stopped and a gas injection was initiated. The continuous expanding period represented the most productive period in the gas injection wind-down process. A total of 12.5% of OOIP was recovered during wind-down. Successful history matching of both the oil production curve and temperature profiles at different times demonstrated that the numerical simulation could handle the gas/steam mixing phenomena. Gas concentration profiles from numerical simulation indicated that gas was concentrated at the region where oil saturation was experiencing big changes.

SAGD Application in Gas Cap and Top Water Oil Reservoirs

The paper presents experimental results on the impact of top water and gas caps on SAGD performance. The effect of the top thief zone on oil drainage rates and potential oil and steam loss into the top zone were measured. The study involved the use of a large scale high-pressure/high temperature experimental facility for injecting steam into an oil sand pack and measuring oil drainage rates and development of temperature ahead of the steam chamber. Numerical modelling was conducted to predict field scale performance using the CMGs STARS simulator. An elemental experimental approach was used in the study to simulate a generic reservoir in the Athabasca region with a pay zone thickness of 50 m and an overlying thief zone thickness of 8 m. In this approach, a reservoir element was selected close to the oil/top thief zone interface. The element was located ahead of an advancing steam front. In order to set the initial conditions of the laboratory element to be similar to those in the field, field scale numerical simulation was conducted to determine the temperature distribution in the element. The field scale temperature profile was established in the laboratory elemental model to represent the elements initial temperature before the start of steam injection during the experiments. The paper discusses the results from the study and highlights the potential implications of the top thief zone on SAGD applications. In addition, differences between gas cap and top water thief zones on impacting the thermal and recovery efficiency of the SAGD process are demonstrated.

SAGD application in gas cap and top water oil reservoirs

The paper presents experimental results on the impact of top water and gas caps on SAGD performance. The effect of the top thief zone on oil drainage rates and potential oil and steam loss into the top zone were measured. The study involved the use of a large scale high-pressure/high temperature experimental facility for injecting steam into an oil sand pack and measuring oil drainage rates and development of temperature ahead of the steam chamber. Numerical modelling was conducted to predict field scale performance using the CMGs STARS simulator. An elemental experimental approach was used in the study to simulate a generic reservoir in the Athabasca region with a pay zone thickness of 50 m and an overlying thief zone thickness of 8 m. In this approach, a reservoir element was selected close to the oil/top thief zone interface. The element was located ahead of an advancing steam front. In order to set the initial conditions of the laboratory element to be similar to those in the field, field scale numerical simulation was conducted to determine the temperature distribution in the element. The field scale temperature profile was established in the laboratory elemental model to represent the elements initial temperature before the start of steam injection during the experiments. The paper discusses the results from the study and highlights the potential implications of the top thief zone on SAGD applications. In addition, differences between gas cap and top water thief zones on impacting the thermal and recovery efficiency of the SAGD process are demonstrated.

Steam Alternating Solvent Process: Lab Test and Simulation

A new heavy oil recovery process, the Steam Alternating Solvent (SAS) process, is studied by lab experiments and corresponding numerical simulation. The SAS process involves injecting steam and solvent alternately, using well configurations similar to those in the SAGD process. This process is designed to combine the advantages of the SAGD and VAPEX processes to minimize the energy input in heavy oil and bitumen recovery. Lab experiments were conducted using a 2D high-pressure/ high-temperature model. One baseline SAGD test and one SAS test were performed using an oil sample from Burnt Lake. A mixture of propane and methane was used as the solvent in the SAS test. The results showed that the energy input in the SAS process was 47% lower than that of the SAGD process for recovering the same amount of oil. The post-run analysis revealed that asphaltene precipitation occurred in the porous medium. Numerical history matching of the test data using Computer Modelling Groups STARS reservoir simulator captured the main features of the process.