Improving hydrocarbon recovery from reservoirs needs both a better understanding of fluid flow through the reservoir porous media and new technologies. This paper addresses the later. Early steam breakthrough, unknown heat distribution and existing exploitation policies inhibit recovery of the remaining reserve of millions of barrels of heavy oil. Integrated reservoir studies and numerical simulations results indicated that proper reservoir management practices such as, reservoir monitoring, heat management, and reservoir characterization can improve final recovery. In order to better manage heat distribution in heavy oil reservoirs, it is required that vertical and areal distribution of temperature fronts are known. Permanent well-bore temperature distribution profile was obtained by means of the deployment of a 2,500 ft-long fiber optic cable in two parallel SAGD horizontal wells in Tia Juana field, western Venezuela. A laser bean is sent through the fiber cable and its reflections are collected by a computer, which transforms light reflections into distributed temperature profile information. Distributed temperature profile when compare to resistivity logs easily indicates and correlates which pay zones are being contacted by steam. Distributed temperature profile information allows reservoir engineers and operators to anticipate which horizons are being swept by steam and which are not. Proper actions on the injection profile can be made in order to improve spatial steam distribution and heat management. Fiber optics applications also include pipeline monitoring, horizontal well production profiles, electrosubmersible pump monitoring, cross-flow detection, gas lift valve performance, energy management and other general safety application.

The Bolívar Coast Heavy Oil Fields (Tía Juana, Lagunillas and Bachaquero), located at the eastern onshore area of Maracaibo Lake, Western Venezuela, contain some 37 billion barrels of Oil Originally In Place. The recovery from these three giant fields is 5.5 billions (15% STOOIP), and is expected to reach 7.7 billions (21% STOOIP) under current primary recovery method (Cyclic Steam Injection). It has been estimated that an additional 39% of STOOIP in potential areas for steamflooding could be recovered by this process. Previous conceptual studies, and field projects in Bolivar coast area has showed high recovery factor and marginal economics. Those project were conducted under conventional application of technology. In the last 10 years, technology has evolved in such a way that monitoring can be improved and the performance enhanced for secondary recovery process. These new technologies, such as 4D seismic, Tomography, fiber optic, new approach for steam generation etc., have been tested in different steamflood projects with high impact in the added value. PDVSA E&P has adopted a new approach to carry out technological projects under the philosophy of the Integrated Field Laboratories. This concept is a wider definition of a Pilot Test, since it encompasses the ideas of evaluating a secondary recovery process and performing the corresponding reservoir management. The reservoir management includes the evaluation of different technologies for monitoring and control and the simulation and visualization of the process itself, so injected fluid fronts can be tracked down the reservoir. This will allow the creation of an integrated data base and the use of intelligent information systems in order to predict changes and perform decision analysis. The lesson Learned in this Lab will help us to optimize and become marginal projects into profitable ones. This paper presented the results obtain up to date in the integrated field laboratory that for heavy oil is conducted in W-6 area of Lagunillas Field in the Bolivar coast.

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 1998 SPE International Conference on Horizontal Well Technology held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 1-4 November 1998.

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 1999 SPE Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference held in Caracas, Venezuela, 21–23April 1999.