Heavy oil reserves accounts for more than 8 trillion barrels of the total reserve. Thermal methods such as steam flooding (SF) and its variants have been applied extensively to develop the reserves. Complex heavy oil reservoirs possess certain properties that make the steam flooding ineffective. The properties include low thickness, deeper depth and formation nature (naturally fractured carbonates). Heat losses, gravity override and channeling are the common problems associated with it. Polymer flooding (PF) is one of the major non-thermal methods employed to recover heavy oil. Higher Salinity and divalency in carbonate reservoirs restricts polymer flooding applications. Higher oil viscosity also limits its application. In this work, we investigated the potential of viscoelastic surfactant (VES) in recovering heavy oil in complex reservoirs where steam-flooding and polymer flooding fail. VES exhibits certain unique properties which are ascertained individually. The properties include IFT reduction, viscosity, elasticity, emulsification, salinity resistance, compatibility, and thermal stability. The properties of VES extend its applicability in complex reservoirs and hybrid technique that combined the synergism of VES, P, and hot water has been investigated. Reservoir simulation studies with 5-spot pattern have been conducted to compare the performance of Steam flood, polymer flood, and hybrid VES flooding in thin heavy oil reservoirs. Results indicated that VES could be an ideal hybrid option along with hot water to recover high viscous heavy oil in thin reservoirs.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.