Comprehensive Fluid Compositional Analysis Program to Support the Interpretation of Chichimene Field In-Situ Combustion Pilot

Manrique, Eduardo; Trujillo, M.; Lizcano, J. C.; Cardenas, D. A.; Vanegas, Jose Walter; Portillo, F.; Salazar, H.; Caicedo, Nicolas

doi:10.2118/209390-ms

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 27 publications

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“…In the literature, there exist other ongoing ISC related pilot tests, − which may consist of a few well patterns and have not been expanded to the commercial scale. For this reason, detailed discussions are not presented in this section.…”

Section: Field Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

In-Situ Combustion for Heavy Oil and Oil Sands Recovery: Recent Progress, Field Applications, and Future Perspectives

Yang,

Chai,

Yuan

et al. 2024

Energy Fuels

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Heavy oil and bitumen resources are estimated to account for about 70% of the global oil reserves. Recovery of these resources economically and environmentally is crucial to satisfy the crude oil demand in the next few decades. Steam injection-based techniques encounter challenges of large water usage, high operating costs, and huge greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In-situ combustion, which utilizes the heat generated by oxidation reactions between crude oil and oxygen, is an alternative and promising thermal technique to recover heavy oil and bitumen resources with the expectation to reduce water usage and lower operating costs. But complexity of oxidation behavior and uncertainty of in-situ combustion (ISC) performance prediction have restricted the field application of the ISC process. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the most recent studies about the ISC process and updated field projects. Various experimental studies are first presented to investigate the oxidation mechanisms of crude oil and the ISC enhanced oil recovery (EOR) mechanism. Based on the experimental advances, recent progress on reaction kinetics models and field scale modeling of ISC is presented. Subsequently, currently active field projects have been updated to provide the best practice of field operation. Finally, future perspectives of ISC for heavy oil or oil sands recovery are identified with a focus on in-situ catalytic upgrading and hydrogen generation.

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Section: Field Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

In-Situ Combustion for Heavy Oil and Oil Sands Recovery: Recent Progress, Field Applications, and Future Perspectives

Yang,

Chai,

Yuan

et al. 2024

Energy Fuels

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show abstract

Workflow of the In Situ Combustion EOR Method in Venezuela: Challenges and Opportunities

Rodriguez¹,

Llamedo

Belhaj

et al. 2023

ACS Omega

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In situ combustion (ISC) is one of the oldest thermal enhanced oil recovery methods to have been applied in Venezuela to increase the production of highly viscous crude oils, with a first field application in 1959 in the Tia Juana Field-Lake Maracaibo Basin. This method, which is characterized by high energy efficiency, consists of injecting air into the reservoir where exothermic oxidation reactions initiate to increase the mobility of the oil. Compared to other thermal enhanced oil recovery methods such as steam injection, ISC has a lower environmental impact in terms of water and fuel consumption, and emission of gases as the produced gases can be reinjected or stored. Several ISC projects have been carried out in Venezuela in Tia Juana, Morichal, Miga, and Melones fields. Although the technical results have been satisfactory in terms of viscosity reduction and improved crude oil properties (such as °API), other important aspects of project evaluations have not been convincing due to the following factors: high temperatures in producing wells, acid gases management, generation of complex emulsions, corrosion, and high CAPEX and OPEX costs. Nevertheless, additional research work has been conducted on process optimization, using catalysts and hydrogen donors, to better address these other factors. Due to the great need to increase hydrocarbon production in Venezuela and to the advantages of ISC as an upgrading technique where low-carbon fuels and hydrogen as byproducts are generated, this paper presents a revisit of ISC projects in Venezuela from R&D technical aspects to field applications. It seeks to identify the main insights regarding the success and failure of the evaluated projects and make substantiated recommendations in the case of future applications of this technology.

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Opportunities for Producing Hydrogen and Low-carbon Fossil Fuels from Venezuelan Conventional and Unconventional Hydrocarbon Reservoirs: An Idea in Times of Energy Transition to Net Zero-Carbon

Rodriguez

Belhaj

Aldhuhoori

2022

Day 4 Thu, November 03, 2022

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Venezuela has a big potential for the generation of energy from renewable resources (e.g. water, wind, solar, biomass, etc.), geothermal reservoirs, and from its huge reserves of hydrocarbons in conventional and highly viscous oil reservoirs. Due to the great efforts being made by several countries worldwide to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and global warming, the production of clean fuels (e.g. hydrogen) with low-carbon content to reach net zero is a great challenge, but yet of keen interest, for the Venezuelan industry. The objective of this article is to review most of the relevant techniques and propose potential scenarios/technologies for the reduction of greenhouse gases and the generation of clean fuels from reservoirs in Venezuela. The methodologies that have been envisaged in various industry and research segments in hydrogen and low-carbon fuels include, but are not limited to, steam reforming, pyrolysis, gasification, combustion, CCUS, oil, etc. A detailed description of each technology along with relevant scenarios and main conclusions are given. Also, the processes and procedures undertaken in these clean fuel generation technologies are addressed in this article to cover advances made in various industry disciplines and to highlight potential future breakthroughs. For the Venezuelan particular case, the following major scenarios are predicted for the generation of clean fossil fuels: 1) production of hydrogen from natural gas with CO2 capture and storage in aquifers or in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs, 2) use of the produced or sequestered CO2 for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) in reservoirs with production decline, 3) production of clean fossil fuels from upgrading techniques and applicable EOR methods (e.g. in-situ combustion), 4) perspectives for the generation of hydrogen from renewable resources, among others. The application of each of these technologies/scenarios is closely linked to underlying technical feasibility and economics. This article presents an approach to producing hydrogen and low-carbon fossil fuels, upstream and downstream, with CO2 capture and storage. The sequestered CO2 could then be used in miscible gas floods in conventional oil reservoirs for improved recovery, despite the possible effect on asphaltene precipitation and related flow assurance issues. Reconversion schemes for existing flow lines and new infrastructure designs would be necessary for the application of hydrogen and low-carbon fuel technologies, which would involve significant investments in terms of OPEX and CAPEX.

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Comprehensive Fluid Compositional Analysis Program to Support the Interpretation of Chichimene Field In-Situ Combustion Pilot

Cited by 6 publications

References 27 publications

In-Situ Combustion for Heavy Oil and Oil Sands Recovery: Recent Progress, Field Applications, and Future Perspectives

In-Situ Combustion for Heavy Oil and Oil Sands Recovery: Recent Progress, Field Applications, and Future Perspectives

Workflow of the In Situ Combustion EOR Method in Venezuela: Challenges and Opportunities

Opportunities for Producing Hydrogen and Low-carbon Fossil Fuels from Venezuelan Conventional and Unconventional Hydrocarbon Reservoirs: An Idea in Times of Energy Transition to Net Zero-Carbon

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