Effects of Electrical and Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Heating on the Mass-Transfer Process during Miscible Injection for Heavy-Oil Recovery

Abstract

This paper deals with the effect of radio-frequency electromagnetic (RF-EM) fields and electrical heating on the mass-and heat-transfer processes in a multi-component hydrocarbon system flowing in porous media. The more specific objective was to determine the major differences between the RF-EM effects and electric heating and eventually to propose the application conditions toward their field-scale applications. Critical parameters, including the viscosity reduction, that affect the recovery of heavy oil under the influence of these heating options with the emphasis on resolving the asphaltene precipitation problem were clarified. It was observed that the EM field influence on the residual oil recovery factor was more critical, and a greater recovery was obtained from the RF-EM case. This was attributed to the fact that the RF-EM field influences polar components of the oil, desorpting these components from the surface of the rock and adding to the production, as indicated by the scanning atomic force microscopy images. This critical role of the RF field on the adsorptive process during the displacement of high-viscosity oils eventually resulted in less asphaltene precipitation and pore plugging.

Experimental Investigation of Bitumen Recovery From Fractured Carbonates Using Hot Solvents

“…The critical temperature can be achieved by preheating the reservoir by steam injection. Reservoir preheating in this type of carbonate reservoir could be achieved by steam injection (Nakamura et al 1995;Al-Shizawi et al 1997;Shahin et al 2006;Babadagli and Al-Bemani 2007;Al-Bahlani and Babadagli 2011a, b) or by electrical methods (Davletbaev et al 2011;Kovaleva et al 2010). Note that temperatures required for the Grosmont unit (given that the reservoir pressure is not more than approximately 1500 kPa) is not more than 115 and 55 C for butane and propane, respectively, and this is achievable in a short period of time by the thermal methods mentioned previously.…”

History Matching of Electromagnetically Heated Reservoirs Incorporating Full-Wavefield Seismic and Electromagnetic Imaging

“…The ranges for the amount of electromagnetic (EM) power applied is assumed to vary between zero and approximately 100 kW (Sahni et al 2000;Lake 2007).…”

“…Bottomhole pressure (BHP), water-cut ratio (WCR), and production flux were measured at all wells, with standard measurement errors of 25 bar for BHP and approximately 8% measurement-error rates for the other production data. For EM and seismic measurements, we have assumed error rates of approximately 10% (Lake 2007). Hereafter, we will denote by EMSE the simulations incorporating seismic, EM, and production data; by SEON those incorporating seismic and production data; by EMON those incorporating EM and production data; and by ONPR those incorporating only production data.…”

Evaluation of Induced Thermal Pressurization in Clearwater Shale Caprock in Electromagnetic Steam-Assisted Gravity-Drainage Projects

“…Downhole resistive (or ohmic) heaters have also been proposed for heating near the well in heavy-oil reservoirs to reduce the skin effect by near-well viscosity reduction McGee et al 1999a, b), even though this is not efficient for bitumen reservoirs, and its depth of influence is limited. RF EM stimulation has been proposed for heavy-oil-recovery heating in several studies (Abernethy 1976; Islam et al 1991;Sahni et al 2000;Sayakhov et al 2002;Carrizales et al 2008;Davletbaev et al 2011;Kovaleva et al 2011). A number of field tests of bottomhole heating by RF-EM radiation was carried out in Russia, the USA, and Canada (e.g., Spencer 1987Spencer , 1989Kasevich et al 1994).…”