Enhanced heavy oil recovery (SAGD), coinjection of steam and solvent, reduction of CEOR and CSOR

Zare, Alireza; Abdulhameed, Faisal Muthanna; Hesland, Bjørnar; Hamouda, Aly A.

doi:10.1080/10916466.2016.1267745

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…There have been many numerical and experimental studies on solvent co-injection with steam since the solvent-aided process was introduced. Both liquid and gaseous solvents have been suggested ,, and implemented in the pilot- or field-scale applications. , The solvents that have been used or suggested for expanding-solvent-SAGD (ES-SAGD) include but are not limited to methane, ethane, , propane, − ethyl acetate (EA), , dimethyl ether (DME), ,− carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), naphtha, butane, , pentane, hexane, ,− heptane, and diluent (mixtures of C 4 –C 10 ) . For example, Zirahi et al , used EA as a bio-based solvent to perform 2D physical model experiments and simulation studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many experimental and simulation studies on the solvent-aided processes have focused on the type of solvent, the amount of solvent used, and their effects on the production rate. 12 , 19 , 20 , 22 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 29 In contrast, bitumen leaching by solvents has rarely been studied. The numerical simulation studies reported in the literature have mainly employed large grid blocks where fundamental mechanisms such as viscosity- and density-driven fingering cannot be properly captured.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gravity Drainage of Bitumen Induced by Solvent Leaching

Mohammadi

Sabet

2023

ACS Omega

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Steam-based thermal recovery processes are energy-intensive and pose environmental concerns due to their high greenhouse gas emissions. The application of solvents has shown promise in reducing the environmental impact of these processes. In this work, the solvent chamber theory is used to study the gravity drainage of bitumen. The results reveal that the drainage rate can be scaled using the thermophysical properties of solvents. The drainage rate is shown to be directly related to the density difference between bitumen and solvent and inversely proportional to the mixture viscosity. A universal scaling relation between the Sherwood number, as a measure of the mass transfer, and Rayleigh number, as a measure of the natural convection, in the form of Sh = βRa is presented using the experimental data of various solvents. This linear relationship is consistent with the theoretical studies of buoyancy-driven convection. Moreover, the scaling prefactor β is found to decrease with increasing natural log of the mobility ratio (α), which results in a lower rate of convective mass transfer. Furthermore, a new critical Rayleigh number equation based on the power-law mixing rule (PLMR) is derived, and the results are compared with the available theories in the literature based on the exponential mixing rule (EMR). The findings provide insights into understanding the convective dissolution with large viscosity contrast. Furthermore, the developed scaling relation provides a useful tool to predict the convective mixing of different bitumen/solvent systems. The results find application in the design of the solvent-based bitumen recovery processes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gravity Drainage of Bitumen Induced by Solvent Leaching

Mohammadi

Sabet

2023

ACS Omega

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“…Govind et al performed a simulation study and their results demonstrated that butane has a better performance compared to pentane, hexane, and heptane due to its high vapor pressure and solubility in bitumen. Simulation studies of Ardali et al and Zare et al showed that solvents heavier than butane can also increase the recovery and Zare et al have suggested hexane as a more efficient solvent. Nasr et al and Nasr and Ayodele conducted 3D physical model experiments and their results showed that hexane and diluent (mixture of C 4 –C 10 ) resulted in a higher drainage rate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethyl acetate as a bio‐based solvent to reduce energy intensity and CO₂ emissions of in situ bitumen recovery

et al. 2019

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We introduce ethyl acetate (EA), a bio-based chemical, as a potential solvent for bitumen recovery through comprehensive phase behavior and numerical simulation studies. Phase behavior and thermophysical properties of EA/live bitumen are measured at temperatures and pressures up to 190 C and 4 MPa, respectively. Experimental studies suggested that coinjection of EA with steam can reduce the bitumen viscosity by several orders of magnitude. Our numerical simulations show that coinjection of 2-8 mol% EA with steam can significantly reduce the steam-oil-ratio (SOR) by almost 0.9 units while increasing the bitumen production rate. This reduction in SOR can be translated to significant energy saving of~2.2 GJ, emission reduction of~120 kg of CO 2 , and wastewater reduction of~120 m 3 per ton of the produced bitumen, which are almost 20-25% lower than the steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process.

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“…In a simulation study, Sheng et al 6 demonstrated that DME as a water-soluble solvent results in higher recovery factor than butane coinjection. Zare et al 7 also investigated the effect of hydrocarbon solvents coinjection on heavy oil recovery and reported that hexane results in better oil recovery.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Solubility and Viscosity Measurements for Methane–, Ethane–, Propane–, and Butane–Athabasca Bitumen Systems at High Temperatures up to 260 °C

et al. 2018

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One of the important mechanisms in solvent-aided thermal recovery processes is viscosity reduction due to dissolution of solvent in the bitumen. This dissolution occurs either with the condensed solvent at the edge of the steam chamber or with direct contact of gaseous solvent and bitumen. Therefore, it is essential to determine the solubility and viscosity of solvent in bitumen for reservoir simulation of solvent-aided thermal recovery processes. We report new experimental viscosity and solubility data of methane−, ethane−, propane−, and butane−Athabasca bitumen systems at high temperatures (up to 260 °C). The experimental measurements have been conducted under liquid−vapor equilibrium conditions. Peng−Robinson Equation of State (PR-EoS) was employed to model the solubility data. The tuned PR-EoS represented the experimental solubility data of methane, ethane, propane, and n-butane in bitumen with absolute average relative deviations of 5.7, 4.1, 7.8, and 4.9%, respectively. The reported data find applications in reservoir simulation studies of the solvent-aided thermal recovery processes.

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Enhanced heavy oil recovery (SAGD), coinjection of steam and solvent, reduction of CEOR and CSOR

Cited by 7 publications

References 10 publications

Gravity Drainage of Bitumen Induced by Solvent Leaching

Gravity Drainage of Bitumen Induced by Solvent Leaching

Ethyl acetate as a bio‐based solvent to reduce energy intensity and CO₂ emissions of in situ bitumen recovery

New Solubility and Viscosity Measurements for Methane–, Ethane–, Propane–, and Butane–Athabasca Bitumen Systems at High Temperatures up to 260 °C

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Enhanced heavy oil recovery (SAGD), coinjection of steam and solvent, reduction of CEOR and CSOR

Cited by 7 publications

References 10 publications

Gravity Drainage of Bitumen Induced by Solvent Leaching

Gravity Drainage of Bitumen Induced by Solvent Leaching

Ethyl acetate as a bio‐based solvent to reduce energy intensity and CO2 emissions of in situ bitumen recovery

New Solubility and Viscosity Measurements for Methane–, Ethane–, Propane–, and Butane–Athabasca Bitumen Systems at High Temperatures up to 260 °C

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Ethyl acetate as a bio‐based solvent to reduce energy intensity and CO₂ emissions of in situ bitumen recovery