Half a century of continuous oil production by in-situ combustion in Romania – case study Suplacu de Barcau field

Branoiu, Gheorghe; Dinu, Florinel; Stoicescu, Maria; Ghețiu, Iuliana; Stoianovici, Doru

doi:10.1051/matecconf/202134309009

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Suplacu de Barcau Oilfield in Romania, which has been operated since 1960, is one of the most successful commercial ISC projects in the world. , The oilfield is a heavy oil and shallow reservoir. The well pattern was initially five-spot with a central injection well and further expanded into a nine-spot pattern.…”

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

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

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

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, despite efforts, the second ISC front was ultimately abandoned in 1996. Subsequently, starting in 1998, injection rates were reduced, leading to a progressive decline in oil production [103].…”

Section: Suplacu De Barcau Romaniamentioning

confidence: 99%

In Situ Combustion: A Comprehensive Review of the Current State of Knowledge

Antolinez,

Miri,

Nouri

2023

Energies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In situ combustion or fire flooding is a promising enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique designed to produce heavy oils and bitumen. This method involves the in-place heating and combustion of hydrocarbons, resulting in reduced viscosity and increased mobility for improved flow toward the production wellbore. Despite its potential, widespread commercial implementation of in situ combustion has been hindered due to technical and economic challenges like inadequate project design and improper reservoir selection. This literature review paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge of in situ combustion by addressing its principles, historical development, combustion processes, underlying kinetics, and testing methods. Additionally, the review tackles existing gaps in the literature, as well as the challenges associated with modeling and implementation in field applications. It also suggests solutions drawn from historical field experiences of the technology. Finally, the review paper proposes comprehensive screening guidelines derived from various literature sources for the implementation of in situ combustion. This framework underscores the technique’s potential for efficient and sustainable hydrocarbon extraction, shaping its future as a transformative enhanced oil recovery technology.

show abstract

“…The Suplacu de Barcau oil field in Romania has been utilizing ISC technology for development since 1970 and currently has a recovery rate exceeding 55%, indicating significant potential for further exploitation . In China’s Inner Mongolia M8 block, after implementing ISC technology, there was a cumulative increase of 260.6 tons of crude oil production, with the produced oil viscosity being only 23% of the initial viscosity…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…7 The Suplacu de Barcau oil field in Romania has been utilizing ISC technology for development since 1970 and currently has a recovery rate exceeding 55%, indicating significant potential for further exploitation. 8 In China's Inner Mongolia M8 block, after implementing ISC technology, there was a cumulative increase of 260.6 tons of crude oil production, with the produced oil viscosity being only 23% of the initial viscosity. 9 The ISC process was divided into several stages (Figure 1), including the burned zone, high-temperature oxidation (HTO) zone, low-temperature oxidation (LTO) zone, vapor zone, condensation zone, oil bank, displaced fluid zone, and unreached zone.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of Wettability Alteration in Enhanced Oil Recovery by In Situ Combustion: A Comprehensive Experimental and Modeling Study

Jin,

Pu,

Chen

et al. 2024

Energy Fuels

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In situ combustion (ISC) is a primary technique used to enhance oil recovery in heavy oil reservoirs. By performing controlled burning of the oil in place, the heavy oil is expected to be lighter and easier to flow. Conventional studies mainly considered the viscosity reduction during this process. This ISC process may change the fluid-rock wettability. However, the role of wettability alteration is not well investigated during ISC. To fill this knowledge gap, we performed ISC and measured the dynamic surface wettability changes under different combustion temperatures. Furthermore, relative permeability curves were interpolated to quantify the effects of wettability changes in heavy oil recovery during ISC. This study revealed wettability change during ISC. As the temperature increases, the contact angle decreases. At firing temperatures of 200, 300, 400, and 500 °C, the rock wettability changed to hydrophilicity, with a stronger hydrophilicity observed at higher temperatures. However, at 200 °C, the hydrophilicity was not strong. This was due to the low-temperature oxidation of the crude oil at the combustion temperature of 200 °C, and the oxidized oil was attached to the rock surface, causing the rock wettability to become hydrophobic. Numerical simulation results demonstrated that the transition from oil-wet to strong hydrophilic wettability is favorable for oil recovery, resulting in an increased recovery factor of 8.75%. This confirms that wettability alteration in the reservoir is one of the main mechanisms for heavy oil recovery during ISC. These findings indicate the influence of reservoir wettability on oil recovery during the ISC process and contribute to further understanding of the ISC mechanism.

show abstract

Half a century of continuous oil production by in-situ combustion in Romania – case study Suplacu de Barcau field

Cited by 5 publications

References 11 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

In Situ Combustion: A Comprehensive Review of the Current State of Knowledge

Role of Wettability Alteration in Enhanced Oil Recovery by In Situ Combustion: A Comprehensive Experimental and Modeling Study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About