Modelling of Cold Heavy Oil Production with Sand (CHOPS) using a fluidized sand algorithm

Haddad, Amin Sharifi; Gates, Ian D.

doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2015.06.032

Cited by 32 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…As the slurry is removed, so-called “wormholes” – technically channels of sand suspended in a mixture of oil, water, and small gas bubbles usually containing >90% methane , – begin to propagate from the well into the formation. These bubbles create “foamy oil” and create a critical driving force as they grow and expand, which helps keep sand in suspension and promotes flow toward the well bore. , Heavy oil deposits can also contain pockets of associated gas or gas caps beneath the cap rock; , especially in the later phases of a well’s life, gas “slugging” can occur when this associated gas is accessed via wormholes and episodically brought to the well. , At the wellbore, this gas tends to separate and enter the annular space between the well casing and well bore and is termed “annulus gas” or “casing gas”. As with most other well types, casing pressure must be relieved to avoid restricting oil production, and especially, to avoid pushing the liquid column down to the point where gas enters the pump and leads to cavitation and motor failure…”

Section: Gas Production and Venting During Cold Heavy Oil Production ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Methane Venting at Cold Heavy Oil Production with Sand (CHOPS) Facilities Is Significantly Underreported and Led by High-Emitting Wells with Low or Negative Value

Festa-Bianchet

Tyner

Seymour

et al. 2023

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Cold Heavy Oil Production with or without Sand, CHOP(S), facilities produce a significant portion of Canada's conventional oil. Methane venting from single-well CHOPS facilities in Saskatchewan, Canada was measured (i) using Bridger Photonics' airborne Gas Mapping LiDAR (GML) at 962 sites and (ii) on-site using an optical mass flux meter (VentX), ultrasonic flow meter, and QOGI camera at 11 sites. The strong correlation between ground measurements and airborne GML supported subsequent detailed analysis of the aerial data and to our knowledge is the first study to directly test the ability of airplane surveys to accurately reproduce mean emission rates of unsteady sources. Actual methane venting was found to be nearly four times greater than the industry-reported levels used in emission inventories, with ∼80% of all emissions attributed to casing gas venting. Further analysis of site-total emissions revealed potential gaps in regulations, with 14% of sites appearing to exceed regulated limits while accounting for 61% of measured methane emissions. Finally, the concept of marginal wells was adapted to consider the inferred cost of methane emissions under current carbon pricing. Results suggest that almost a third of all methane is emitted from environmentally marginal wells, where the inferred methane cost negates the value of the oil produced. Overall, the present results illustrate the importance of independent monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) to ensure accuracy in reporting and regulatory compliance, and to ensure mitigation targets are not foiled by a collection of disproportionately high-emitting sites.

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Section: Gas Production and Venting During Cold Heavy Oil Production ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Methane Venting at Cold Heavy Oil Production with Sand (CHOPS) Facilities Is Significantly Underreported and Led by High-Emitting Wells with Low or Negative Value

Festa-Bianchet

Tyner

Seymour

et al. 2023

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…Overall there were 2291 heavy oil wells (identified as producing from a deposit rather than a pool), 214 gas wells, 0 gas plants, and one in situ oil sands battery/injection facility within the measurement region. Most, if not all, of these heavy oil facilities would be expected to be characterized as CHOPS (cold heavy oil production with sand) 31 facilities. This type of production is noteworthy in that it frequently involves venting of methane from the production casing directly to atmosphere.…”

Section: Reportingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparisons of Airborne Measurements and Inventory Estimates of Methane Emissions in the Alberta Upstream Oil and Gas Sector

Johnson

Tyner

Conley

et al. 2017

Environ. Sci. Technol.

121

127

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Airborne measurements of methane emissions from oil and gas infrastructure were completed over two regions of Alberta, Canada. These top-down measurements were directly compared with region-specific bottom-up inventories that utilized current industry-reported flaring and venting volumes (reported data) and quantitative estimates of unreported venting and fugitive sources. For the 50 × 50 km measurement region near Red Deer, characterized by natural gas and light oil production, measured methane fluxes were more than 17 times greater than that derived from directly reported data but consistent with our region-specific bottom-up inventory-based estimate. For the 60 × 60 km measurement region near Lloydminster, characterized by significant cold heavy oil production with sand (CHOPS), airborne measured methane fluxes were five times greater than directly reported emissions from venting and flaring and four times greater than our region-specific bottom up inventory-based estimate. Extended across Alberta, our results suggest that reported venting emissions in Alberta should be 2.5 ± 0.5 times higher, and total methane emissions from the upstream oil and gas sector (excluding mined oil sands) are likely at least 25-50% greater than current government estimates. Successful mitigation efforts in the Red Deer region will need to focus on the >90% of methane emissions currently unmeasured or unreported.

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“…Cold production is a primary recovery method performed at the native reservoir temperature and can achieve a recovery factor between 1 and 10% [5,29]. This may be carried out by injecting a diluent into the reservoir to reduce the viscosity of the hydrocarbon or by encouraging the initiation and continuous sand production throughout the completion process; the latter is known as cold heavy oil production with sand (CHOPS) [5,30]. Sanding produces high permeability channels referred to as 'wormholes' which Hydraulic Fracturing enhances recovery [30].…”

Section: Heavy Oil Reservoirsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This may be carried out by injecting a diluent into the reservoir to reduce the viscosity of the hydrocarbon or by encouraging the initiation and continuous sand production throughout the completion process; the latter is known as cold heavy oil production with sand (CHOPS) [5,30]. Sanding produces high permeability channels referred to as 'wormholes' which Hydraulic Fracturing enhances recovery [30]. For both approaches, artificial lifts are vital because they lower the producing bottomhole pressure (BHP) thereby increasing the flow rate.…”

Section: Heavy Oil Reservoirsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Production from Unconventional Petroleum Reservoirs: Précis of Stimulation Techniques and Fluid Systems

Eshiet¹

2022

Emerging Technologies in Hydraulic Fracturing and Gas Flow Modelling

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An overview of the different categories of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs, and corresponding stimulation techniques appropriate for them is examined. Three main groups of unconventional oil and gas formations are appraised: heavy oil, oil shale and tight reservoirs. The scope of stimulation methods applicable to heavy oil reservoirs is limited. This kind of formation contains characteristic high-viscous hydrocarbons and are produced majorly by cold production and thermal stimulation. On the other hand, a wider range of stimulation methods are successfully used to produce tight and oil shales formations. For oil shales, these include drilling horizontal wells as substitutes to vertical wells, hydraulic fracturing, surfactant treatment, water imbibition, thermal treatment and acidisation; whilst for tight formations, these include hydraulic fracturing, surfactant treatment, water imbibition, acidisation and the application of electro-kinetics. Fracturing fluid systems are integral to the implementation of most stimulation operations and are evaluated herein under the following groups: water-based, oil-based, foam-based and acid-based. The most commonly used fracturing fluids are water based, albeit there are several instances where other types of fluids or combination of fluids are more suitable based on factors such as formation sensitivity, costs, wettability, rock solubility, surface tension, capillarity, viscosity, density, rheology and reactivity.

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Modelling of Cold Heavy Oil Production with Sand (CHOPS) using a fluidized sand algorithm

Cited by 32 publications

References 25 publications

Methane Venting at Cold Heavy Oil Production with Sand (CHOPS) Facilities Is Significantly Underreported and Led by High-Emitting Wells with Low or Negative Value

Methane Venting at Cold Heavy Oil Production with Sand (CHOPS) Facilities Is Significantly Underreported and Led by High-Emitting Wells with Low or Negative Value

Comparisons of Airborne Measurements and Inventory Estimates of Methane Emissions in the Alberta Upstream Oil and Gas Sector

Production from Unconventional Petroleum Reservoirs: Précis of Stimulation Techniques and Fluid Systems

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