The effect of solvents in conjunction with steam on the in-situ recovery of bitumen from oil sands.

Effect of Emulsification Process Conditions on the Properties of Water-in-Bitumen Emulsion

“…Furthermore, as a result of mixing force and the presence of the natural surfactants asphaltene and resin and clay, an undesirable water-in-oil emulsion is mostly formed during crude oil production Antes et al, 2015;Wong et al, 2015 . Emulsification, during petroleum production, occurs due to contact of two immiscible liquids, presence of surface active components, and availability of sufficient turbulence or mixing energy to cause dispersion Wong et al, 2015;Wen et al, 2016 . Specifically, the in situ Thermal EOR TEOR methods including steam assisted gravity drainage SAGD , cyclic steam stimulation CSS or Huff and Puff method, steam flooding, and their hybrids involves injection of steam and additives including solvents and surfactants into the heavy oil reservoir for the purpose of reducing viscosity and increasing mobility Bennion et al, 1993;Yamazaki et al, 1994;Al-Bahlani and Babadagli, 2009 . During these processes, the thermal energy possessed by the steam is transferred to the oil in situ.…”