WO2018139985A1 - Drainage par gravité à l'aide de vapeur à lgn de qualité y - Google Patents
Drainage par gravité à l'aide de vapeur à lgn de qualité y Download PDFInfo
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- WO2018139985A1 WO2018139985A1 PCT/US2017/014696 US2017014696W WO2018139985A1 WO 2018139985 A1 WO2018139985 A1 WO 2018139985A1 US 2017014696 W US2017014696 W US 2017014696W WO 2018139985 A1 WO2018139985 A1 WO 2018139985A1
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- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- reservoir
- steam
- hydrocarbons
- hydrocarbon mixture
- wellbore
- Prior art date
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- 238000010796 Steam-assisted gravity drainage Methods 0.000 title abstract description 14
- 229930195733 hydrocarbon Natural products 0.000 claims abstract description 85
- 150000002430 hydrocarbons Chemical class 0.000 claims abstract description 85
- 239000004215 Carbon black (E152) Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 53
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 48
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 45
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 37
- 238000002347 injection Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 35
- 239000007924 injection Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 35
- 239000010779 crude oil Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 30
- 239000010426 asphalt Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 29
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 22
- 239000003921 oil Substances 0.000 claims description 18
- 239000008186 active pharmaceutical agent Substances 0.000 claims description 10
- IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N Atomic nitrogen Chemical compound N#N IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 4
- CURLTUGMZLYLDI-UHFFFAOYSA-N Carbon dioxide Chemical compound O=C=O CURLTUGMZLYLDI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 4
- 229910002092 carbon dioxide Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000001569 carbon dioxide Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 229910052757 nitrogen Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 2
- 230000035699 permeability Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 125000001183 hydrocarbyl group Chemical group 0.000 claims 1
- 238000012544 monitoring process Methods 0.000 claims 1
- ATUOYWHBWRKTHZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Propane Chemical compound CCC ATUOYWHBWRKTHZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 14
- OFBQJSOFQDEBGM-UHFFFAOYSA-N n-pentane Natural products CCCCC OFBQJSOFQDEBGM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 13
- 238000011084 recovery Methods 0.000 description 13
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 12
- 239000000047 product Substances 0.000 description 11
- OTMSDBZUPAUEDD-UHFFFAOYSA-N Ethane Chemical compound CC OTMSDBZUPAUEDD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 9
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 description 9
- 239000002904 solvent Substances 0.000 description 9
- 239000003915 liquefied petroleum gas Substances 0.000 description 8
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 8
- NNPPMTNAJDCUHE-UHFFFAOYSA-N isobutane Chemical compound CC(C)C NNPPMTNAJDCUHE-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 7
- 239000001294 propane Substances 0.000 description 7
- 238000010790 dilution Methods 0.000 description 5
- 239000012895 dilution Substances 0.000 description 5
- IJDNQMDRQITEOD-UHFFFAOYSA-N n-butane Chemical compound CCCC IJDNQMDRQITEOD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 5
- 238000009835 boiling Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000005194 fractionation Methods 0.000 description 4
- VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N methane Chemical compound C VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 238000000638 solvent extraction Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000001273 butane Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000007423 decrease Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000011065 in-situ storage Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000001282 iso-butane Substances 0.000 description 3
- PXHVJJICTQNCMI-UHFFFAOYSA-N Nickel Chemical compound [Ni] PXHVJJICTQNCMI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 238000010793 Steam injection (oil industry) Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000004821 distillation Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005553 drilling Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000001704 evaporation Methods 0.000 description 2
- QWTDNUCVQCZILF-UHFFFAOYSA-N isopentane Chemical compound CCC(C)C QWTDNUCVQCZILF-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000003208 petroleum Substances 0.000 description 2
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N Carbon Chemical compound [C] OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- VYZAMTAEIAYCRO-UHFFFAOYSA-N Chromium Chemical compound [Cr] VYZAMTAEIAYCRO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000010794 Cyclic Steam Stimulation Methods 0.000 description 1
- BUGBHKTXTAQXES-UHFFFAOYSA-N Selenium Chemical compound [Se] BUGBHKTXTAQXES-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- NINIDFKCEFEMDL-UHFFFAOYSA-N Sulfur Chemical compound [S] NINIDFKCEFEMDL-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 150000001336 alkenes Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 229910052785 arsenic Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- RQNWIZPPADIBDY-UHFFFAOYSA-N arsenic atom Chemical compound [As] RQNWIZPPADIBDY-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000006227 byproduct Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052799 carbon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910052804 chromium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000011651 chromium Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 description 1
- 150000001875 compounds Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 125000004122 cyclic group Chemical group 0.000 description 1
- 238000006731 degradation reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003085 diluting agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- AFABGHUZZDYHJO-UHFFFAOYSA-N dimethyl butane Natural products CCCC(C)C AFABGHUZZDYHJO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000003467 diminishing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004090 dissolution Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000605 extraction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004508 fractional distillation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000007792 gaseous phase Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910001385 heavy metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000002844 melting Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008018 melting Effects 0.000 description 1
- QSHDDOUJBYECFT-UHFFFAOYSA-N mercury Chemical compound [Hg] QSHDDOUJBYECFT-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910052753 mercury Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000002156 mixing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 235000013379 molasses Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 239000003345 natural gas Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052759 nickel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000012071 phase Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000009467 reduction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000011435 rock Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004576 sand Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052711 selenium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000011669 selenium Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010025 steaming Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910052717 sulfur Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000011593 sulfur Substances 0.000 description 1
- 231100000701 toxic element Toxicity 0.000 description 1
- 229910052720 vanadium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- GPPXJZIENCGNKB-UHFFFAOYSA-N vanadium Chemical compound [V]#[V] GPPXJZIENCGNKB-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
- E21B43/16—Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons
- E21B43/24—Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons using heat, e.g. steam injection
- E21B43/2406—Steam assisted gravity drainage [SAGD]
- E21B43/2408—SAGD in combination with other methods
Definitions
- Embodiments of the disclosure relate to thermally-enhanced primary, secondary, and tertiary oil recovery methods by combining steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) technology with solvent extraction and dilution utilizing an unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture in heavy crude oil bearing reservoirs.
- SAGD steam assisted gravity drainage
- Hydrocarbon recovery can be enhanced in certain heavy crude oil bearing reservoirs by drilling closely spaced vertical wellbores and injecting steam into the reservoir.
- the steam causes the hydrocarbons to become mobile due to the reduction of their in-situ viscosity, which can then be produced through the same vertical wellbores.
- hydrocarbon recovery is much improved using conventional enhanced recovery techniques, large portions of hydrocarbons still remain in the reservoirs.
- a method of recovering hydrocarbons from a non-bitumen, hydrocarbon bearing reservoir with structural relief comprises injecting steam and an unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture through a vertical injection wellbore and into the reservoir to form a steam chamber; displacing hydrocarbons within the reservoir using a combination of the steam, the unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture, and gravity drainage; and producing the displaced hydrocarbons from the reservoir through a horizontal production wellbore that is positioned structurally lower than and offset from the vertical injection wellbore.
- Figure 1 is a graph illustrating the relationship between viscosity and temperature for a heavy crude oil.
- Figure 2 is a graph illustrating the relationship between molecular weight, mean average boiling point, and API gravity for heavy crude oil and bitumen.
- Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of a vertical section (end view) of a steam chamber and mobilization of hydrocarbons via gravity drainage with horizontal injection and production wellbores.
- Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of a vertical section (end view) of an array of offset vertical injection and horizontal production wellbores.
- Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of a plan section (top view) of the array of offset vertical injection wellbores and horizontal production wellbores shown in Figure 4.
- Embodiments of the disclosure include a method for exploiting shallow (e.g. at a depth that can be mined), non-bitumen, hydrocarbon bearing reservoirs with structural relief (e.g. having a dip or an angle) under primary, secondary, and/or tertiary recovery by injecting high quality steam and an unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture into the hydrocarbon bearing reservoirs to mobilize in-situ heavy crude oil hydrocarbons via gravity drainage, solvent extraction, and/or dilution.
- shallow e.g. at a depth that can be mined
- structural relief e.g. having a dip or an angle
- Y-Grade natural gas liquids (herein after referred to as Y-Grade NGL) is an un-fractionated hydrocarbon mixture comprising ethane, propane, butane, isobutane, and pentane plus.
- Pentane plus comprises pentane, isopentane, and/or heavier weight hydrocarbons, for example hydrocarbon compounds containing at least one of C5 through C8+.
- Pentane plus may include natural gasoline for example.
- Y-Grade NGL is a by-product of de-methanized hydrocarbon streams that are produced from shale wells and transported to a centralized facility.
- Y-Grade NGL can be locally sourced from a splitter facility, a gas plant, and/or a refinery and transported by truck or pipeline to a point of use.
- Y-Grade NGL In its un-fractionated or natural state (under certain pressures and temperatures, for example within a range of 250-600 psig and at wellhead or ambient temperature), Y-Grade NGL has no dedicated market or known use. Y-Grade NGL must undergo processing before its true value is proven.
- the Y-Grade NGL composition can be customized for handling as a liquid under various conditions. Since the ethane content of Y-Grade NGL affects the vapor pressure, the ethane content can be adjusted as necessary. According to one example, Y-Grade NGL may be processed to have a low ethane content, such as an ethane content within a range of 3-12 percent, to allow the Y-Grade NGL to be transported as a liquid in low pressure storage vessels. According to another example, Y-Grade NGL may be processed to have a high ethane content, such as an ethane content within a range of 38-60 percent, to allow the Y-Grade NGL to be transported as a liquid in high pressure pipelines.
- a low ethane content such as an ethane content within a range of 3-12 percent
- Y-Grade NGL may be processed to have a high ethane content, such as an ethane content within a range of 38-60 percent,
- Y-Grade NGL differs from liquefied petroleum gas ("LPG").
- LPG is a fractionated product comprised of primarily propane, or a mixture of fractionated products comprised of propane and butane.
- LPG is a fractioned hydrocarbon mixture
- Y-Grade NGL is an unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture.
- LPG is produced in a fractionation facility via a fractionation train, whereas Y-Grade NGL can be obtained from a splitter facility, a gas plant, and/or a refinery.
- LPG is a pure product with the exact same composition, whereas Y-Grade NGL can have a variable composition.
- Y-Grade NGL is not an NGL purity product and is not a mixture formed by combining one or more NGL purity products.
- An NGL purity product is defined as an NGL stream having at least 90% of one type of carbon molecule.
- the five recognized NGL purity products are ethane (C2), propane (C3), normal butane (NC4), isobutane (IC4) and natural gasoline (C5+).
- the unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture must be sent to a fractionation facility, where it is cryogenically cooled and passed through a fractionation train that consists of a series of distillation towers, referred to as deethanizers, depropanizers, and debutanizers, to fractionate out NGL purity products from the unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture.
- a fractionation train that consists of a series of distillation towers, referred to as deethanizers, depropanizers, and debutanizers, to fractionate out NGL purity products from the unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture.
- Each distillation tower generates an NGL purity product.
- Liquefied petroleum gas is an NGL purity product comprising only propane, or a mixture of two or more NGL purity products, such as propane and butane. Liquefied petroleum gas is therefore a fractionated hydrocarbon or a fractionated hydrocarbon mixture.
- Y-Grade NGL comprises 30-80%, such as 40-60%, for example 43%, ethane, 15-45%, such as 20-35%, for example 27%, propane, 5- 10%, for example 7%, normal butane, 5-40%, such as 10-25%, for example 10%, isobutane, and 5-25%, such as 10-20%, for example 13%, pentane plus.
- Methane is typically less than 1 %, such as less than 0.5% by liquid volume.
- Y-Grade NGL comprises dehydrated, desulfurized wellhead gas condensed components that have a vapor pressure of not more than about 600 psig at 100 degrees Fahrenheit (°F), with aromatics below about 1 weight percent, and olefins below about 1 % by liquid volume.
- Materials and streams useful for the embodiments described herein typically include hydrocarbons with melting points below about 0 degrees Fahrenheit (°F).
- Heavy crude oil is defined as hydrocarbons having an API gravity less than about 22.3 degrees but greater than about 10 degrees. Heavy crude oil contains heavy molecular components such as asphaltenes and aromatics due to the selective removal of lighter compounds during the degradation process. Heavy crude oil is also defined as hydrocarbons having a viscosity within a range of about 50 centipoise to about 10,000 centipoise at standard (e.g. atmospheric) conditions. As viscosity increases above 1 ,000 centipoise, hydrocarbons become nearly immobile.
- Bitumen is an immobile, sticky and tar-like form of petroleum which is so thick and heavy that it must be heated or diluted before it will flow. At room temperature, it is much like cold molasses. Bitumen is typically defined as having an API gravity of less than 10 degrees and a viscosity greater than 100,000 centipoise. Refined bitumen is the residual (or bottom) fraction obtained by fractional distillation of crude oil. Refined bitumen is the heaviest fraction of crude oil and has the highest boiling point, e.g. a boiling point at about 525 degrees Celsius (about 977 degrees Fahrenheit).
- bitumen contains sulfur and several heavy metals such as nickel, vanadium, lead, chromium, mercury, arsenic, selenium, and other toxic elements.
- Bitumen is the prime feed stock for petroleum production from tar sands currently under development in Canada.
- Steam assisted gravity drainage is a thermal recovery process normally used for immobile oil from bitumen deposits.
- two horizontally drilled wellbores are placed in close proximity and directly overlying each other, one for injection of heated fluid and one for production of liquids (as shown in Figure 3 described below). Thermal communication is established between the horizontal wellbores and they are operated to ensure that heated mobilized oil and steam flow without substantially mixing. Oil drains continuously by gravity to the horizontal production well where it is recovered. This method of steam assisted gravity drainage is most appropriate for bitumen reservoirs.
- Heavy crude oil bearing reservoirs with structural relief were originally developed with vertical wellbores operating under cyclic steaming operations.
- steam assisted gravity drainage can be established in these heavy crude oil bearing reservoirs with structural relief by drilling horizontal production wellbores that are offset from and down dip to the existing vertical injection wellbores, which are converted to continuous steam injection wellbores (as shown in Figures 4 and 5).
- Heavy crude oil that is mobilized by the heated fluid flows down dip under the effect of gravity drainage toward the horizontal production wellbore, which is placed near the base of the heavy crude oil bearing reservoir. This method of steam assisted gravity drainage and vertical/horizontal wellbore placement is not appropriate for bitumen reservoirs.
- Figure 1 is a graph that shows the relationship between viscosity and temperature for a heavy crude oil having an API gravity of about 18 degrees.
- the processes described in Figure 4 and Figure 5 apply to heavy crude oil with in-situ viscosities that can be reduced to less than about 300 centipoise (or less than about 150 centipoise) using a combination of steam assisted gravity drainage and an unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture, such as Y-Grade NGL.
- Figure 2 is a graph that shows the relationship between molecular weight (MW), mean average boiling point (Mean Avg. B.P.), and API gravity.
- the cross hatched area 210 is the Mean Avg. B.P. range for bitumen, which has an API gravity less than about 10 degrees.
- the cross hatched area 220 is the Mean Avg. B.P. range for heavy crude oil, which has an API gravity greater than about 10 degrees, and in particular within a range of about 25 degrees to about 10 degrees.
- FIG 3 is a schematic illustration of a vertical section (end view) of a bitumen reservoir 10 without any structural relief through which a horizontal injection wellbore 20 and a horizontal production wellbore 30 are disposed.
- the horizontal production wellbore 30 is located under and in close proximity to the horizontal injection wellbore 20.
- Steam from the surface is injected through the horizontal injection wellbore 20 into the bitumen reservoir 10 where the steam expands upward and outward to form a steam chamber 35.
- the ceiling of the bitumen reservoir 10 acts as a partial flow boundary to heat flow.
- the expanding steam chamber 35 mobilizes adjacent bitumen at the ceiling of the bitumen reservoir 10 and causes the bitumen and steam to condense along a wall 36 of the steam chamber 35.
- Gravity drainage causes the condensed mixture of bitumen and water (identified by reference arrows 38) to flow downward to the base of the bitumen reservoir 10 where it is recovered from the horizontal production wellbore 30 that is located near the base 40 of the bitumen reservoir 10.
- Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of a vertical section (end view) of a (non-bitumen) heavy crude oil bearing reservoir 100 with a structural relief 140 and having an array of offset vertical injection wellbores 1 10, 120 and a horizontal production wellbore 130 that is located structurally lower than and offset from the vertical injection wellbores 1 10, 120. Although only one horizontal production wellbore 130 is shown, the embodiments described herein may include an array of horizontal production wellbores 130 located structurally lower than and offset from the vertical injection wellbores 1 10, 120.
- the average permeability of the reservoir 100 is greater than about 50 millidarcies. In one embodiment, the reservoir 100 has a thickness greater than 30 feet. In one embodiment, the reservoir 100 may be located at a depth that can be mined from the surface.
- High quality steam and an unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture from the surface are injected through the vertical injection wellbores 1 10, 120 and into the heavy crude oil bearing reservoir 100.
- the steam and the unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture are simultaneously and continuously co-injected into the reservoir 100.
- the unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture may be periodically injected into the reservoir 100 with the steam or alternately injected into the reservoir 100 with the steam.
- carbon dioxide and/or nitrogen may be simultaneously, periodically, and/or alternately injected into the reservoir 100 with at least one of the unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture and the steam.
- the steam and unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture rise vertically toward the top of the reservoir 100 to form a steam chamber (similar to steam chamber 35 shown in Figure 2).
- the vertical injection wellbores 1 10, 120 are located at an upper portion of a dip of the structural relief 140 relative to the horizontal production wellbore 130 to minimize the possibility of accidentally coning steam downward.
- Accidental steam breakthrough into the horizontal production wellbore 130 can reduce the recovery from the reservoir 100 and lead to the increase of thermal recovery operating costs.
- the dip of the structural relief 140 may have an angle within a range of about 5 degrees to about 20 degrees or more.
- Mobilized hydrocarbons, the steam, and/or the unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture condense along the steam chamber walls, flow downward along the steam chamber walls, and collect near the base of and/or below the vertical injection wellbores 1 10, 120.
- the condensed mixture (identified by reference arrows 138) flows down along the structural relief 140 toward the horizontal production wellbore 130 due to the effect of gravity drainage, solvent extraction, and/or dilution and is recovered through the horizontal production wellbore 130.
- the horizontal production wellbore 130 is located as close to the base of the structural relief 140 of the reservoir 100 as is practical to maximize the recovery of hydrocarbons.
- the production of hydrocarbons from the horizontal production wellbore 130 may be monitored so that the injection rate of at least one of the steam and the unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture into the reservoir 100 can be adjusted as necessary to optimize hydrocarbon production.
- FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a plan view of the (non-bitumen) heavy crude oil bearing reservoir 100 having the array of offset vertical injection wellbores 1 10, 120 and the horizontal production wellbore 130.
- the condensed mixture (identified by reference arrows 138) flows downward along the structural relief 140 due to the effect of gravity drainage, solvent extraction, and/or dilution toward the horizontal production wellbore 130 where it is recovered to the surface.
- the steam and/or the unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture reduce the viscosity of the heavy crude oil in the reservoir 100 (for example, to less than about 300 centipoise or less than about 150 centipoise, at reservoir conditions) so that it can flow down the structural relief 140 toward the horizontal production wellbore 130.
- the steam and/or the unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture increase the API gravity of the heavy crude oil in the reservoir 100 so that it can flow down the structural relief 140 toward the horizontal production wellbore 130.
- the unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture is continuously co-injected with steam through vertical injection wellbores 1 10, 120 into the reservoir 100 having the structural relief 140 to maintain or increase reservoir pressure, strip lighter ends from the heavy crude oil, act as a solvent and diluent, supply additional reservoir energy, and/or help to reduce steam temperature loss to the overburden formation.
- the unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture may also provide gas drive to flush the diluted hydrocarbons out through the horizontal production wellbore 130 located down dip of the vertical injection wellbores 1 10, 120.
- the unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture acts as a solvent and condenses with steam at the boundary of the steam chamber.
- the solvent condenses, the viscosity of the hydrocarbons at the steam-hydrocarbon interface decrease.
- the condensation-evaporation mechanism provides an additional driving force due to the expanded volume of the solvent as a result of the phase change.
- the combination of reduced viscosity and the condensation-evaporation driving force increase mobility of the hydrocarbons to the down dip of the structural relief to the horizontal production wellbore.
- the condensed solvent dilutes the heavy crude oil and reduces its viscosity in conjunction with heat from the condensed steam.
- This process offers higher hydrocarbon production rates and recovery with less energy and water consumption than a steam assisted gravity drainage process alone.
- This process also uses less amounts of solvent than a vapor extraction (VAPEX) process, which does not use stream and relies on pure solvent injection.
- VAPEX vapor extraction
- This process which combines solvent dilution and heat, reduces heavy crude oil viscosity much more effectively than using heat alone.
- An additional benefit of the unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture and steam co-injection is that the gaseous phase accumulates up dip at the top of the steam chamber creating an insulating effect by reducing the partial pressure of the steam and associated temperature of the steam chamber.
- the drop in temperature at the top of the steam chamber reduces the temperature difference between the steam chamber and the overburden, which reduces the volume of steam that condenses against the overburden and minimizes the heat lost to the non-oil bearing rock, thereby reducing the steam to oil (SOR) within the reservoir.
- Additional benefits of the unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture and steam co-injection is gas transportation toward the horizontal production wellbore, which results in dissolution of gas within the draining hydrocarbons and condensed steam; a drag force on the gas from hydrocarbons draining down the walls of the steam chamber; and gas moving within the steam chamber from higher-pressure to lower pressure regions or gas sweep.
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- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Geology (AREA)
- Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
- Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
- General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
- Production Of Liquid Hydrocarbon Mixture For Refining Petroleum (AREA)
Abstract
L'invention concerne un procédé de récupération d'hydrocarbures d'un réservoir de gisement de pétrole brut lourd (non bitumeux) à relief structural qui met en œuvre la combinaison de LGN de qualité Y et d'un drainage par gravité à l'aide de vapeur. Le procédé consiste à injecter de la vapeur et des NGL de qualité Y dans le réservoir par l'intermédiaire d'un puits de forage à injection verticale (110, 120), à déplacer les hydrocarbures à l'intérieur du réservoir à l'aide d'une combinaison de la vapeur, du mélange d'hydrocarbures non fractionnés et du drainage par gravité, puis à produire les hydrocarbures déplacés du réservoir par l'intermédiaire d'un puits de forage de production horizontal (130) qui est positionné structurellement plus bas que le puits de forage à injection verticale (110, 120) et est décalé par rapport à lui.
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
CA3049373A CA3049373A1 (fr) | 2017-01-24 | 2017-01-24 | Drainage par gravite a l'aide de vapeur a lgn de qualite y |
PCT/US2017/014696 WO2018139985A1 (fr) | 2017-01-24 | 2017-01-24 | Drainage par gravité à l'aide de vapeur à lgn de qualité y |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US2017/014696 WO2018139985A1 (fr) | 2017-01-24 | 2017-01-24 | Drainage par gravité à l'aide de vapeur à lgn de qualité y |
Publications (1)
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WO2018139985A1 true WO2018139985A1 (fr) | 2018-08-02 |
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Family Applications (1)
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PCT/US2017/014696 WO2018139985A1 (fr) | 2017-01-24 | 2017-01-24 | Drainage par gravité à l'aide de vapeur à lgn de qualité y |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
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CA (1) | CA3049373A1 (fr) |
WO (1) | WO2018139985A1 (fr) |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO1998004807A1 (fr) * | 1996-07-26 | 1998-02-05 | Amoco Corporation | Procede d'extraction a la vapeur dans un puits unique |
US7527096B2 (en) * | 2005-01-26 | 2009-05-05 | Nexen Inc. | Methods of improving heavy oil production |
US20160069171A1 (en) * | 2014-09-08 | 2016-03-10 | Suncor Energy Inc. | In situ gravity drainage system and method for extracting bitumen from alternative pay regions |
-
2017
- 2017-01-24 WO PCT/US2017/014696 patent/WO2018139985A1/fr active Application Filing
- 2017-01-24 CA CA3049373A patent/CA3049373A1/fr not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO1998004807A1 (fr) * | 1996-07-26 | 1998-02-05 | Amoco Corporation | Procede d'extraction a la vapeur dans un puits unique |
US7527096B2 (en) * | 2005-01-26 | 2009-05-05 | Nexen Inc. | Methods of improving heavy oil production |
US20160069171A1 (en) * | 2014-09-08 | 2016-03-10 | Suncor Energy Inc. | In situ gravity drainage system and method for extracting bitumen from alternative pay regions |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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CA3049373A1 (fr) | 2018-08-02 |
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