Interplay of Multicomponent Phase Behavior and Flow in Steam-solvent Coinjection for Heavy-oil and Bitumen Recovery

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 666 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (128 download)

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Book Synopsis Interplay of Multicomponent Phase Behavior and Flow in Steam-solvent Coinjection for Heavy-oil and Bitumen Recovery by : Kai Sheng (Ph. D.)

Download or read book Interplay of Multicomponent Phase Behavior and Flow in Steam-solvent Coinjection for Heavy-oil and Bitumen Recovery written by Kai Sheng (Ph. D.) and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 666 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is a commercially successful technology for heavy oil and bitumen recovery. The energy efficiency of SAGD is important for the economic feasibility and environmental sustainability of oil recovery. Solvent-assisted SAGD (SA-SAGD) has been widely studied and pilot-tested as an alternative to improve the energy efficiency of SAGD. One of the practical factors that affect oil producers is the produced oil properties. Multiphase behavior and reservoir flow collectively affect produced oil properties. However, the compositional effect on properties of the produced oil in SAGD and SA-SAGD remains unknown. This research focuses on answering the question of how the oil properties are affected by steam injection and solvent-steam coinjection, by studying the interaction of multicomponent phase behavior and reservoir flow. The research question was answered by an experimental and numerical investigation into SA-SAGD using condensate, a multicomponent solvent to be used for a field pilot in Alberta. It contains components with a broad range of carbon numbers and complicates the compositional flow in SA-SAGD. Steam injection experiments were conducted for SAGD and SA-SAGD in a large lab-scale physical model, and the compositional effect was analyzed through both compositional analysis for the produced oil and history matching with numerical simulation. Then, the compositional flow was further investigated in field-scale 3-D numerical simulations with heterogeneity representative of Athabasca oil sands, Alberta, Canada. Experimental results confirmed for the first time that SAGD produced lighter oil than the original bitumen because of the distillation of light-end bitumen components. Experimental and simulation results showed that the injected solvents suppressed the distillation of light bitumen fractions and caused the produced oil in SA-SAGD to become heavier than that in SAGD. Condensate components flowed separately according to their volatilities, and showed different levels of in-situ utilization efficiency and recovery factors. Reservoir heterogeneity tended to suppress the compositional separation by enhancing the in-situ mixing of components. Additionally, the water imbibition outside of a steam chamber was found to be significant in the early stage of SAGD through the experiment and caused the production of oil by water imbibition, instead of by gravity. A water-soluble organic alkali, diethylamine (DEA), was therefore investigated for its potential to enhance bitumen flow through flow experiments

Mechanistic Simulation Study of Steam-solvent Coinjection for Bitumen and Heavy-oil Recovery

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 189 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (871 download)

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Book Synopsis Mechanistic Simulation Study of Steam-solvent Coinjection for Bitumen and Heavy-oil Recovery by : Mohsen Keshavarz

Download or read book Mechanistic Simulation Study of Steam-solvent Coinjection for Bitumen and Heavy-oil Recovery written by Mohsen Keshavarz and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Solvent-steam coinjection has been proposed as an alternative to SAGD. Detailed oil recovery mechanisms of coinjection are little known due to complex interaction of phase behavior, and fluid and energy flow. This research conducts a detailed mechanistic study of phase behavior and its contribution to oil displacement efficiency and drainage rate near the chamber edge. Importance of properly considering both phase behavior and flow to design an optimized coinjection process is demonstrated. We propose a systematic procedure for optimum selection of solvent and its coinjection strategy. Results show that a proper design can significantly improve the oil production rate compared to steam-only injection. We also demonstrate how enhanced displacement efficiency can be achieved during a coinjection process.

Quantification of Phase Behaviour and Physical Properties of Solvents-Heavy Oil/Bitumen-Water Systems at High Pressures and Elevated Temperatures

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
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Book Synopsis Quantification of Phase Behaviour and Physical Properties of Solvents-Heavy Oil/Bitumen-Water Systems at High Pressures and Elevated Temperatures by : Zehua Chen

Download or read book Quantification of Phase Behaviour and Physical Properties of Solvents-Heavy Oil/Bitumen-Water Systems at High Pressures and Elevated Temperatures written by Zehua Chen and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Due to the excess heat loss of steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) processes and low oil production rate of solvent-based processes, the expanding solvent SAGD (ES-SAGD) process has been considered as a promising technique for enhancing heavy oil/bitumen recovery. The main ES-SAGD mechanisms include the heat transferred and dissolution of solvents into the heavy oil/bitumen to swell it and reduce its viscosity, which is closely related to the phase behaviour of solvents-heavy oil/bitumen-water systems. Thus, it is of fundamental and practical importance to accurately quantify the phase behaviour and physical properties of the aforementioned systems. A pragmatic technique has been developed to optimize the reduced temperature for acentric factor for the Peng-Robinson equation of state (PR-EOS) and Soave-Redlich- Kwong equation of state (SRK-EOS) by minimizing the deviation between the measured and calculated vapour pressures. The reduced temperature has its optimum value of 0.59 for the two EOSs, while 0.60 is recommended for practical use. The mutual solubility for n-alkanes/n-alkylbenzenes-water pairs is correlated using the PR-EOS together with the two newly modified alpha functions. The binary interaction parameters (BIPs) for both aqueous phase and liquid hydrocarbon phase are generalized as functions of reduced temperatures and carbon numbers of hydrocarbons, reproducing the experimental measurements well. Then, the modified PR-EOS model is successfully applied to predict the multi-phase compositions and three-phase upper critical ending points (UCEPs) for n-alkane-CO2-water mixtures. A new correlation has been developed to calculate the redefined acentric factor for pseudocomponents (PCs), while new BIP correlations are proposed respectively for ii toluene-water pair and heavy oil/bitumen-water pairs. The BIP correlation for heavy oil/bitumen-water pairs is validated by the measured water solubility in other oils. The newly developed model is found to accurately predict the measured ALV/AL (A is the aqueous phase, L represents the oleic phase, and V denotes the vapour phase) and LV/L boundaries with an overall average absolute relative deviation (AARD) of 4.5% and solvent solubility in the oleic phase with an overall AARD of 9.4%, respectively. Two new methods have been proposed to predict the density/swelling factor for solvents-heavy oil/bitumen/water mixtures, i.e., one is a new volume translation (VT) strategy for PR-EOS, while the other is the ideal mixing rule with effective density (IME) calculated using a newly developed tangent-line method. It is found that both of these two methods are accurate enough, while the IM-E is better than the VT PR-EOS. Experiments for C3H8/CO2-Lloydminster heavy oil/water systems have been performed in a temperature range of 328.7-432.3 K. A dynamic volume analysis method is proposed to simultaneously simulate the total volume and height of vapour/oleic phase interface, while a new framework incorporated with the modified PR-EOS can be used to accurately predict the solvent solubility, phase boundary, and phase density for the aforementioned systems. Also, six widely used mixing rules have been respectively evaluated, while water is incorporated using the ideal mixing rule. The order of the best ones in their accuracy is the volume-based power law > the weight-based power law > the weight-based Cragoe's mixing rule. The effective density rather than real density of dissolved gas should be used for all the volume-based mixing rules.

Phase Behavior of Petroleum Reservoir Fluids

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Publisher : CRC Press
ISBN 13 : 1420018256
Total Pages : 423 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (2 download)

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Book Synopsis Phase Behavior of Petroleum Reservoir Fluids by : Karen Schou Pedersen

Download or read book Phase Behavior of Petroleum Reservoir Fluids written by Karen Schou Pedersen and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2006-11-01 with total page 423 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Understanding the phase behavior of the various fluids present in a petroleum reservoir is essential for achieving optimal design and cost-effective operations in a petroleum processing plant. Taking advantage of the authors' experience in petroleum processing under challenging conditions, Phase Behavior of Petroleum Reservoir Fluids introdu

Investigation of Interplay of Capillarity, Drainage Height, and Aqueous Phase Saturation on Mass Transfer Phenomena in Heavy Oil Recovery by Vapex Process

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (13 download)

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Book Synopsis Investigation of Interplay of Capillarity, Drainage Height, and Aqueous Phase Saturation on Mass Transfer Phenomena in Heavy Oil Recovery by Vapex Process by : Farid Ahmadloo

Download or read book Investigation of Interplay of Capillarity, Drainage Height, and Aqueous Phase Saturation on Mass Transfer Phenomena in Heavy Oil Recovery by Vapex Process written by Farid Ahmadloo and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Phase Behaviour of Solvent(s)/Water/Heavy Oil Systems at High Pressures and Elevated Temperatures Based on Isenthalpic Flash

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (133 download)

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Book Synopsis Phase Behaviour of Solvent(s)/Water/Heavy Oil Systems at High Pressures and Elevated Temperatures Based on Isenthalpic Flash by : Desheng Huang

Download or read book Phase Behaviour of Solvent(s)/Water/Heavy Oil Systems at High Pressures and Elevated Temperatures Based on Isenthalpic Flash written by Desheng Huang and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The hybrid steam-solvent injection processes have been proved to be a promising technique for enhancing heavy oil recovery as they combine the advantages from both heat transfer of steam and mass transfer of solvent(s) to further reduce the viscosity of heavy oil. Multiphase isenthalpic flash calculation is required in compositional simulations of the aforementioned processes, which involve vapour, oleic, and aqueous three-phases since water is inevitably associated with steam injection processes. As such, it is of fundamental and pragmatic importance to accurately quantify the phase behaviour of solvent(s)/water/heavy oil systems at high pressures and elevated temperatures by use of isenthalpic flash algorithms. A modified correlation and a new enthalpy determination algorithm have been developed to more accurately predict ideal gas heat capacities and enthalpies for normal alkanes/alkenes and hydrocarbon fractions, respectively. By assuming that only the presence of water and solvents with high solubilities in water is considered in the aqueous phase, a robust and pragmatic water-associated isenthalpic flash (WAIF) model has been developed to perform multiphase isenthalpic flash calculations for solvent(s)/water/heavy oil mixtures at high pressures and elevated temperatures. The new isenthalpic flash model developed in this work can handle multiphase equilibria flash calculations at high pressures and elevated temperatures. Subsequently, phase boundaries of C3H8/CO2/water/heavy oil mixtures in both the pressure-temperature (P-T) and enthalpy-temperature (H-T) phase diagrams have been determined, respectively. Experimentally, the phase boundary pressures are determined for three C3H8/CO2/water/heavy oil mixtures by using a conventional pressurevolume- temperature (PVT) setup in the P-T phase diagram. Theoretically, the previously developed WAIF model and the new isenthalpic determination algorithm together with the new alpha functions for water and non-water components are applied as the thermodynamic model to reproduce the multiphase boundaries of the aforementioned systems. The water-associated model is able to provide a good prediction of the experimental measurement in terms of phase boundaries and phase compositions. In addition, a new algorithm is developed to determine vapour/liquid/ liquid (VL1L2) phase boundaries of alkane solvent(s)/CO2/heavy oil mixtures. A new thermodynamic model based on the modified Peng-Robinson equation of state (PR EOS) together with the Huron-Vidal mixing rule is developed to experimentally and theoretically quantify the phase behaviour of dimethyl ether (DME)/water/heavy oil mixtures which include polar components. The new model is capable of accurately reproducing the experimentally measured multiphase P-T and H-T boundaries, phase volumes, and swelling factors, while it can also be used to determine DME partition coefficients and DME solubility.

Phase Behaviour and Mass Transfer of Solvent(s)-CO2-heavy Oil Systems Under Reservoir Conditions

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (13 download)

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Book Synopsis Phase Behaviour and Mass Transfer of Solvent(s)-CO2-heavy Oil Systems Under Reservoir Conditions by : Huazhou Li

Download or read book Phase Behaviour and Mass Transfer of Solvent(s)-CO2-heavy Oil Systems Under Reservoir Conditions written by Huazhou Li and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Development of Solvent Selection Criteria Based on Diffusion Rate, Mixing Quality, and Solvent Retrieval for Optimal Heavy-oil and Bitumen Recovery at Different Temperatures

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 105 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (959 download)

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Book Synopsis Development of Solvent Selection Criteria Based on Diffusion Rate, Mixing Quality, and Solvent Retrieval for Optimal Heavy-oil and Bitumen Recovery at Different Temperatures by : Andrea Paola Marciales Ramirez

Download or read book Development of Solvent Selection Criteria Based on Diffusion Rate, Mixing Quality, and Solvent Retrieval for Optimal Heavy-oil and Bitumen Recovery at Different Temperatures written by Andrea Paola Marciales Ramirez and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 105 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Heavy-oil and bitumen recovery requires high recovery factors to offset the extreme high cost of the process. Attention has been given to solvent injection for this purpose and it has been observed that high recoveries are achievable when combined with steam injection. Heavier ("liquid") solvents (liquid at ambient conditions) are especially becoming more popular to be used in these processes due to availability and transportation. "Liquid" solvents are advantageous as they yield a better mixing quality (especially with very heavy-oils and bitumen) but a lower diffusion rate than lighter solvents like propane or butane. Despite this understanding, there is still not a clear screening criterion for solvent selection considering both diffusion rate and the quality of the mixture. Therefore, two main solvent selection criteria parameters--diffusion rate and mixing quality--were proposed to evaluate solvent injection efficiency at different temperatures for a defined set of solvent-heavy oil pairs of varying properties and composition. Diffusion rate, viscosity, and density reduction were among the test carried out through bulk liquid-liquid interaction. Then, core experiments at different temperatures were performed on Berea sandstone samples using the same set of oil-solvent pairs already defined to obtain the optimum carbon size (solvent type)-heavy oil combination that yields the highest recovery factor and the least asphaltene precipitation. Based on the fluid-fluid (solvent-heavy oil) interaction experiments and heavy-oil saturated rock-solvent interaction tests, the optimal solvent type was determined considering the fastest diffusion and best mixing quality for different oil-solvent combinations. In all these applications, the retrieval of expensive solvent is essential for the economics of the process. This led to a micro scale analysis to clarify the dynamics of solvent retrieval from matrix under variable temperatures at atmospheric pressure. The reasons of the entrapment of the solvent during this process were investigated for different wettability conditions, solvent type, and heating process carrying out visualization experiments on micromodels. The experimental and semi-analytical outcome of this research would be useful in determining the best solvent type for a given oil and in understanding the key factors that influence the quality of mixtures, including: (1) viscosity reduction and probable asphaltene precipitation, (2) the optimal solvent type considering the fastest recovery rate and ultimate recovery for different heavy oil-solvent combinations at different temperatures, and, (3) the visualization of the solvent recovery mechanisms at the pore scale.

Mass Transfer Studies in Heavy Oil Recovery Using Solvents

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 98 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (992 download)

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Book Synopsis Mass Transfer Studies in Heavy Oil Recovery Using Solvents by : Vijitha Mohan

Download or read book Mass Transfer Studies in Heavy Oil Recovery Using Solvents written by Vijitha Mohan and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Heavy oil, sometimes called bitumen, is known for its high viscosity (above 100 cp) and low API gravity (below 22°). In most cases, viscosity reduction is needed for the final product. There is a considerable amount of heavy oil in Alberta, Canada and the world's largest heavy oil deposit is in Venezuela. Yet less than 1% of it can be recovered because of its high viscosity. For shallow reservoirs, it is possible to resort to open cast mining. For deeper reservoirs, steam is used at ~ 350 °C which gets the oil viscosity reduced to 1cp, which can now be drained out. This process requires large amount of water to make steam, the used water cannot be reused due to presence of high levels of bitumen in it and is currently leading to pollution. The recovered bitumen being highly viscous needs a diluent like naphtha for transportation. Therefore another method is devised which involves using gaseous or liquid solvents directly to bring down the viscosity of bitumen. One such method, vapor extraction (VAPEX) process uses gaseous solvents like hydrocarbon solvents and CO2 to reduce bitumen viscosity. Vaporized solvents is introduced laterally to bitumen to reduce its viscosity and the less viscous bitumen drains under gravity. Solubility of solvents in bitumen is analyzed first. As solvents solubilize, it diffuses into bitumen and the diffusivity is strongly concentration dependent. The concentration dependence of solvent diffusivity in bitumen is measured next. Knowing the solubility and diffusivity of solvents, a model is used next to simulate oil recovery. It predicts an optimum solvent for this oil recovery process"--Abstract, page iv.

Multicomponent Phase Behavior in an External Field

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 672 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (319 download)

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Book Synopsis Multicomponent Phase Behavior in an External Field by : William Richard Rossen

Download or read book Multicomponent Phase Behavior in an External Field written by William Richard Rossen and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 672 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Simultaneous Phase-stability/-split Computation for Multiphase Oil-displacement Simulation

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (13 download)

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Book Synopsis Simultaneous Phase-stability/-split Computation for Multiphase Oil-displacement Simulation by : Di Zhu

Download or read book Simultaneous Phase-stability/-split Computation for Multiphase Oil-displacement Simulation written by Di Zhu and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Solvent injection is a widely used method for enhanced oil recovery. Phase behavior of reservoir-oil/injection-gas mixtures should be effectively used for successful implementation of solvent injection. Complex phase behavior involving three hydrocarbon phases has been observed for many solvent injection processes at temperatures typically below 120°F. Well-known examples are CO2 injection for West Texas oils and enriched gas injection for Alaskan viscous oils, for which the multiphase behavior consisted of the oleic, solvent-rich liquid, and gaseous phases. Such multiphase behavior makes it challenging to study details of solvent injection. Firstly, it is computationally difficult to robustly solve for multiphase behavior using an equation of state. Secondly, how the interplay between multiphase flow and multiphase behavior affects oil displacement is much more involved than the traditional gas injection problem with only two hydrocarbon phases. This research is concerned with two main technical challenges in multiphase behavior modeling for solvent injection: robust multiphase flash calculation, and quantification of the miscibility development through three-hydrocarbon-phase flow. In the initial part of this dissertation, a novel algorithm is presented for multiphase isobaric isothermal flash. The formulation is derived from global minimization of the Gibbs free energy using the tangent plane defined at an equilibrium phase composition at a specified temperature and pressure. The new algorithm solves for two groups of stationary points of the tangent-plane-distance (TPD) function: tangent and non-tangent stationary points of the TPD function. Equilibrium phases, at which the Gibbs free energy is tangent to the TPD function, are found as a subset of the solution. Unlike the traditional flash algorithms, the new algorithm does not require finding false solutions for robust multiphase flash. The advantage of the new algorithm in terms of robustness is shown to be more pronounced for more complex phase behavior, for which multiple local minima of the TPD function are present. It can be robustly initialized even when no K value correlation is available for the fluid of interest; e.g., multiphase behavior involving a solvent-rich liquid phase. The final part of this dissertation presents a straightforward application of a mass conservation equation to explain and quantify the local oil displacement efficiency in three-hydrocarbon-phase flow. Mass conservation dictates how components must partition into phases upon a multiphase transition (e.g., between two and three phases) in multiphase convective flow. Detailed analysis of multiphase compositional flow equations leads to the distance parameter that quantifies the level of the miscibility developed between a displaced phase and a displacing phase in the presence of other immiscible phases. This distance parameter becomes zero when multicontact miscibility is developed, for example, between the oleic and solvent-rich liquid phases in the presence of the gaseous phase in low-temperature CO2 flooding. However, the application of the distance parameter is complicated when a composition path is calculated by using the equation-of-state compositional formulation that takes into account volume change on mixing. In such an application, the mapping of the distance parameter from volume space to composition space was performed, which made the calculated distance parameter less accurate near a displacement front where the solvent concentration rapidly changes. In this research, the distance parameter is applied directly in volume space for a given composition path. This is a more direct and accurate way to validate the utility of the distance parameter to quantify the local displacement efficiency in three-phase flow. A composition path in three-phase oil displacement is obtained by numerically solving 1-D convective compositional flow equations with no volume change on mixing in this research. The new flash algorithm mentioned above is implemented in this in-house slim-tube simulator. In case studies based on experimental data, the distance parameter is shown to successfully quantify the local oil displacement efficiency in three-phase flow. It properly captures the effects of numerical dispersion and relative permeability on the development of multicontact miscibility. This is because the distance parameter is derived by a simple rearrangement of the weak form of a compositional flow equation.

Mass Transfer Mechanisms During the Solvent Recovery of Heavy Oil

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 136 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (613 download)

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Book Synopsis Mass Transfer Mechanisms During the Solvent Recovery of Heavy Oil by : Lesley Anne James

Download or read book Mass Transfer Mechanisms During the Solvent Recovery of Heavy Oil written by Lesley Anne James and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Canada has the second largest proven oil reserves next to Saudi Arabia which is mostly located in Alberta and Saskatchewan but is unconventional heavy oil and bitumen. The tar sands are found at the surface and are mined, yet 80% of the 173 billion barrels of heavy oil and bitumen exist in-situ according to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP). Two factors inhibit the economic extraction and processing of Canadian heavy oil; its enormous viscosity ranging from 1000 to over 1 million mPa.s and the asphaltene content (high molecular weight molecules containing heavy metals and sulphur). Heavy oil and bitumen were only included in the reserves estimates through the efforts of Canadian enhanced oil recovery (EOR) research. Viscosity reduction is the one common element of in-situ methods of heavy oil recovery with the exception of cold production. Currently, steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) and cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) are being used commercially in the field where the oil's viscosity is reduced by injecting steam. Thermal methods are energy intensive requiring vast volumes of water such that any improvement would be beneficial. Solvent extraction is one alternative requiring no water, the solvent is recoverable and reusable, and depending on the mode of operation the heavy oil is upgraded in-situ. Vapour Extraction (VAPEX) and enhanced solvent extraction (N-SolvTM) are two such methods. VAPEX and N-Solv reduce the bitumen's viscosity via mass transfer and a combination of mass and heat transfer, respectively. A light hydrocarbon solvent (instead of steam) is injected into an upper horizontal well where the solvent mixes with the heavy oil, reduces its viscosity and allows the oil to drain under gravity to a bottom production well. The idea of using solvents for heavy oil extraction has been around since the 1970s and both VAPEX and N-Solv are patented processes. However, there is still much to be learned about how these processes physically work. Research to date has focused on varying system parameters (including model dimensions, permeability, heavy oil viscosity, solvent type and injection rate, etc.) to observe the effect on oil production from laboratory scale models. Based on an early mass balance model by Butler and Mokrys (1989) and an improvement by Das (1995), molecular diffusion alone cannot account for the produced oil rates observed from laboratory models. Until recently, very little progress had been made towards qualifying and quantifying the mass transfer mechanisms with the exception of the diffusivity of light hydrocarbons in heavy oil. Mass transfer can only be by diffusion and convection. Differentiating and quantifying the contribution of each is complex due to the nature and viscosity of the oil. The goal of this thesis is to investigate the mass transfer mechanisms during the solvent recovery of heavy oil.

TRANSPORT AND PHASE EQUILIBRIA PROPERTIES FOR STEAM FLOODING OF HEAVY OILS.

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (684 download)

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Book Synopsis TRANSPORT AND PHASE EQUILIBRIA PROPERTIES FOR STEAM FLOODING OF HEAVY OILS. by :

Download or read book TRANSPORT AND PHASE EQUILIBRIA PROPERTIES FOR STEAM FLOODING OF HEAVY OILS. written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hydrocarbon/water and CO[sub 2] systems are frequently found in petroleum recovery processes, petroleum refining, and gasification of coals, lignites and tar sands. Techniques to estimate the phase volume and phase composition are indispensable to design and improve oil recovery processes such as steam, hot water, or CO[sub 2]/steam combinations of flooding techniques typically used for heavy oils. An interdisciplinary research program to quantify transport, PVT, and equilibrium properties of selected oil/CO[sub 2]/water mixtures at pressures up to 10,000 psia and at temperatures up to 500 F has been put in place. The objectives of this research include experimental determination and rigorous modeling and computation of phase equilibrium diagrams, and volumetric properties of hydrocarbon/CO[sub 2]/water mixtures at pressures and temperatures typical of steam injection processes for thermal recovery of heavy oils. Highlighting the importance of phase behavior, researchers ([1], and [2]) insist on obtaining truly representative reservoir fluids samples for experimental analysis. The prevailing sampling techniques used for compositional analysis of the fluids have potential for a large source of error. These techniques bring the sample to atmospheric conditions and collect the liquid and vapor portion of the samples for further analysis. We developed a new experimental technique to determine phase volumes, compositions and equilibrium K-values at reservoir conditions. The new methodology is able to measure phase volume and composition at reservoir like temperatures and pressures. We use a mercury free PVT system in conjunction with a Hewlett Packard gas chromatograph capable of measuring compositions on line at high pressures and temperatures. This is made possible by an essentially negligible disturbance of the temperature and pressure equilibrium during phase volume and composition measurements. In addition, not many samples are withdrawn for compositional analysis because a negligible volume (0.1 [micro]l to 0.5 [micro]l) is sent directly to the gas chromatograph through sampling valves. These amounts are less than 1 x 10[sup -5] % of total volume and do not affect the overall composition or equilibrium of the system. A new method to compute multi-component phase equilibrium diagrams based on an improved version of the Peng-Robinson equation has been developed [3]. This new version of the Peng-Robinson equation uses a new volume translation scheme and new mixing rules to improve the accuracy of the calculations. Calculations involving multicomponent mixtures of CO[sub 2]/water and hydrocarbons have been completed. A scheme to lump multi-component materials such as, oils into a small set of ''pseudo-components'' according to the technique outlined by Whitson [4] has been implemented. This final report presents the results of our experimental and predicted phase behavior diagrams and calculations for mixtures of CO[sub 2]/water and real oils at high pressures and temperatures.

Numerical Simulation of Steam Injection in Bitumen and Heavy Oil Reservoirs

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (86 download)

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Book Synopsis Numerical Simulation of Steam Injection in Bitumen and Heavy Oil Reservoirs by : Peter G. De Buda

Download or read book Numerical Simulation of Steam Injection in Bitumen and Heavy Oil Reservoirs written by Peter G. De Buda and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Impact of Pressure and Added Diluents on Rheological Properties of Heavy Oils

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 165 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (959 download)

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Book Synopsis Impact of Pressure and Added Diluents on Rheological Properties of Heavy Oils by : Sepideh Mortazavi Manesh

Download or read book Impact of Pressure and Added Diluents on Rheological Properties of Heavy Oils written by Sepideh Mortazavi Manesh and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The rheological properties of heavy oil and bitumen depend on factors such as temperature, pressure, diluent type and diluent composition, as well as sample shear and thermal histories and shear conditions during measurements. Each of these factors can affect the value of apparent viscosity significantly. Uncertainties in the available literature data arise when one or more of these factors have not been considered and have not been reported. Heavy oil and bitumen exhibit non-Newtonian rheological behaviors at lower temperatures. Methods for detecting and quantifying non-Newtonian behaviors are developed, presented and explored in this work using a well-characterized heavy crude oil. The methods and results presented for Maya crude oil provide a reliable database for rheological model development and evaluation, and a template for assessing the rheological behavior of other heavy crude oils. The thixotropic behavior of Maya crude oil was explored systematically using a stress-controlled rheometer. Thixotropy affects the efficiency and length scale of mixing during blending operations, and flow behaviors in pipes and pipelines following flow disruption where it affects the pressure required to reinitiate flow. Maya crude oil is shown to be a shear thinning fluid below 313 K. The thixotropic behaviors are explored using transient stress techniques (hysteresis loops, step-wise change in shear rate, start-up experiments). The magnitude of the thixotropy effect is larger at lower temperatures. Relationships are identified between rest times and other thixotropic parameters such as hysteresis loop area and stress decay in start-up experiments. Stress growth, which occurs as a result of a step-down in shear rate, is shown to correlate with temperature. The interrelation between rheological behavior of Maya crude oil and its phase behavior is discussed. The effect of pressure on the non-Newtonian rheological properties of Maya crude oil is also investigated over broad ranges of temperature from (258 to 333) K and at pressures up to 150 bar. At fixed temperature, the magnitude of the non-Newtonian behaviors of Maya crude oil appears to increase with increasing the pressure and shear thinning is shown to persist to higher pressures below 313 K. Boundaries of the non-Newtonian region with respect to temperature, pressure and viscosity are identified and discussed. The thixotropic behavior of Maya crude oil is also shown to persist at higher pressure and the recovery of the moduli at rest appears to be faster at elevated pressures than at atmospheric pressure. Understanding the rheological properties of mixtures of heavy oil or bitumen and diluents, specifically at low temperatures, is key in designing different processes employed in production or transportation of these resources reliably and efficiently. The effect of diluents (n-heptane, toluene and toluene + butanone (50/50 vol. %)) on the non-Newtonian behavior of Maya crude oil including shear thinning and thixotropy at temperatures from (258 to 333) K are discussed. Toluene + butanone (50/50 vol.%) addition to Maya crude oil induces the greatest reduction in shear thinning behavior irrespective of temperature. Thixotropic properties of mixtures of Maya crude oil and diluent were studied through start-up experiments. It was shown that toluene + butanone (50/50 vol.%) is the best diluent in moderating the thixotropic effect, while n-heptane showed the most pronounced thixotropic effect. It was shown that toluene + butanone (50/50 vol. %) is more promising in decreasing oil viscosity in comparison to two other diluents tested. Less of this diluent is required to decrease the viscosity to a certain value, which confirms its potential application to be used in the industry as a diluent.

Nonequilibrium Phase Behaviour and Mass Transfer of Alkane Solvents(s)-CO2-Heavy Oil Systems Under Reservoir Conditions

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (133 download)

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Book Synopsis Nonequilibrium Phase Behaviour and Mass Transfer of Alkane Solvents(s)-CO2-Heavy Oil Systems Under Reservoir Conditions by : Yu Shi

Download or read book Nonequilibrium Phase Behaviour and Mass Transfer of Alkane Solvents(s)-CO2-Heavy Oil Systems Under Reservoir Conditions written by Yu Shi and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During primary heavy oil recovery, a unique phenomenon has been found to be closely associated with an unexpected high recovery factor, a remarkably low gas-oil ratio, and a higher-than-expected well production rate due mainly to the foamy nature of viscous oil containing gas bubbles. Even for secondary and tertiary recovery techniques, it is possible to artificially induce foamy oil flow in heavy oil reservoirs by dissolution with injected gases (e.g., CO2 and alkane solvents), which is characterized by time-dependent (i.e., nonequilibrium) phase behaviour. The entrained gas bubbles in the heavy oil are considered as the main mechanism accounting for such distinct phase behaviour. Therefore, it is of fundamental and practical importance to quantify the nonequilibrium phase behaviour and mass transfer of alkane solvent(s)-CO2-heavy oil systems under reservoir conditions. A novel and pragmatic technique has been firstly developed and validated to accurately quantify the preferential diffusion of each component in alkane solvent(s)- assisted recovery processes with consideration of natural convection induced by the heated and diluted heavy oil. The Peng-Robinson equation of state, heat transfer equation, and diffusion-convection equation are coupled to describe both mass and heat transfer for the aforementioned systems. The individual diffusion coefficient between each component of a gas mixture and liquid phase is respectively determined once either the deviation between the experimentally measured and theoretically calculated mole fraction of CO2/solvents or the deviation between the experimentally measured dynamic swelling factors and the theoretically calculated ones has been minimized. ii A robust and pragmatic technique has also been developed to quantify nonequilibrium phase behaviour of alkane solvent(s)-CO2-heavy oil systems at a constant volume expansion rate and a constant pressure decline rate, respectively. Experimentally, constant-composition expansion (CCE) tests have been conducted for alkane solvent(s)-CO2-heavy oil systems with a PVT setup, during which not only pressure and volume are simultaneously monitored and measured, but also gas samples were respectively collected at the beginning and the end of experiments to perform compositional analysis. Theoretically, mathematical formulations have been developed to quantify the amount of the evolved gas as a function of time, while mathematical models for compressibility and density of the oleic phase mixed with the entrained gas (i.e., foamy oil) are respectively formulated. In addition to a mechanistic model for quantifying a single gas bubble growth, a novel and pragmatic technique has been proposed and validated to quantify dynamic volume of foamy oil for the aforementioned systems under nonequilibrium conditions by taking preferential mass transfer of each component in a gas mixture into account. The individual diffusion coefficient of each gas component with consideration of natural convection is found to be larger than that obtained with conventional methods. An increase in either volume expansion rate or pressure decline rate would increase the critical supersaturation pressure, whereas a high temperature leads to a low critical supersaturation pressure. When pressure is below the pseudo-bubblepoint pressure, density and compressibility of foamy oil are found to sharply decrease and increase at the pseudo-bubblepoint pressure, respectively. Also, pseudo-bubblepoint pressure and rate of gas exsolution is found to be two mechanisms dominating the volume-growth rate of the evolved gas, which is directly proportional to supersaturation pressure, pressure decline rate, and concentration of each gas component under nonequilibrium conditions.

Transport and Phase Equilibria Properities for Steam Flooding of Heavy Oils

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 73 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (871 download)

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Book Synopsis Transport and Phase Equilibria Properities for Steam Flooding of Heavy Oils by :

Download or read book Transport and Phase Equilibria Properities for Steam Flooding of Heavy Oils written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 73 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hydrocarbon/water and CO2 systems are frequently found in petroleum recovery processes, petroleum refining, and gasification of coals, lignites and tar sands. Techniques to estimate the phase volume and phase composition are indispensable to design and improve oil recovery processes such as steam, hot water, or CO2/steam combinations of flooding techniques typically used for heavy oils. An interdisciplinary research program to quantify transport, PVT, and equilibrium properties of selected oil/CO2/water mixtures at pressures up to 10,000 psia and at temperatures up to 500 F has been put in place. The objectives of this research include experimental determination and rigorous modeling and computation of phase equilibrium diagrams, and volumetric properties of hydrocarbon/CO2/water mixtures at pressures and temperatures typical of steam injection processes for thermal recovery of heavy oils. Highlighting the importance of phase behavior, researchers ([1], and [2]) insist on obtaining truly representative reservoir fluids samples for experimental analysis. The prevailing sampling techniques used for compositional analysis of the fluids have potential for a large source of error. These techniques bring the sample to atmospheric conditions and collect the liquid and vapor portion of the samples for further analysis. We developed a new experimental technique to determine phase volumes, compositions and equilibrium K-values at reservoir conditions. The new methodology is able to measure phase volume and composition at reservoir like temperatures and pressures. We use a mercury free PVT system in conjunction with a Hewlett Packard gas chromatograph capable of measuring compositions on line at high pressures and temperatures. This is made possible by an essentially negligible disturbance of the temperature and pressure equilibrium during phase volume and composition measurements. In addition, not many samples are withdrawn for compositional analysis because a negligible volume (0.1 [mu]l to 0.5 [mu]l) is sent directly to the gas chromatograph through sampling valves. These amounts are less than 1 x 10−5 % of total volume and do not affect the overall composition or equilibrium of the system. A new method to compute multi-component phase equilibrium diagrams based on an improved version of the Peng-Robinson equation has been developed [3]. This new version of the Peng-Robinson equation uses a new volume translation scheme and new mixing rules to improve the accuracy of the calculations. Calculations involving multicomponent mixtures of CO2/water and hydrocarbons have been completed. A scheme to lump multi-component materials such as, oils into a small set of ''pseudo-components'' according to the technique outlined by Whitson [4] has been implemented. This final report presents the results of our experimental and predicted phase behavior diagrams and calculations for mixtures of CO2/water and real oils at high pressures and temperatures.