COUPLED FLUID FLOW AND STRESS ANALYSIS OF OIL SANDS SUBJECT TO HEATING H.H.

VAZIRI

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JCPT88-05-10 HEAVY OIL Coupled fluid flow and stress analysis of oil sands subject to heating H.H. VAZIRI Technical University of Nova Scotia Halifax, Nova Scotia ABSTRACT Theoretical expressions, in terms of e@tic and thermal proper- ties of mufti-phase soil systems, have been derived for the change in porefluidpressure under undrained and the change in soil stress under drained conditions. A methodology is proposed for linking these equations to coupled flow and deformation finite-element formulations that are applicable to gassy soils. The developed finite-element program satisfies the complex temperature, fluidflow and stress interactions under any speci- fied displacement and fluid pressure boundary conditions. These facets are demonstrated by comparing the computational results with closed-form solutions and analyzing a practical problem that is typical of an enhanced recovery process often employed in extracting highly viscous bitumen from oil sand deposits. Introduction Temperature variations can significantly influence the behaviour of soils, such as oil sands. These effects are of practical concem in the geotechnical aspects of numerous engineering projects, such as power plants, underground storage of nuclear waste, under- ground power cables, liquefied natural gas storage and pipelines, geothermal energy development, and recovery of bitumen from heavy-ofl reservoirs by the process of steam injection. In general, variations in temperature affect pore fluid pres- sure, induce changes in volume, and modify some of the engi- neering properties of soil. The changes in volume include the expansion of solid particles, of the soil skeleton, and of the pore fluid. Invariably, the volume increase of the pore fluid is greater than that of the voids in the sofl skeleton, producing an increase in pore fluid pressure and a consequent reduction in effective stress. If the thermal diffusivity of the soil is relatively more dominant than the hydraulic diffusivity, excess pore pressure will develop as a result of any temperature increase. The increase in pore pressure can potentially cause soil liquefaction in relatively impermeable soils subjected to a rapid increase in temperature. During subsequent consolidation, excess pore pressure dissipates, effective stresses increase, and displacements reduce to eventually become equal to those corresponding to the expansion of the solid grains alone. A theoretical analysis of volume change in saturated soil sub- jected to temperature variations, and pore pressure changes due Keywords: Consolidation, Finite elements, Gassy soils, Oil sands, Fluid flow, Undrained heating, Drained heating, Thermal consolidation, Nonlinear behaviour, Elasticity, Thermal fluid pressure, Thermal stresses. to undrained heating has been proposed by Campanella and Mitchell(l). The formulations are valid for pressures above the gas/liquid saturation pressure (i.e. the pore pressure sufficient to prevent gas evolution), with the assumption that the solid _ particles are incompressible. Although in their analysis, Campanefla and Mitchell made provision for solid particle com- pressibility, it is not treated in a consistent manner and their formulation is in fact strictly true only if the compressibility of the solids is zero. The approach proposed herein takes into account the compressibility of solid grains, as weu as the com- pressibility of occluded gases in the fluid phase. In this paper, expressions are derived for the change in pore pressure under undrained conditions, and the change in soil stress under fully restrained conditions, due to changes in temperature. The expressions provide the basis for the develop- ment of a finite-element code linking temperature changes to fully coupled stress/deformation and fluid-flow phenomena. The model is verified with an example for which a closed-form analytical solution is available. The finite-element code is then used to simulate the recovery process of bitumen from tar sands by means of heat application. Theoretical Rationale The soil matrix can be visualized as an arrangement of solid grains, with liquid and gas phases occupying the voids between the grains. All soil components have finite compressibility characteristics. Consider an element of soil, as illustrated in Figure 1. By subjecting this element of soil to a change in temperature (At) and a change in total stress (Au), a change in pore pressure (Ap) will be developed under undrained conditions. Under these conditions, the over-afl change in volume is a function of ther- mal expansion as well as the change in pore fluid pressure (Ap), and the change in effective stress (Au - Ap). To account first for pressure- and stress-related volume changes, the problem can be decomposed into two stages for analysis as shown in Figure 2. In stage (a), a pore-pressure change, Ap, and an equal total stress change, Au, are applied. The volume change of each com- ponent can be defined in terms of the bulk modulus (i.e. inverse of compressibility), B., and the volume of the component expressed as a proporti(in of the volume of solids, e, (see de@tions in Fig. 1). Using theories of elasticity: Aeg egap / @Bg........... "I'l""I'll""I'll'll""I'll""I'll",'ll"...(1) AC, eApIBI........................................................(2) Ae, Ap / B, (Note e, = 1).........................................(3) Ae. e.Apo'B.......................................................(4) Paper reviewed and accepted for publication by the Editorial Board (if the Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology. 84 The Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology