Heavy Oil Issues

& Solutions
Aubrey Arms
October 11, 2005
Energy Technology
Overview of presentation
Background information
Issues regarding Heavy Oil
Methods of Extraction
Comparative growth of heavy oil
Importance of improving technologies
Heavy Oil Gasification

Background
Heavy Oil has an API between 22.3 and 10
High specific gravity, low hydrogen to carbon
ratios, high carbon residues
High contents of asphaltenes, heavy metal,
sulphur and nitrogen
Majority of Heavy Oil lies in Canada, Venezuela,
and the former Soviet Union


Issues
Not recoverable in its natural state through a well by
ordinary production methods
Comprises of 15% of worlds remaining oil reserves
Normally sells at 50% discount to WTI
Used to produce lower-value products
Fuel oil verses gasoline
However, fuel oil demand has decreased
Upgrading Heavy Oil leaves behind even heavier residue
Environmental Issues
Oil Spills difficult to clean up
High content of Toxins
Methods of extraction
Conventional methods (inefficient)
Cold heavy oil production with sands (CHOPS)
Sand enters wellborn with oil
Increases production by 100%
Used to produce 22% of Canadas Heavy Oils
Vapor extraction (VAPEX)
Inject vaporized solvents into formation
Oil flows due to gravity drainage
Experimental methods
Fireflooding increases temperature and allows oil to flow easier
Solvents, electric currents, and ultrasound
Thermal in-situ recovery
Injecting steam
Recovers up to 20% of conventional heavy oil


Growth in Heavy Oil Production
Increase in
Heavy Oil
Decrease in
conventional oil
Importance of developing new
Technologies
The end of easy oil is over
Energy industry is expanding recourses to
recover difficult to remove heavy oil
Heavy Oil Gasification
Increased value of heavy crude
Combined Deasphalting and Gasifer


Heavy Oil Gasification
Heavy Oil Gasification
Summary
Heavy Oil is more expensive to extract
and cost less than medium/light oil
Production of heaving oil is increasing
while production of medium/light oil is
decreasing
New methods are necessary to extract
heavy oil at lower cost and add value to
the product
Gasification
References
Lloydminster Oilfield Technical Society. OTS
Heavy Oil Science Centre.
http://www.lloydminsterheavyoil.com
Centre for Energy. What are oilsands and
heavy oil? www.centreforenergy.com
Wallace, Paul. Et al. Heavy Oil Upgrading by
the Separation and Gasification of Asphaltenes.
Texaco Inc. October 1998.