Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)

Thermal EOR
Sudapet H.Q
to 16th May 2013

Khalid Abdulbasit_ RE_

Sudapet

12 th

Contents

Introduction.

Steam Injection.

Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS).

Insitu Combustion (ISC).

Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD).

Introduction
Thermal methods have been tested since
1950s, and they are the most advanced
among EOR methods, as far as field
experience and technology are concerned.
They are best suited for heavy oils (10-20
API) and tar sands (10 API).
Thermal methods supply heat to the
reservoir, and vaporize some of the oil.

There are four main types of thermal

EOR namely:
1.Steam Injection.
2.Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS).
3.Insitu Combustion (ISC).
4.Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage
(SAGD).

 To understand each method of

thermal
EOR,
Advantages,
disadvantages, Injection process of
chemicals into the formations and
suitable conditions to be applied have
to be considered.
To do thermal injection in EOR, new
wells have to be drilled for injection
except in CSS.

Steam Injection

Mechanism
Steam flooding is a pattern drive, similar to
water flooding, steam is injected continuously
with a certain quality (80% steam and 20%
water) to the reservoir having shallow depth
which is preferred.
It forms a steam zone which advances slowly
in the reservoir heating the oil and reducing
its viscosity.

 Once steam is injected into the oil reservoir

with good quality.
Steam reacts with oil and reduces its
viscosity, by creating an oil bank and in
addition to continuous steam injected oil is
pushed towards the producer.
Wettability is changed from oil to water wet
due to the reduction of oil viscosity.

Advantages
Reduces Sor (remaining oil in the reservoir).
Reduces oil viscosity resulting in mobility
ratio reduction and wettability change.
Good performance due to continuous steam
injection.
High RF.
SOR (Steam oil ratio is controlled).

Disadvantages
Steam override to the adjacent formation
due to think reservoir net pay and high
steam mobility.
Less effectiveness at deep reservoir due to
reduction of steam quality.
Cannot be applied at deeper reservoir
depth.
Heat losses occurred in case of strong or
excessive water drive.

Conditions to be
Applied

Low API (<22 Degree API).

Viscous oil (more than 100 cp).
Thick net pay (more than 10 m) to avoid
heat losses to the adjacent formations.
Perforation has to be away from OWC to
avoid steam condensation.
Reasonable current reservoir pressure.
High reservoir permeability to support
steam traveling inside the reservoir.

CSS

Mechanism
Cyclic steam stimulation is a single well
process and called Huff and Puff.
It is the only EOR method that is applied in
the producer itself.
It is called Cyclic Steam Injection (CSI).
It consists of three stages:
Injection period.
Soaking period.
Production period.

Mechanism
The process started with steam injection in
the producer itself with high steam quality,
usually 80%, for a period of 14 - 21 days
The well is shut-in, then followed by soaking
period of 3 - 5 days to allow the heat to be
distributed in the formation, still the well is
shut-in.
Then followed by production period.
Cycles are repeated when the oil rate
becomes uneconomic.

Advantages
Prepare the field for future steam flooding by
heating a part of the reservoir.
Reduced oil viscosity and there for change
the wettability around the well bore from oil
to water wet in addition to mobility ratio
reduction.
Reduces Sor (remaining oil in the reservoir).
Quick increment in oil rate once the
production phase is started.

Disadvantages
Difficult to be applied in case of low current
reservoir pressure.
Steam injection is not continuous.
Affected by strong water aquifer drive.

Conditions to be
Applied
Large filed area and steam is selected to be
implemented in the future, CSS is used to
heat a part of the reservoir.
Low API (less than 22.1 Degree API).
Viscous oil (more than 100 cp).
Good net pay (10 m at least to avoid heat
losses).
Enough reservoir pressure to hold the
injection pressure.

ISC

Mechanism
In-situ combustion or fire flooding involves
starting a fire in the reservoir and injecting
air to sustain the burning of some of the
crude oil.
The injection mechanism is usually done
under high pressure and temperature.
Air or any gas contains oxygen is injected in
the reservoir to start the ignition.
Then followed by continuous injection of air
to sustain the burning process in addition to
push the combustion front towards the
producer.

 The heat produced reduces the viscosity of

the reservoir fluid thereby increasing the
mobility of the oil.
The mobility must be high enough so that
hydrocarbons can be displaced from the
combustion area to the cold area of the
reservoir.
Thus for this process, high permeability and
high porosity are most attractive.

ISC Types
There are three types of in-situ combustion
processes as described below:
1.Dry in-situ combustion. (ignition and
burning flow from Injector to producer).
2.Wet in-situ combustion. (ignition and
burning flow from Injector to producer).
3.Reverse in-situ combustion. (ignition from
producer and burning flow from Injector to
producer).

Dry ISC:
It is the normal in-situ combustion process,
both injection of air and burning front are
created at the injector and it is not followed
by injection of water and the process is kept
dry, in this process the propagation of the
burning front and the combustion front are
from the injector to the producer.

Wet ISC:
In this process water in injected in the
reservoir after the air is being injected into
the reservoir, the reason of water injection is
to cool the reservoir to protect the well from
damage due to the very high temperature
which is crated of the burning process.

Dry ISC:
in reverse in-situ combustion injection of air
is in the injector and the ignition is created
in the producer, it is called reverse due to
the direction of the combustion front is in
the opposite direction of the injection, then
by the continuous air injection burning front
is travelled in the reservoir towards the
producer.

Advantages
Mobility
control.

ratio

reduction

and

mobility

Oil viscosity reduction.

Wettability change from oil to water wet.
It is cheaper process.
Incremental in the RF %.

Disadvantages
Reservoir damage where any other EOR
methods cannot be applied after that.
A part of OIIP is burned during ignition and
burning in the reservoir as well as providing
fuel to the process.
Complex process.
Unfavorable gas-oil mobility during the
injection and burning front processes.
Carbon dioxide is formed during the process
which it affects the surface facilities if it is
being produced.

Conditions to be
Applied
Heavy oil (low API is needed).

Oil viscous can be low or high.

No strong aquifer from the bottom.
It can be applied in deeper reservoir up to
6000 ft.
Good porosity and permeability.
High remaining oil left in the reservoir.

SAGD

Mechanism
SAGD means steam assisted gravity
drainage the process implemented by
drilling two horizontal wells parallel to each
other, one for the injection (upper) of steam
creates a steam chamber from which oil can
drain towards the producer (lower)
The oil which is normally immobile is
heated, allowing gravity drainage towards
the lower producer at the bottom.

 There are two factors are controlling the

mechanism, steam effect in addition to
gravity effect which it helps the steam to flow
from the injector towards the producer.
The most typical application is as follows: Two
wells are drilled, both extended in a
horizontal direction with the producer being
parallel to and vertically below the injector.

 Steam is injected into the injector (upper

well), heated oil drains by gravity towards
the producer.
The producer is completed such the oil which
is heated through conduction and can flow
as a separate phase from the injected steam.

Advantages
High reduction in oil viscosity from 1000s cp
to less than 10 cp and there for mobility ratio
reduction in addition to flow control.
Applicable for extra heavy oils and bitumen.
High recovery factor, it depends on the
horizontal wells.
Wettability change from oil to water wet.

Disadvantages
Swelling of clay leads to low efficient.
Presence of aquifer results in condensation.
Cost of horizontal wells.
Environmental problems due to high water
production.

Conditions to be
Applied

Very heavy oil, it is good for oil API less than

13 and it can be applied for bitumen
reservoirs.
Viscous oil with a viscosity more than 100 cp
and it can be applied up to 5000 cp.
Thick reservoir, to be able to drill two
horizontal wells (more than 15 m)
Sand continuity for the horizontal sections.
Good reservoir porosity and permeability.
Weak or moderate aquifer strength.
Shallow reservoirs are suitable (to avoid heat
losses and lowering steam quality).