Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Jennys Barillas Publicado-BJPG
Jennys Barillas Publicado-BJPG
ISSN 1982-0593
BARILLAS, J. L. M.; DUTRA JR., T. V.; MATA, W. IMPROVED OIL RECOVERY PROCESS FOR HEAVY OIL: A REVIEW. Brazilian Journal of Petroleum and Gas. v. 2, n. 1,
p. 45-54, 2008.
Abstract. Petroleum is one of the main sources of energy in the world, occupying the
first place of the Brazilian energy matrix. Therefore, technologies that involve the
development and application of techniques capable of increasing the profitability of oil
fields are important and require more thorough studies. In Brazil, self-sufficiency has
been already reached in oil production, however it is necessary that improved oil
recovery technologies be continually studied to maintain the current production or to
increase it. Rio Grande do Norte (a Brazilian State) comprises many heavy oil reserves
and the exploration activities in the Brazilian Basins of Campos, Santos and Esprito
Santo have led to the discovery of large amounts of heavy oils. It is possible to increase
heavy oil recovery in some of these reservoirs with the help of improved oil recovery
processes, thus enhancing oil field productivity and profitability. Until recently, heavy
oil reserves did not attract much interest. The lowest oil profitability, the low price of
the oil barrel in the international market, the difficulties involved in its extraction and its
refining, and the large amount of light and medium oils to be explored could not justify
the investments. Maturity of light and medium oil fields and the significant increase in
oil price placed that source of energy under a new perspective. In Brazil, the confirmed
reserves constitute 2.9 billion barrels approximately, 26% of the total reserves, and the
production should reach 450 thousand barrels daily or 25% of the total production
predicted for 2010 (ANP, Agncia Nacional do Petrleo Brazilian Petroleum
National Agency, 2006). To improve the capacity of drainage of the heavy oils and to
increase its recovery, different thermal methods have been developed. Those more used
involve steam in the process, because they are more efficient than other processes such
as in situ combustion or water injection. The steam is used with the intention of
reducing the high oil viscosity and, as a consequence, enhancing phase mobility in
porous media so as to obtain a more efficient drainage up to the producing well.
Keywords: reservoir simulation; reservoir modeling; thermal recovery; IOR; EOR
1. INTRODUCTION
Improved oil recovery methods appear from
the need of increasing the producing life of a
reservoir, augmenting the profitability of the
process. They are more frequently used when
recovery from conventional methods is less
profitable. These processes involve an external
agent that can help to reduce the oil viscosity,
to improve the porous channels, to reduce the
interfacial tension among the fluids, or to
45
2.
THERMAL
IMPROVED
RECOVERY METHODS
1,000,000
3000 cP
100,000
1000 cP@37.8 C
1000 cP
Viscosity, (cP)
OIL
3000 cP@37.8 C
10,000
300 cP
1,000
100
10
1
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Temperature (K)
550
600
650
700
Figure 1. Oil viscosity versus temperature for three kinds of heavy oil (Barillas, 2005).
46
47
Figure 3. Cumulative oil and oil rate versus time with and without
steam injection for an inverted 5-spot pattern.
48
49
50
40
30
20
10
0
Jan-04
Sep-06
Jun-09
Mar-12
Dec-14
Sep-17
Jun-20
Date
Without cyclic steam
10 Cyclic injections
Figure 4. Oil rate in 20 years of production in a numerical model with and without
cyclic steam injection (Queiroz, 2005).
50
sept-06
jun-09
mar-12
dec-14
sept-17
jun-20
Date
Primary production
4 Cycles
8 Cycles
1 Cycles
5 Cycles
9 Cycles
2 Cycles
6 Cycles
10 Cycles
3 Cycles
7 Cycles
Figure 5. Oil rate in 20 years of production in a model with and without cyclic steam injection.
Oil
Reservoir
Steam flow
to interface
Oil flow to
producer well
Injector well
Producer well
51
52
Steam
Reservat
Oil rio
de
reservoir
leo
Condensed solvent
Vapor solvent
Poo
Injetor
Injector
well
Poo
produtor
Producer
well
53
3. CONCLUSIONS
Thermal oil recovery methods are used
mainly in heavy oils or bituminous sands with
the intention of reducing oil viscosity in the
reservoir, increasing its mobility and allowing
better displacement to the producing wells. The
selected process always depends on reservoir
characteristics, reservoir fluids, area and
experience from similar reservoirs. Due to its
complexity, numerical analyses, reservoir
modeling and profitability analyses are always
required in order to determine which process is
more efficient in minimizing the amount of
injected fluids.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish to thank PPGEQ, LEAP,
Petrobras and the PRH-ANP 14 for the support
received in the execution of this work.
REFERENCES
ANP. Anurio Estatstico Brasileiro do
Petrleo e do Gs Natural. Agncia
Nacional do Petrleo, Gs Natural e
Biocombustveis. Rio de Janeiro:
ANP,
2007.
Available
at:
<http://www.anp.gov.br/doc/conheca/Anuari
o%20Estatistico%202007.pdf> Last access:
January 15, 2008.
BARILLAS, J. L. M. Estudo do processo de
drenagem gravitacional com injeo
contnua de vapor em poos horizontais.
2005. 163f. Thesis Master of Science
degree in Chemical Engineering Centro de
Tecnologia, Departamento de Engenharia
Qumica, Programa de Ps-Graduao em
Engenharia Qumica, Universidade Federal
do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil. (in
Portuguese)
BARILLAS, J. L. M.; DUTRA JR., T. V.;
MATA, W.: Reservoir and operational
parameters influence on SAGD process.
Journal of Petroleum Science and
Engineering. 34-42, 54, 2006.
54
BRIGGS,
P. J.; FULLEYLOVE, R. J.;
WRIGHT,
M.S.;
BARON,
R.
P.
Development of heavy oil reservoirs. In:
FIFTH SPE MIDDLE EAST OIL SHOW,
held in Manama, Bahrain, 1987, March 710, technical paper SPE 15748.
BUTLER, R. M.: Thermal Recovery of oil and
bitumen. Department of Chemical and
Petroleum Engineering. Prentice Hall: New
Jersey. No 7, p. 285-358, 1991.
BUTLER, R. M.: Application of SAGD,
related process growing in Canada. Oil and
Gas Journal. 74-78, 14 May, 2001.
FAROUQ ALI, S. M.: Heavy oil-evermore
mobile. Journal of Petroleum Science &
Engineering. 37, 5-9, 2003.
NASR, T. N.; AYODELE, O. R.: Thermal
techniques for the recovery oh heavy oil
bitumen. In: SPE INTERNATIONAL
IMPROVED OIL CONFERENCE IN ASIA
PACIFIC HELD IN KUALA LUMPUR.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 5-6 December,
2005, technical paper SPE 97488.
QUEIROZ, G. O.: Otimizao da injeo
cclica de vapor em reservatrios de leo
pesado. 2006. 135 p. Thesis (Chemical
Engineering Mater degree) - Centro de
Tecnologia, Departamento de Engenharia
Qumica, Programa de Ps-Graduao em
Engenharia Qumica, Universidade Federal
do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal. (in
Portuguese)
ROSA, A. J.; CARVALHO, R. S.; XAVIER, J.
A. D. Engenharia de reservatrios de
petrleo. Rio de Janeiro. Ed. Intercincia:
PETROBRAS, 2006.
SERHAT, A.; BAGCI, S.: A laboratory study
of single-well steam-assisted gravity
drainage process. Journal of Petroleum
Science & Engineering. No 32, p. 23-33,
2001.
THOMAS, J. E.; TRIGGIA, A. A.; CORREIA,
C. A.; VEROTI, C.; SOUZA, J. E.; PAULA,
J. L.; ROSSI, N. C.; PITOMBO, N. E.;
GOUVA, P. C.; CARVALHO, E.;
BARRAGAN, R. V. Fundamentos de
Engenharia
de
Petrleo.
Editora
Intercincia: Rio de Janeiro. 2001, 7,169174. (in Portuguese)