MBDCI

Gravity-Driven Processes
for Oil Recovery
in Porous Media
Gravity Drainage Processes

Maurice B. Dusseault
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SAGD and Geomechanics

RF can be as high as 70-80%

Proven in lab and by recent field results

The best approach is 3-phase flow (high )

Horizontal well technology essential

Successful in viscous oils in Canada, but
 High steam needs (2 3.5 WOR)
Gravity Drainage Processes

 Water and heat management are critical

There are important geomechanics issues

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 MBDCI

Gravity Drainage Processes SAGD Gravity Drainage Concept

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(SAGD): STEAM ASSISTED GRAVITY DRAINAGE
 MBDCI

Coning Processes

Coning is a basic
viscosity-related gas coning
flow instability
gas zone
water coning
high p

(lateral coning
oil zone
can also occur)
high p
Gravity Drainage Processes

To eliminate coning, p has to be

quite small. In many cases, this
water zone means going to a gravity process.

Once a cone has been created, it is almost impossible to block.

 MBDCI

Permeability Instabilities

permeability streaks are preferred flow channels of higher krel

permeable zones
incomplete displacement

advanced displacement

Preferred displacement in naturally permeable streaks is

a fundamental aspect of p flow (advective flow) in any
Gravity Drainage Processes

p
real porous system; it cannot be avoided.

Trying to block or plug naturally permeable streaks has

a very poor record of success in practice (~40%).
 MBDCI

Capillary Flow Blockage

p is the pressure difference

water across the oil-water interface
p+p in static (Darcy) flow conditions
grain
p General flow direction
l oil
r pressure = p

p ~ ow/2r (Laplace eqn.)

Gravity Drainage Processes

General flow direction

grain
water
p+p oil ow is oil-water
interfacial tension

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 MBDCI

Pore-Scale Processes

Countercurrent flow in
mineral grain the pores and throats
H2O lead to a stable 3-phase
CH4 system.
CO2
The oil flow is aided by
mineral grain a thin-film surface
tension effect which
helps to draw down the
water oil oil very efficiently.

steam + water To maintain a gravity-

mineral grain oil
Gravity Drainage Processes

gases dominated flow system,

it is essential to create
the fully interconnected
phases, and to not try
and overdrive using
mineral grain high pressures.
 MBDCI

Macro-Countercurrent Flow Cells

insulated
region
CH4 + oil

flow cell

Gravity Drainage Processes

lateral steam liquid level

chamber extension oil and water

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 MBDCI

Gravity Drainage in Heavy Oils

is high, > 100 x of H2O

oil is typically 0.85-1.02

CH4 is present in solution in the heavy oil

The viscosity must be reduced somehow
 Steam ( is very T sensitive) for SAGD
 Light HCs (C2H6 to C6H14) for VAPEX
Gravity Drainage Processes

 The two can be combined

Long horizontal drains are required to get

economic rates (500-1300 m)
 MBDCI

Gravity Drainage Processes Slant Well Drilling for SAGD Implementation

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 MBDCI

Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage

A overburden X-section to wells
T = 265C
H

T = 25C
A
W

overburden L

steam + non-condensing gas zone

Section A-A
Gravity Drainage Processes

T = 25C T = 265C
liquid level

fluids in
casing shoes slotted sections
liquids out
 MBDCI

Surmont SAGD Pilot

Production Rates (Surmont Project, 4 W ells)

700 350 m deep
Oil
350,000 cP
600 W ater 1-5 Darcy
Production Rates (m3/d)

30% porosity
500
45m thick
N/G > 85%
400 W ater

300
Gravity Drainage Processes

200

100 Oil

0
1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007
 MBDCI

Average SAGD Well Production Rate

200
180
Production Rate (103 m3/d)

160
140
120
100
80
60
40
Gravity Drainage Processes

20
0
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34
Months Since Start Up
Includes Foster Creek, Hangingstone, Christina Lake, MacKay River, and Firebag
Started each project at month 1

Farhood Rahnama - 2007

 MBDCI

Geomechanics Effects in GD

Minimal in non-thermal processes

Important in SAGD, SAGP, CHOPS + SAGD,
HCS, etc., wherever high T is used

Thermal expansion leads to several effects:

Hot zone undergoes substantial expansion
 Thermal dilatancy occurs ahead of T front
Gravity Drainage Processes

 This increases k of cool rock, better conformance

 Small shale barriers are traversed by fractures

 Some shearing will occur along interfaces

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 MBDCI

T and Shear Dilation

in weak rocks, such as

cool region many high porosity
hot region sandstones, dilation
expansion occurs during shearing

compressional r
+V extensional triaxial test analogy

Gravity Drainage Processes

r
 MBDCI

Geomechanics and Dilatancy

Rocks are dense, tend to expand in volume
(dilate) when general shearing occurs, k

Occurs where T generates contrasts in V,
leading to large shear stresses: (1 - 3)/2

Thermal expansion pushes outward, thus, 1 =
r, and 3 = , and shear yield occurs
Geomechanics modeling and monitoring also
Gravity Drainage Processes

shows regions of remote, cold dilation

Interfaces will also experience shear slip

But! Little shear occurs in VAPEX
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 MBDCI

Gravity Drainage Processes Thermally Induced Dilatancy

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 MBDCI

Permeability Effects

Dilation increases the porosity (~2-4%)

The volume increase is filled with the most
mobile phase, water (and gas)

Thus, the kw and kg rise substantially, in
advance of the T front.

The SAGD process now becomes more
efficient, and drainage is more rapid
Gravity Drainage Processes

Will occur in UC sands and fractured rocks

Geomechanics modeling can help understand
and quantify these processes
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 MBDCI

Baffles to Flow in VAPEX

Shale streaks impede vertical drainage effectiveness
Inert gas injection wells

long flow path

Regions of low gradient

because of shale
baffles
Gravity Drainage Processes

Horizontal drain

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 MBDCI

Shale Barriers and SAGD

Thin shales (1-2 m) seem not to be barriers to
SAGD chamber development. WHY?

Sands and shales expand differently

High T causes shrinkage of shales, vertical
fractures develop

Higher T causes mineral changes, more
shrinkage, more fractures
Gravity Drainage Processes

The hot fluids thus simply bypass the shales to

heat upper zones effectively

However, shale beds are never good!
 MBDCI

Shale Barriers and SAGD

V e V
ds ton Thermal expansion behavior
san
dehydroxylation

e
ons
re sp
ale
s h
dehydration SAGD passes through shales
T because of volumetric effects
300 C
Gravity Drainage Processes

fractures
bypassing
 MBDCI

SAGD and Shales

Shales in the formation have to be heated, just
like the oil sand, and this is expensive
 20-25% by volume of H2O
 Plus the mineral matter of course

Thin shales (<25 mm?) are broken through by

the shearing and dilation that occurs at high T
Thicker shales, even though breached and
Gravity Drainage Processes

fractured (naturally or induced, are:

 Partial barriers (local), sometimes called
 Baffles to vertical flow

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 MBDCI

Stress Transfer and Dilation

SAGD and dilation zones Stress
shale overburden interface shear di changes
la
t io
hot region n
expansion cool
region -
-driven +V 25C
fluid flux +r
-
265C

tion
cold

dila
shear dilatancy dilation
+V
p constant
Gravity Drainage Processes

Stress paths & dilation Y

J2 for dense quartz sands
co
ntr

p constant 3
dil

ac
at

stress
tio
ion

1
n

paths to Y
(yield) Triaxial
initial
state J1 test
analogy
 MBDCI

Surface Heave from T & p

Surface heave
z above a
320 mm +z
SAGD project

m
1k
Gravity Drainage Processes

Surface heaves cannot be explained by T & p alone:

there must be shear dilation taking place. Therefore, there
are massive changes in the reservoir properties k, Cc, ,
 MBDCI

Case B: Reasonable SAGD Case

overburden shale

medium-grained sand kv ~1-2 D, kh ~2-3 D

0.5 -1 m thick shale beds

coarse-grained sand, clay dustings on bedding planes 30 m

kv ~ 1.5-2 D, kh ~ 4 D
Gravity Drainage Processes

thin discontinuous shale streaks

gravel beds,
1-2 m thick,
20-30 m wide

N/G ~ 0.90, several shale beds ~1 m thick

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 MBDCI

Case C: Marginal SAGD Case

overburden shale

fine-grained sand with shale laminae, kv ~0.5 D thin shales

2.5 m shaley silt bed

fine-grained sand, minor shale, kv ~1 D, kh ~ 2 D 30 m

thin shale streaks
Gravity Drainage Processes

calcareous cemented zone 0.6 m thick

coarse-grained sand,
kv ~ 1.5-2 D, kh ~ 4 D

N/G ~ 0.85 0.88, one major shale bed, upper fine-grained zone
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 MBDCI

Gravity Drainage Processes Stage 2: Full SAGD Option II

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 MBDCI

Thermal Gravity Processes

Most suitable for heavy oils (<30API)

Excellent heat efficiency and stable

High OOIP recovery ratios are possible

Two-well, one-well, or other geometries

May be used with other approaches (CHOP)

Not the solution to all heavy oil cases!!
Gravity Drainage Processes

Many years of optimization remain to bring

SAGD to its full realization

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