Developing Deep Viscous Oil Deposits

Maurice B. Dusseault
Deep Viscous Oil

1
 Deep Viscous Oil (>1200 m)
Sandstones, usually < 26-27%
Limestones, usually < 15%
Viscosity usually < 1000 cP
Deep strata are hotter, so the viscosity is lower
Also, deep oil has not been as severely
biodegraded as shallower oil
Permeability ~ 100 2000 mD
Deeper strata tend to have lower k values
Deep Viscous Oil

Below the depth for steam injection

2
 Viscous Oils

Tuyuke,
China,
2400 m

Kuh-e-Mond 1200 m

Rubiales Castilla
Colombia Colombia
Deep Viscous Oil

880 m 2150 m

3
 Viscosity-Gravity Correlations
106

105
In Situ Viscosity - cP

Canada
Orinoco
104
Maracaibo
Others
Tuyuke
103

102

Rubiales
101
Deep Viscous Oil

Castilla
100
5 10 15 20 25

API Gravity 4
Deep Viscous Oil

5
 Steam Processes
100 200 300 400 Temperature
0

critical point
Saturated steam at over-
1 km burden pressure (~23 kPa/m)
economic
limit
Saturated steam at hydro-
static pressure (10 kPa/m)
2 km
Deep Viscous Oil

3 km
Depth
6
 Viscosity T Relationships
107
10000000.000
This is for a 10API Canadian oil
106
1000000.000

105
100000.000
Viscosity - cP

104
10000.000

10 3
1000.000

10 2
100.000
Deep Viscous Oil

101
10.000

10 0 T - C
1.000
10
10 20 50 100
100 150 200 250 7
 Economic Limits
Steam processes based on fracturing p
Cyclic steam processes
Limited to depths less than ~800 m

Steam processes based on intermediate p

Steam drive, steam circulation
Limited to depths less than ~1200 m

Gravity drainage processes hydrostatic p

In this technology, 1500-1600 m possible, but
Deep Viscous Oil

Injection rates lower than CSS, steam drive

Thus, heat losses in wells are too large

8
 Therefore, if Reservoir is Deep
Realistically, steam processes are limited to
depths less than 1200-1500 m
At depths > 600-800 m, insulated steam
tubing should be considered to reduce losses
Also, injection rates should be high and
injection cycles short to further reduce losses
These constraints limit the depth application
of steam processes
Deep Viscous Oil

9
 High p Production Options
High p processes in viscous oil (>100 cP)
There are severe problems with instabilities
Advective instabilities (coning, fingering)

Gravitational instabilities (gas override)

Capillary instabilities (oil zone pinch-off)

Therefore, in heavy oil at depth, we expect

severe problems and limited recovery factors
because of these instabilities
Deep Viscous Oil

10
 Reminder: Coning Processes

Coning is a basic
p and viscosity-
related instability gas coning
gas zone
high Dp

water coning
(lateral coning
viscous oil zone can also occur)
high Dp

water zone To eliminate coning, Dp has to be

Deep Viscous Oil

quite small. In many cases, this

means going to a gravity process.

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

 Reminder: Frontal Instabilities

low-viscosity phase isotropic reservoir

high-viscosity phase

flow direction

fingers

Viscosity differences lead

naturally to frontal loss of
stability, called fingering.
Deep Viscous Oil

Blocking fingering is largely

ineffective and quite costly.
 Reminder: Permeability Instabilities

permeability streaks are preferred flow channels of higher krel

(water underride)
incomplete displacement permeable zones

advanced displacement

Preferred displacement in naturally permeable streaks is

Dp a fundamental aspect of Dp flow (advective flow) in any
real porous system; it cannot be avoided.
Deep Viscous Oil

Trying to block or plug naturally permeable streaks has

a very poor record of success in practice (~40%).
 High p Options (A)
Cold production
Vertical wells low rates, low RF
Horizontal wells somewhat better

Standard water flood or polymer

Early water breakthrough
Blocking agents are of little use

Viscous agents (polymers) are expensive, and

are not likely to be economical in viscous oil
Deep Viscous Oil

Probably, water floods are not viable

Water-alternating gas (WAG)???

14
 Cold Production
Long horizontal wells are used to get good Q
In viscous oil, this is a solution gas drive
CH4 comes out of solution as bubbles
Bubbles expand, displacing oil to wells

When Sg ~ 0.12, gas becomes continuous phase

Then, oil stops flowing

RF will be less than ~0.15-0.18

There are some advantages no heat, and

Deep Viscous Oil

horizontal wells can achieve high Q

15
 Cold Production with Toe Solvent

Production mechanism: Pump jack

Solution gas drive, and the
solvent is injected at the toe:
--improves Q along length
--reduces of oil Solvent tubing

Slotted liner section

Pump
Deep Viscous Oil

p production zone

16
 Multiple Branch Horizontal Wells
Deep Viscous Oil

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 High p Options (B)
Water-alternating gas (WAG, usually CO2)
The concept is that gas will partially block pores
of the high-k zones, helping water displacement
Gas alone suffers early from rapid breakthrough

But gas and water tend to segregate vertically

This leads to instability and breakthrough

Bypassed oil is isolated by capillary forces

Capillary isolation
Deep Viscous Oil

Pinch-off of the oil phase caused by high p

This breaks the oil film continuity

18
 Capillary Isolation of Oil

Oil zone, capillary barrier

Zone swept by water

Capillary barriers and swept zones are created

during high p displacement. These lead to
Deep Viscous Oil

severe difficulties in viscous oil development

p p+p ow capillary force barrier

p
2r to water displacement
19
 Phase Segregation in WAG

Water-alternating-gas Production

Gravitational separation of
the gas and water phases

gas

capillarity-
isolated oil
Liquid difference:
oil ~ 0.90-0.95
water ~ 1.03 1.10
Deep Viscous Oil

water

20
 Gravity Stabilized Options
Bottom-up displacement of oil
This is a method taking advantage of density
differences between oil and water
Unfortunately, is less in viscous oils than
in conventional oils
Also, the high viscosity means that the
processes will be extremely slow
Deep Viscous Oil

21
 Gravity Stabilized Waterflooding
Water in
This approach requires
low , good kv Production

Density difference:
oil ~ 0.80-0.90
water ~ 1.03 1.10
Deep Viscous Oil

Use cleaned, recycled formation water if possible (geochemical compatibility)

22
 Horizontals in Dipping Strata

The natural dip adds

greatly to the stability of the production well
displacement process.

o ~ 0.80 - 0.95
shale
barrier
Deep Viscous Oil

w ~ 1.03 1.10 The use of polymers

may help the sweep
injection wells, horizontal or vertical, efficiency in this case
depending on geology and dip

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 Inert Gas Injection (gravity process)
Gas is injected high in the
reservoir to move the oil
interface downward
dm
Generally, it is a top down
displacement process,
gas gravitationally assisted and
Dp water density stabilized
Note: in a water-wet reservoir,
a continuous 3-D oil film exists,
providing that wg > og + wo
Deep Viscous Oil

oil
Recovery % can be high
 IGI, With Reservoir Structure

inert gas injection

gas rates are controlled to
avoid gas (or water) coning mainly
gas
three-phase zone
horizontal wells
parallel to structure
oil bank, two-phase zone

D
water-wet sand

water,
Deep Viscous Oil

Dp
one phase best to monitor
the process;
if coning develops,
drop pressures!

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 If there are Shale Streaks?

inert gas injection

gas rates are controlled to
avoid gas (or water) coning mainly
gas

three-phase
zone
horizontal wells
parallel to water

oil bank, two-phase

zone, water-wet sand
Deep Viscous Oil

water,
one
phase
Voidage balance necessary!

26
 Inert Gas Injection, Flat-Lying Strata

DV/Dt]oil + water CO2, N2, CH4,

= DV/Dt]gas vertical wells other gases

(voidage filled)

3-phase no Dp, no Dp ~ 0
region gas coning

2-phase no Dp, no horizontal

region H2O coning wells
Deep Viscous Oil
 IGI in Flat-Lying Strata

DV/Dt]oil + water
N2 or CH4
= DV/Dt]gas
(voidage filled)

no Dp, no
3-phase gas coning
Dp ~ 0
region
hydraulic
2-phase no Dp, no fractures
region H2O coning
water
Deep Viscous Oil

horizontal wells
Voidage balance necessary!
 Gravity Drainage of Reefs

Oil bank is squeezed previous injection/

into the horizontal well production wells
by proper pressure control are used to balance
so that density controls flow voidage, control coning

new horizontal
well trajectory gas cap (wells can
be converted to
methane or inert
gas injection) low Dp
gas
inj.

horizontal well
Deep Viscous Oil

bottom water drive placement based

(some wells are on permeability and
converted to
water injection) D drainage rates
 IGI Summary
Method has been implemented in reservoirs
in Canada with good success
Not for non-thermal heavy oil projects
Ideal approach for converting old
conventional fields to a GD process
Operating expenses are quite low
Should be considered for new fields, and for
renewing old fields
Deep Viscous Oil

Ideal for after CSS technologies! Providing

other conditions are met.
 Inert Gas Injection
If gas quality is poor, N2 or CO2 is used; CO2
outperforms other fully inert gases
If gas is of good quality, then CH4 or C2H6
can be injected (solubility effects may help
reduce vicosity)
Because of gravity dominated process, with
low Dp, loss of gas is minimal
Thus, after the oil recovery is complete, the
Deep Viscous Oil

gas can be ~100% recovered

Thus, gas is an investment, oil is the interest,
and you get your capital back at the end 31
 Flue Gas Injection
Advantages:
Cheap, widely available
Disadvantages
N2 = 87%, CO2 = 13%
This means that the gas is immiscible

OK for immiscible IGI processes, but

Does not give a significant effect on the
viscosity (largely immiscible)
Deep Viscous Oil

However, it costs , $... to obtain pure CO2

32
 CO2 Miscible Flooding
Supercritical CO2 (> 35C and > 7.15 MPa)
Full miscibility with oil
Reduces the viscosity
Eventually leads to very high RF
There is also a density effect:
oil ~ 0.95 g/cm3
CO ~ 0.60-0.85 g/cm , depending on p
3
2
Deep Viscous Oil

Realistically, CO2 only for z > 1000 m

Also, asphaltene precipitation issues exist
33
 CO2 Flooding
In heavy oils, likely limited to <1000 cP
Large density difference with oil, hence:
Gravitational segregation will occur
This must be planned for

Large viscosity difference, hence:

Advective instabilities (p, ) will be severe if
high pressure drive processes are used
Many regions are CO2 supply limited
Deep Viscous Oil

Biggest source is CO2 from gas plant

Ammonia plants, cement kilns, power stations
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Deep Viscous Oil
Deep Viscous Oil

36
 Pore-Scale Processes in GD

Countercurrent flow in
mineral grain the pores and throats
lead to a stable 3-phase
C3H8 system.

The oil flow is aided by

mineral grain a thin-film surface
tension effect which
helps to draw down the
oil very efficiently.
water oil
water To maintain a gravity-
mineral grain oil
gases dominated flow system,
it is essential to create
the fully interconnected
Deep Viscous Oil

phases, and to not try

and overdrive using
mineral grain high pressures.
 VAPEX Process

Use miscible, partially condensable gas mix

for the gas phase (e.g.: C2H6-C5H12)
Inject from horizontal well toe, the upper
well (1 or 2 well approaches), or verticals
Miscible, condensable gases reduce m, non-
condensing gas balances voidage
Can og be modified (gas diffusion into oil)?
Deep Viscous Oil

Valuable gases scavenged after process (Dp)

 VAPEX Process
Use miscible, partially condensable gas such
as C2H6-C5H12, as gas phase
Inject from horizontal well toe or from the
upper well (1 or 2 well approaches)
Miscible gases reduce viscosity
Non-condensing portion provides the
space to allow oil flow (voidage filling)
Gases scavenged later by inert gas injection
Deep Viscous Oil

Can be combined with SAGD (cycles)

 VAPEX Concept
Many variations exist
Cyclic pressures
Cold VAPEX
Thermal VAPEX
Refluxing, condensing
Steam + solvents
SAGD combinations
Various well patterns
Deep Viscous Oil

And so on

40
 Solvent Viscosity Reduction
Different solvents
reduce the viscosity by
different amounts
Also, different phase
behavior (T, p)
Naphtha is a raw
product, fairly cheap
Pure solvents are more
expensive
Deep Viscous Oil

Propane, butane, for

heated VAPEX
methods
41
 Double-Well SAGD or VAPEX
overburden

non-condensing gas zone

In a double-well system, two horizontal
wells are placed several metres apart, and
one is used for injection, the other for zone with full
production. The precise location of the three-phase flow countercurrent flow
wells is not critical.
fluid level

casing shoes slotted section

fluids in

liquids out
Deep Viscous Oil

The vapor phase can be steam, steam plus non-miscible (N2) or miscible (C2H6) gases,
a single gas, or a mixture of gases formulated to best lead to spreading and drainage.
 Double-Well SAGD or VAPEX

overburden

non-condensing gas zone

Keep Dp small to zone with full
maximize stability three-phase flow countercurrent flow

fluid level

casing shoes slotted section

fluids in

liquids out
Deep Viscous Oil

CH4, CO2, N2, C2H6 etc can be added to maximize spreading and drainage.
 VAPEX Concept

Physics is the
same as SAGD
Deep Viscous Oil

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Aherne - Devon
 VAPEX Chamber Development
Glass Model
Deep Viscous Oil

Chatzis - 2002
1500
45min
 Mass Transfer in VAPEX
Measured rates higher
than predicted rates Fingering
The front is fingered at
a small scale
This increases the rate
of mass transfer
Dilution is accelerated
and melting encouraged
But! Overdriving can
Deep Viscous Oil

also cause instabilities

Hele-Shaw cell from Das
i.e. Optimization in
the field is needed
46
 Capillary Fingering and VAPEX

2500 kPaa Pressured Athabasca VAPEX with Capillary Pressure the

2500 kPaa Pressured Athabasca VAPEX using Propane with Capillary
Mechanism
Pressure the for Additional
Mechanism Mass Transfer
for Additional Mass Transfer

Solvent Oil Ratio (m3CPE/m3 bit)

120 0.5
Predicted Rate
Bitumen rate 40 m3/d bit
0.45
Bitumen Rate (m3/d)

100
0.4

80 0.35

Solvent/oil ratio 0.3

60 0.25
0.2
40
0.15

20 0.1
0.05
Deep Viscous Oil

0 0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Time (days)

47
 VAPEX Configurations

In this approach, vapors are heated to

promote condensation at the front
Sectional view

Warm HC Diluted oil

Diluted oil vapor production
production injection
Vapor path

Chamber growth
Deep Viscous Oil

Underburden

3000 m

48
 VAPEX Configurations

Horizontal producers
Vertical
Active VAPEX chamber front
injectors

Swept Lateral gravity flow to wells

region Unswept formation

Deep Viscous Oil

Well spacing is dictated Plan View

by the zone thickness

49
 Staggered Well Solvent Injection

Solvent injected uniformly Inert gas (CH4, N2, CO2)

Gravity flow to production wells
Gas injected to fill void (V)
No gas breakthrough allowed
Solvent injection well
(naphtha, *SC-CO2)

Dilution front Oil-solvent Dilution front

flow
Deep Viscous Oil

Production well

Configurations with vertical injectors and

horizontal producers are also feasible *SC-CO2: supercritical CO2

50
 Cyclic Solvent Injection
Only if there is no free water or gas cap!!
It is best to find a solvent that will vaporize
at the lower range of pressures to be used
Alternatively, use a heated solvent to inject
Inject at high p
Let condensation occur, dilution
Flow back to perforations at the bottom of
the zone (maximize gravity effects)
Deep Viscous Oil

Use horizontal wells?

51
 Is THAI Possible at Depth?

Air or O2 (H2O) Product

Horizontal well enforces a short

flow and reaction zone, traditional
instabilities are greatly reduced

Combustion zone Mobile gas and oil bank

Cold reservoir
Deep Viscous Oil

heel
toe
bypassing?
 THAI
Combustion remains attractive
Higher pressures at depth guarantee
combustion, but control is more difficult
Is there enough fuel density to guarantee
stable front propagation?
Can deep combustion be used after some
conventional production?
With active water?
Deep Viscous Oil

These issues remain unresolved.

But never say never
53
 Deep Heavy Oil Options (>1000 m)
Non-steam methods must be explored
Primary production CHOPS or CP
Gravity drainage methods:
Inert gas injection (Gas-oil gravity drainage)
VAPEX in one or another configuration

Supercritical CO2, gravity stabilized

Pressure-driven methods
Cyclic solvent methods,
Deep Viscous Oil

Cyclic steam / hot water

Circulation methods
54
 New Field Strategy
Horizontal wells best (plan for GD!)
Operate to maximize early production
Pay off your CAPEX as soon as possible
When it becomes uneconomic (ie: $ are
below OPEX), convert to a GD process
Reservoir is repressurized (eg: IGI)
Operate at low or zero Dp, GD domain
Deep Viscous Oil

Flow is slow but steady + high recovery