An approach to model three‐phase flow coupling during steam chamber rise

Abstract

During steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process, a steam chamber forms due to continuous steam injection. This chamber first moves upward to the top of the reservoir and then spreads sideways. The upward chamber displacement is one of the key factors for optimising the steam injection rate. It is necessary to determine the accurate chamber rise velocity for predicting the oil recovery rate. Recent experiments show that oil flow is coupled to water flow during three‐phase gravity drainage in water‐wet systems. In this paper, we argue that this type of flow coupling can be significant in SAGD operations. We extend Butler's [Butler, J. Can. Petrol. Technol. 1987, 26, 70] and Gotawala and Gates [Gotawala and Gates, Can. J. Chem. Eng. 2008, 86, 1011] analytic models for the rise of interfering steam chambers to account for three‐phase flow and flow coupling. We also show the importance of flow coupling by solving a simple numerical example. We observe that by including three‐phase drainage and the flow coupling at the steam finger edge, the vertical rise velocity of a steam chamber increases. Moreover, the rise velocity is very sensitive to the coupling term introduced in the new models. Even a small value of the coupling term increases the rise velocity significantly. Furthermore, we compare the model predictions with the values measured in six fields.

Chemical Additives and Foam to Enhance SAGD Performance

“……………………...……...…...99 Table 5-2 Fluid data used for comparison (Athabasca Oil, m=4) (Murtaza et al, 2014)…….….100 Table 5-3 Foam Parameters (Reme, 1999)……………………………………...………….…...100 Figure A-1 Rising finger plot (Butler, 1987)……… ……………………………………………128…”

“…They also criticized the theory that steam fingers penetrated several meters outside a steam chamber. Murtaza et al (2014) included the coupling between oil and water based on Butler's and Gotawala and Gates' models.…”

“…Besides, Gotawala and Gates (2008) discovered that a finger rising rate was determined by the gas phase mobility and a density difference between the oil and gas phases. Murtaza et al (2014) also put forward that the steam fingering depended on multiphase flow regimes and the finger rising velocity changed when oil flow and water flow were coupled. Therefore, the properties alteration of each phase and the interfaces calls for great importance to be attached as it tends to exert extensive influences towards phase behaviors and oil production.…”

Microscopic Mechanical Model Analysis and Visualization Investigation of SiO2 Nanoparticle/HPAM Polymer Foam Liquid Film Displacing Heavy Oil

“…Unlike the low sweep coefficient and low oil washing efficiency of water flooding in heavy oil development, − foam has special fluidity due to its gas–liquid two-phase system. Based on the superimposed Jamin effect and other mechanisms, it can penetrate deep into the complex pores of formation and significantly improve the sweep efficiency. − At the same time, the presence of surfactants enables the foam to peel off the heavy oil from the rock surface by wetting reversal and emulsification mechanisms to form a stable emulsion, − which further optimizes the oil washing efficiency, − and eventually improves the oil recovery factor. ,, The advantage of using foam to efficiently produce heavy oil lies in its multiple displacement mechanisms, which are affected by fluid components and other factors. − …”

Study on the Influence of Different Ratios of CO2 and N2 on Extra-Heavy Oil Reservoirs Developed by Multi-Thermal-Fluid Huff-Puff

“…However, the production of heavy oil will gradually decrease after numerous stimulation cycles due to the increased water cut and limited sweep area. The oil recovery rate of CCS technology is predicted to be between 10% and 20% [4], [5], [6] .…”