Phase Behavior of Heavy Oils with Application to Reservoir Recovery Processes

Jacoby, R.H.

doi:10.1007/978-94-009-6140-1_1

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…There are less data reported discussing mixtures of propane and heavy oils. Jacoby (16) extracted bitumen from Athabasca oil sand with liquid or supercritical ethane, propane and butane inside a PVT cell. The equilibrium viscosity and density of the extracted liquid phase were measured for different ratios of solvent to oil sand.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phase Behaviour and Physical Property Measurements for VAPEX Solvents: Part I. Propane and Athabasca Bitumen

Badamchizadeh

Yarranton

Svrcek

et al. 2009

Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology

111

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The saturation pressure and solubility of propane in Athabasca bitumen, as well as the liquid phase densities and viscosities, were measured for temperatures from 10 to 50 °C. Equilibration proved challenging for this fluid mixture and required some experimental modifications that are discussed. Only liquid and liquid-vapour phase regions were observed at propane contents below 20 wt%. A second liquid phase appeared to have formed at higher propane contents. The saturation pressures, where only a single dense phase formed, ranged from 600 to 1,600 kPa and these were fitted with a modification to Raoult's law. Viscosities less than 210 mPa.s were obtained at a propane content of 15.6 wt%. All of the viscosity data of the liquid phase were predicted from the propane and bitumen viscosities using the Lobe mixing rule. Introduction The worldwide original oil-in-place (OOIP) of heavy oil and bitumen is estimated to be approximately 6 trillion barrels. A major part of these resources are in Canada (~36%) and Venezuela (~27%)(1). In Canada, steam-based methods are often employed to improve heavy oil recovery. However, the industry is starting to seek alternatives to these methods because they are energy intensive and are drawing heavily on the available water supply. Solvent-based recovery methods are a potential alternative capable of providing high recovery factors without substantial water requirements(2, 3). One option is the vapour extraction method (VAPEX), which is a solvent-based analogue of the Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) process(4–7). VAPEX is implemented with a pair of horizontal wells: a production well at the bottom of the reservoir and a solvent injection well located directly above the production well(5), as shown in Figure 1. The vapourized solvent is injected through the injection well and a chamber of solvent vapour forms around the well. At the walls of the chamber, the solvent diffuses into a surface layer of the heavy oil and dramatically reduces its viscosity. The diluted oil layer is then mobile enough to drain down, under the influence of gravity, into the production well. VAPEX performance depends on the viscosity and density of the liquid phase that forms at the edge of the solvent chamber. In order to design and optimize VAPEX and other solvent-based processes, it is critical to be able to determine the diffusivity of the solvent in the heavy oil, identify the phases that form in the solvent and heavy oil mixtures at various temperatures and pressures, and determine the density and viscosity of the liquid phase. Other solvent-based processes (steam and solvent injection for heavy oil recovery and solvent extraction of oil sands) require similar data. Most research on VAPEX has focused on physical model experiments with light alkane solvents; particularly mixtures of methane and propane(3). However, mixtures of carbon dioxide and propane may be a more viable option. Currently, carbon dioxide is expensive, but costs are expected to decrease if environmental incentives to sequester carbon dioxide are introduced. Carbon dioxide may also be a better VAPEX solvent than methane because it is more soluble in heavy oil and reduces the viscosity more(8).

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phase Behaviour and Physical Property Measurements for VAPEX Solvents: Part I. Propane and Athabasca Bitumen

Badamchizadeh

Yarranton

Svrcek

et al. 2009

Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology

111

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“…In Figure 3.7, the composition of the solid-liquid-vapor (SLVE) coexisting points at various temperatures (350K to 362K) and three isobars (20,40, and 60 atm.) are compared to experiment results given in Jacoby (1984). Once the temperature and pressure are fixed for this system, there is no more degree of fieedom for SLVE (solid phenanthrene properties are obtained fi-om literature data).…”

Section: Statistical Associating Fluid Theory and Saft Correlationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of Mixed Wettability at Different Scales and its Impact on Oil Recovery Efficiency

Sharma¹,

Hirasaki²

2002

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“…Jacoby (1987) extracted bitumen from Athabasca oil sand with liquid or supercritical ethane, propane, and butane inside a PVT cell. The equilibrium viscosity and density of the extracted liquid phase were measured for different ratios of solvent to oil sand.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phase Behavior and Physical Property Modeling for Vapex Solvents: Propane, Carbon Dioxide, and Athabasca Bitumen

Maini¹,

Badamchizadeh

Yarranton

2013

All Days

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Employing CO 2 as the non-condensable gas in the Vapex process is an attractive option that could provide environmental benefits of CO 2 sequestration along with improved Vapex performance. Mixtures of CO 2 and a hydrocarbon such as propane allow the solvent to be tailored to different reservoir conditions. To test potential solvent mixtures, the phase behavior and physical properties measurements and modeling are required. We have previously reported on the phase behavior, viscosity and density of the CO 2 -propane-Athabasca Bitumen systems (Badamchi-Zadeh et al., 2009a,b). These results confirmed the ability of carbon dioxide and propane mixtures to sufficiently reduce Athabasca bitumen viscosity.In this study, an oil characterization and equation of state model are developed to describe the phase behaviour of mixtures of carbon dioxide, propane, and Athabasca bitumen. The model is tuned to fit the experimental phase behaviour data for binary and ternary mixtures of these components. Solubility data for carbon dioxide and Athabasca bitumen reported by Svrcek and Mehrotra 1982 are also used.It was found that two parameter cubic equation of state would require a third parameter (i.e. volume-shift) to better predict liquid density. The volume shift parameter was adjusted to improve cubic equation of state calculated liquid density against experimental data. Pederson (1987) viscosity correlation coefficients were modified to improve liquid viscosity prediction for propane, carbon dioxide, and bitumen mixtures.

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Phase Behavior of Heavy Oils with Application to Reservoir Recovery Processes

Cited by 7 publications

References 4 publications

Phase Behaviour and Physical Property Measurements for VAPEX Solvents: Part I. Propane and Athabasca Bitumen

Phase Behaviour and Physical Property Measurements for VAPEX Solvents: Part I. Propane and Athabasca Bitumen

Characterization of Mixed Wettability at Different Scales and its Impact on Oil Recovery Efficiency

Phase Behavior and Physical Property Modeling for Vapex Solvents: Propane, Carbon Dioxide, and Athabasca Bitumen

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