Recent Advances in the Study of In Situ Combustion for Enhanced Oil Recovery

Abstract

Global estimates for our remaining capacity to exploit developed oil fields indicate that the currently recoverable oil (light oil) will last for approximately 50 years. This necessitates the development of viscous and superviscous oil fields, which will further compensate for the loss of easily produced oil. In situ combustion is the most promising production method, which allows for increased oil recovery from a reservoir. This being the case, this study provides an overview of global trends regarding the research and implementation of the method under consideration, in order to promote understanding of its applicability and effectiveness. The background to the development of the method is discussed in detail, illustrating the growing interest of researchers in its study. Cases of both successful as well as inefficient implementations of this method in real oil fields are considered. The main focus of the article is to investigate the influence of the parent rock and catalysts on the combustion process, as this is a new and actively developing area in the study of enhanced oil recovery using in situ combustion. Geological surveys, in addition to experimental and numerical studies, are considered to be the main methods that are used to investigate processes during in situ combustion. The analysis that we carried out led us to understand that the processes which occur during the combustion of heavy oil are practically unpredictable and, therefore, poorly understood. The specificity of the oil composition under consideration depends on the field, which can lead to a change in the required temperature regimes for its production. This indicates that there exists multiple specific applications for the method under consideration, each requiring additional full studies into both the fractional composition of oil and its reservoirs. The article also considers various technologies for implementing the in situ combustion method, such as ND-ISC, THAITM, COSH, CAGD, and SAGD. However, the literature review has shown that none of the technologies presented is widely used, due to the lack of an evidence base for their successful application in the field. Moreover, it should be noted that this method has no limits associated with the oil occurrence depth. This technology can be implemented in thin reservoirs, as well as in flooded, clayey, sandy, and carbonate reservoirs. The review we have presented can be considered as a guide for further research into the development of global solutions for using the proposed method.

In Situ Combustion: A Comprehensive Review of the Current State of Knowledge

“…Similarly, numerical models need to consider various factors including different completion settings, well design, injector and producer wellbore placement, injection of pure oxygen [116], heterogeneities [117] and the presence of bottom water and clays in the rock matrix [118][119][120][121], all of which could significantly influence the technique's success.…”

The Effect of Thermal Steam Treatment Duration with Metallic Sodium Nanoparticles on Heavy Oil Upgrading

“…These EOR methods encompass thermal, gas-based, chemical, and hydrodynamic approaches, along with their amalgamation. Thermal techniques have gained widespread adoption, delineated by steam-based reservoir stimulation, , in situ combustion, , cyclic steam stimulation, − and steam-assisted gravity drainage − potentially achieving an oil recovery factor of around 70%.…”

High-Temperature-Resistant Epoxy Resin Gel Behavior and Profile Control in Heavy Oil Steam Drive

“…With the depletion of conventional oil resources, the exploration and development focus has shifted predominantly toward unconventional oil and gas resources. Heavy oil, as a significant component of unconventional oil and gas resources, is abundant and widely distributed, making it a primary driver of future petroleum development [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Steam flooding is a common method for thermal recovery of heavy oil.…”