The case for air injection into deep, light oil reservoirs

Yannimaras, Demetrios; Sufi, Arshad; Fassihi, M.R.

doi:10.3997/2214-4609.201411234

Cited by 25 publications

(16 citation statements)

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“…Clair crude oil appears, therefore, to be a good candidate for air injection. This is because the oil composition includes the necessary and complete sequence of individual chemical components to ensure that the exothermicity increases continuously with temperature with no gaps (5) . Li et al (7) have shown, using pressurized differential scanning calorimetry (PDSC), that the chemical structure also plays an important part in the oxidation behaviour of crude oils.…”

Section: Clair Medium Heavy Oil (198°api)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC) was first advocated as a technique for screening reservoir oil candidates for air injection by Yannimaras et al (5) The technique was developed as a method for studying the reaction kinetics by following the reactions adiabatically, especially at high pressure. Moreover, the method can provide insights to explain the occurrence of low temperature oxi-…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exothermicity Characteristics of Wolf Lake Heavy Oil, Athabasca Tar Sand and Clair Medium Heavy Oil

Gréaves

Bentaher

2007

Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology

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High pressure accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC) tests have been performed on three different crude oils at their respective reservoir pressures. The experiments on medium heavy Clair oil and heavy Wolf Lake oil used clean silica sand, incorporating 3% kaolinite, to represent the reservoir matrix, whereas Athabasca Tar Sand was used in its preserved, virgin state. The Clair oil and Wolf Lake oil tests involved high initial water saturations in the reservoir, representative of a post-waterflooded or a post-steam injection state. A second test on Athabasca Tar Sand used a lower oil (bitumen) saturation, but without an adjustment of the original brine saturation. Although the medium Clair oil exhibited high exothermicity throughout the temperature range, the temperature detected for the onset of low temperature oxidation (LTO) was much higher than that for Athabasca Tar Sand. The calculated activation energies also indicate that Athabasca Tar Sand is very reactive in the LTO region. Furthermore, the overall continuity exhibited by the measured exotherms indicates that all three oils are potentially good candidates for in situ combustion as an oil recovery method. Introduction The most important factor governing the selection of any improved oil recovery (IOR) process is, ultimately, the availability of a suitable fluid to inject into the reservoir. For an increasing number of reservoir situations, air injection is gaining increasing attention for both heavy and light oil recovery. The most recent heavy oil projects are in the Cambay Basin, India(1), using conventional ISC, and the first field pilot at Christina Lake, using the advanced THAI (Toe-to-Heel Air Injection) process(2). There have also been significant developments in high pressure air injection into light oil reservoirs, as evidenced by economically viable air injection projects in the Williston Basin, and project feasibility studies for Barrancas, Argentina(3) and Cantun, Mexico(4). There are many economic and technical benefits derived from air injection – excellent displacement efficiency, mobilization of extra oil ahead of the combustion zone, reservoir pressurization, oil swelling from produced CO2, flue gas stripping, injection gas substitution and, for high pressure hot reservoirs, additional enhancing factors such as spontaneous ignition and near miscibility effects. The accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC) was first advocated as a technique for screening reservoir oil candidates for air injection by Yannimaras et al.(5) The technique was developed as a method for studying the reaction kinetics by following the reactions adiabatically, especially at high pressure. Moreover, the method can provide insights to explain the occurrence of low temperature oxidation (LTO) and high temperature oxidation (HTO). To date, investigations using the ARC technique have focused mainly on light oil applications. In this paper, results are presented for heavy crude oils and also Athabasca Tar Sand, to see if the measures of oxidation reactivity obtained are relevant when considering the application of air injection processes using conventional ISC or THAI. Experimental ARC Equipment The main apparatus consists of a pressure shell, inside which the calorimeter ‘bomb’, or test cell, is placed (Figure 1). The cylindrical test cell is surrounded by a top guard heater, as well as side and bottom guard heaters.

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Section: Clair Medium Heavy Oil (198°api)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exothermicity Characteristics of Wolf Lake Heavy Oil, Athabasca Tar Sand and Clair Medium Heavy Oil

Gréaves

Bentaher

2007

Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology

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“…Yannimaras et al (2) have discussed the benefits of air injection for IOR from deep, light oil reservoirs, wherein the principle objective was to generate flue gas (85% N 2 , 15% CO 2 ) by in situ combustion. There are a number of ongoing successful air injection field projects, notably in the West Hackberry Field, Louisiana [Amoco (3) ]; in Medicine Pole Hills Unit, North Dakota; Buffalo, South Dakota [Koch (4) ]; most recently, in the Horse Creek Field, North Dakota [Total (5) ]; and Total's proposed LTO pilot test in the H Field in Indonesia (6) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improved Residual Light Oil Recovery by Air Injection (LTO Process)

Gréaves

Ren

Rathbone

et al. 2000

Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology

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A new air injection technique, low temperature oxidation (LTO) process, is described. Improved oil recovery from deep, light oil reservoirs is achieved by removing the oxygen in the injected air by LTO reactions with the residual oil in the reservoir. The product of the LTO reactions is a "flue gas," which displaces the oil. Preliminary results of LTO reaction kinetics and oil recovery have been obtained using four North Sea light oils. The paper also contains some discussion of the safety issues related to air injection offshore. Introduction Gas injection into light oil reservoirs is a proven improved oil recovery IOR technique. The IOR potential for gas injection in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS) has been estimated at 1.4 bSTB(1). However, the application of gas injection is limited by gas availability and cost, particularly for many mature fields, with the prospect of abandonment unless economic methods can be developed to extend the field life. Therefore, there is now growing interest in air injection because of its availability. Air injection has been widely used in the past for production of viscous heavy oils, where the heat generated by in situ combustion is a necessary part of the recovery process. Air injection can also be used for the recovery of light oils, but in this case, heat generation is not necessary for the displacement. Some form of oxidation is only required in order to remove the oxygen from the air and prevent it from reaching the production wells. Yannimaras et al.(2) have discussed the benefits of air injection for IOR from deep, light oil reservoirs, wherein the principle objective was to generate flue gas (85﹪ N2, 15﹪ CO2) by in situ combustion. There are a number of ongoing successful air injection field projects, notably in the West Hackberry Field, Louisiana [Amoco(3)]; in Medicine Pole Hills Unit, North Dakota; Buffalo, South Dakota [Koch(4)]; most recently, in the Horse Creek Field, North Dakota [Total(5)]; and Total's proposed LTO pilot test in the H Field in Indonesia(6). In the latter case, core flooding studies were undertaken to investigate the effect of various parameters on oxygen uptake by the oil. Previous field projects and simulation studies have considered that high temperature oxidation (HTO, or in situ combustion) is needed to remove the oxygen and enhance oil recovery. Christopher(7) [see also Yannimaras et al.(8)] used an accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC) to screen light reservoir oils for continuous exothermicity. For light oils they found that about 20﹪ were good candidates for propagating full in situ combustion. This suggests that perhaps a majority of light oils will sustain only low temperature oxidation (LTO). Thus, when the primary objective is only to generate nitrogen and carbon dioxide in situ, then a less intensive oxidation process, without combustion, is sufficient. The focus is therefore on a spontaneous LTO process, which can be applied in all light oil reservoirs with sufficiently high reactivity to react with (and consume) oxygen in the injected air.

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“…Gravitationat effects veere used to improve the efficiency of the project on testmg a method for air injection in Gnedyntzy light oil field (reservoir n3) [7,8] . This reservoir is a sheet and roof one with Bood reservoir propertjes (sec Table 3) .…”

Section: -3mentioning

confidence: 99%

Gravitation in Thermal EOR - How Disadvantage Can Be Used to Improve Efficiency of Thermal EOR

Antoniady¹,

Boxerman²,

Garushev³

et al. 1997

IOR 1997 - 9th European Symposium on Improved Oil Recovery

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It is a matter of general experien ce that gravitational effects arising during injection of air or steam most oFten affect adversely the efficiency of thermal EER methods . Advantages of these methods are generally used wipere possibility exists of eng i neering a horizontal displacement .The present paper centres on certain technologica) approaches to the use of gravitational effects for improved efficiency of thermal EOR methods .One of the technologies -a cyclic injection of steam into high-viscosity oil reservoir witti bottom water -was applied in 1974 in Yuzhno-Karskiy area of Zybza -Gluboky Yar oil field (trap III), the Krasnodar Territory (Figure 1) . Miocene reservoir of (he area is defined as a water-supported monocline (Figure 2) . Miocene deposits are represented by accumulation of breccia, detritus and terrigenous rocks . Reservoir capacity is made up by voids between the rock debris witti up to 30% of the capacity being characterised by extremely high permeability (up to 640 Darcy) .The main geological and physical parameters of the reservoir are as follows : Within 18 years of reservoir deve l opment witti depletion drive (since 1 956) produced are about 600 Mt of oil, oil recovery reached 21%. Water cut reached 77%due to water encroac h ment mainly through the reservoir bottom . As a result, the reservoir had transformed in a floating one .Starting Erom the second hal f of year 1 974, the reservoir is under development by steam stimu la t ion . I n view of a vide water-oil zone existed and abnormally high per meability of t h e reservoir it was decided to inject steam intermittently info a lowered par t of the reservoir to displace oil Erom a porous reservoir of water-oil zone to t he zone of production and t o form heat slugs at the oil-water surface of upper reservoir areas.]t was conceived that due to a h igh rate of the injected steam coming to the water-oil surface a heat slug had to be formed in the upper reservoir areas, heat energy of the stug being consumed for oil heating and oi l viscosi ty breaking.P enetration of heat slug info oi l zone an d f l ow of h eated oi l to p r oducing Wells veere p rovided by bottom-water drive . The proces is presente d schematically in

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The case for air injection into deep, light oil reservoirs

Cited by 25 publications

References 0 publications

Exothermicity Characteristics of Wolf Lake Heavy Oil, Athabasca Tar Sand and Clair Medium Heavy Oil

Exothermicity Characteristics of Wolf Lake Heavy Oil, Athabasca Tar Sand and Clair Medium Heavy Oil

Improved Residual Light Oil Recovery by Air Injection (LTO Process)

Gravitation in Thermal EOR - How Disadvantage Can Be Used to Improve Efficiency of Thermal EOR

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