... Abstract THAI - "Toe-to-Heel" Air Injection, is a new EOR process, which integrates advanced technology and horizontal well concepts, to achieve potentially very high recovery of heavy oil. It can also realise very substantial in situ upgrading by thermal cracking, producing upgraded oil...

... of spallation, erosion, fracturing, chipping and cutting. This technology has exciting applications in heavy oil recovery. Introduction The Hydratherm system can be employed for drilling oil, gas or geothermal wells. It may also be adapted for mining, boring, tunnelling or the cutting of chambers...

... Abstract Many heavy oil reservoirs in Turkey are not suitable candidates for thermal recovery methods, such as steam injection and in-situ combustion. The immiscible CO 2 or gas displacement process appears to be a very promising enhanced oil recovery technique for these heavy oil reservoirs...

... Abstract Molecular diffusion of gases in oil plays a role in several heavy oil recovery processes. In solution gas drive, the gas diffusion coefficient has a direct impact on the amount of gas that is released and the level of super saturation that exists during pressure depletion [1][2...

... Abstract The majority of proposed enhanced oil recovery (EOR) strategies for heavy oil involve thermal techniques. These techniques can be expensive, especially in thin formations. There is a need for low cost non thermal EOR techniques for heavy oil. This study involves the investigation...

... Abstract The formation of foamy oil has been postulated to be an important factor contributing to the success in primary production of heavy oil under solution-gas drive in Alberta and Saskatchewan. This paper presents the results of pressure depletion or blowdown tests on unconsolidated oil...

..., the most critical with regard to heavy oil is the temperature of the oxidation (combustion) reactions. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the importance of the oxidation zone temperature on the residual oil and oil production for Athabasca bitumen (8 °API). Figure 1 shows high residual hydrocarbon concentrations...

... Abstract While heavy oils can be produced by horizontal wells at economic rates, the extent of recovery is small because of loss of drive and/or watering out of the production. In typical cases a recovery of only a few percent of the OOIP is achievable. SAGD overcomes these problems...

... Abstract Heavy oil has enjoyed resurgence as both major and junior operating companies diversify their portfolios and pursue new opportunities. The key factors for the renewed interest are: Improved profitability Technological advances improve productivity Enormous reserve size Low...

... Abstract A considerable fraction of the heavy oil resources of Alberta and Saskatchewan is present in thin reservoirs. Primary production using horizontal wells in reservoirs underlain by active aquifers is accompanied by the production of large quantities of water from the bottom water layer...

... Abstract A set of three-phase equilibrium data from the literature for heavy oil was used to characterize the Peng-Robinson equation of state (PREOS). The tuned PREOS was then used to match other sets of similar data in the literature and it was also used to predict three-phase vapor-liquid...

... Abstract In situ formation of foamy oils under solution gas drive has been proposed as one of the possible mechanisms responsible for high primary production rate from some heavy oil reservoirs. Maini et al. (1993) reported some results from steady-state tests of two methane-saturated heavy...

... Abstract Efficient secondary and tertiary recovery a/heavy oil from thin reservoirs Isuch as chose in the Lloydminster area, remains an unsolved challenge to IORresearchers. The primary recovery from these heavy oil reservoirs is generallypoor (often < 5% OOIP) and waterflooding is rather...

... Abstract Engineers routinely use heavy oil viscosity as one criterion for selection ofoptimum heavy oil exploitation methods, and to help predict the resultingproduction rates and project economics. Recent field and lab data suggest theseuses of oil viscosity haw been both over simplified...

.... Introduction Considering the enormous resource base of 425 × 10 9 m 3 ofheavy oil and bitumen in western Canada, Millet (1994) concludes that the oilproduction business will eventually be working mainly with heavy oils andbitumens. Lloydminster heavy oil belt alone is estimated to contain 3.1 ×10 9 m 3...

... Abstract Most of Alberta's petroleum resources are heavy oil and bitumen. Further reduction in the cost of upgrading is the key to its development, as upgrading represents approximately 50% of the total cost of producing SCO from new oilsands projects. Upgrading can be achieved by different...

... of this study can be used in the area of modelling steam injection in heavy oil fractured reservoirs, .e. heat consumption by matrix blocks in the steam zone can be modeled using analytical solutions of heat conduction For physical properties other than those considered in this paper, evaluation of the Peclet...

... Abstract Immiscible carbon dioxide floods have been shown to hold promise for the recovery of moderately heavy oils of Alberta and Saskatchewan by both laboratory and field studies. This paper addresses the important question of the effect of carbon dioxide purity on the process efficiency...

... Introduction Hydrogen is essential for the upgrading of bitumen and heavy oil. These heavy crudes are hydrogen deficient (or carbon rich) and require significant modification to their molecular structure and hydrogen to carbon ralio to be useful as refinable crude oil or transportation fuels...

... reservoir volume. This paper presents numerical simulation results of such a process for Alaskan tar sand reservoirs using a horizontal well simulator. Numerical simulation resulls show oil recovery as high as 40% of the oil in place for tar sands. The recovery is even higher for heavy oil of moderate...