Abstract
The South Swan Hills Unit, located in north-western Alberta, is a carbonate reef with an original-oil-in-place (OOIP) of approximately 850 MM bbl. Waterflooding was begun in the field during the 1960s, and a staged hydrocarbon miscible flood was begun during the 1970s. Chase gas injection was terminated in the mid-1990s. In 1994, however, miscible flooding was reinitiated in the reef margin area of the field using horizontal injectors and reduced well spacing. The reef margin is an area of thick, stacked pay that experienced high gravity override during the original miscible flood. Four patterns have been developed to date. The two earliest patterns have now completed solvent injection and are on chase waterflood. They have both recovered between 800 M bbl and 900 M bbl of incremental oil per pattern (more than 10% of pattern OOIP) from areas which were part of the original miscible flood.
This paper will detail the past history of the pool under miscible flood, the redevelopment of the reef margin area using horizontal miscible injectors, and the performance of the four patterns implemented to date. The factors that have made this redevelopment successful, and their impact on field production, will also be discussed. Finally, plans for future development of this mature field will also be discussed.
