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A new semi-analytical modeling of steam-assisted gravity drainage in heavy oil reservoirs

Alali, N ; Sharif University of Technology

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  1. Type of Document: Article
  2. DOI: 10.1016/j.petrol.2009.09.003
  3. Abstract:
  4. Thermal recovery by steam injection has proven to be an effective means of recovering heavy oil. Forecasts of reservoir response to the application of steam are necessary before starting a steam drive project. Thermal numerical models are available to provide forecasts. However, these models are expensive and consume a great deal of computer time. An alternative to numerical modeling is to use a semi-analytical model. The objective of the current study was to investigate thermal applications of horizontal wells for displacement and gravity drainage processes using analytical modeling as well as reservoir simulation. The main novelties presented in the paper are: a) the transient temperature distribution ahead of the moving oil-steam interface is formulated, instead of classic assumption of quasi-steady distribution, b) new drainage oil rate calculation, c) estimation of interface position while advancing into the reservoir towards the pattern boundaries, d) introduction of new equations to place the interface curves into the reservoir, e) new "type-curves" are set up for approximating the interface velocity while propagating beyond the horizontal wells to the side boundaries, and f) introducing an indirect formulations for evaluating the oil-steam interface velocity into the reservoir. Many cases were run on the classic approaches and proposed approach for comparison and verification purposes. The proposed methodology outperforms the previous and most recent models in terms of precision and consistency. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
  5. Keywords:
  6. SAGD ; Semi-analytical modeling ; Thermal oil recovery operation ; In-situ ; In-situ steam heating ; Moving boundaries ; Moving boundary ; Semi-analytical ; Steam-assisted gravity drainages ; Heating ; Heavy oil production ; Horizontal wells ; Oil wells ; Petroleum reservoirs ; Steam ; Thermal oil recovery ; Petroleum reservoir engineering ; Computer simulation ; Drainage ; Enhanced oil recovery ; Estimation method ; Forecasting method ; Gravity flow ; Heavy oil ; Hydrocarbon reservoir ; In situ measurement ; Numerical model ; Oil well ; Performance assessment ; Precision ; Steam injection ; Thermal structure
  7. Source: Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering ; Volume 69, Issue 3-4 , 2009 , Pages 261-270 ; 09204105 (ISSN)
  8. URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0920410509002010