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Geosciences, Geomechanics, and Geosciences, Geomechanics, and New Heavy Oil Production TechnologiesNew Heavy Oil Production Technologies
Maurice B. Dusseault
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Geomechanics & Heavy OilGeomechanics & Heavy Oil
� Massive stress changes occur�Casing shear, massive sanding, properties change
� Some of these can have beneficial effects…
� Some are solely negative (casing shear)…
� Beneficial effects large in heavy oil production!
� Understanding these effects will…� Improve project design
� Improve recovery factors (process sequencing)
�Reduce operating costs
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Oil Source of the FutureOil Source of the Future
� Heavy and viscous oils will become the major oil source by 2040
� New technologies from Canada have succeeded in helping access this resource� SAGD, IGI� CHOPS, PPT� Others emerging…
� Geosciences!!� Geomechanics!!
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New TechnologiesNew Technologies……
� SAGD (Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage)
� CHOPS (Cold Heavy Oil Prod. with Sand)
� PPT (Pressure Pulsing Technology)
� VAPEX (Vapor-Assisted Petr. Extraction)
� THAI™ (Toe-to-Heel Air Injection)
� HCS (Horizontal Cyclic Steam)
� Hybridsof these will be used in the future
� Projects will use them in 2 or 3 “phases”
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Viscous Oil Viscous Oil -- 19851985
The only viable commercial technology in 1985 for in situ highly viscous oil extraction from high porosity
sandstones was CSS – Cyclic Steam Stimulation
Isaacs, 1998
CyclicSteam
Stimulation
Horizontalwells
Verticalwells
Thermal
X X.
X
Non-thermal
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Technology Status Technology Status -- 20092009
Currently, viable technologies at a commercial scal e are expected in all categories (actual and emerging). But, many of these have huge geomechanics effects: first order effects that must be included in assessments
Bold ones are commercialized
CyclicSteam
Stimulation
Horizontalwells
Verticalwells
Thermal
SAGDHCS
THAI™
Cold Flow+PPT
VAPEX IGI…
CHOPS,PPT
Cyclic solvent
Non-thermal
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Heavy Oil ProductionHeavy Oil Production……
Thermal
Production Processes
Combustion� Fire Flooding
� THAI� Top Down
Steam� CSS
� Flooding� SAGD
� Water Flooding� CO2, Gas Injec.� Chemical Injec.
� VAPEX
Non-ThermalPrimary
� Cold Production� CHOPS
Hybrid Processes Sequencing
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Viscosity Viscosity -- TemperatureTemperature
Courtesy Bill Huang, ChevronTexaco
100ºC
200ºC
285ºC
La Hocha
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Inert Gas InjectionInert Gas Injection
oil bank, two-phase zonewater-wet sand
horizontal wellsparallel to structure
inert gas injection
keep ∆p t
o a minim
um
gas rates are controlled toavoid gas (or water) coning
three-phase zone
mainly gas
water,one phase
∆ρ∆ρ∆ρ∆ρ∆∆∆∆p
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SAGD SchematicSAGD Schematic
EAST
Steam Chamber
Steam Injector
Steam Flow
Oil Flow
Slots
Oil Producer
SAGD Facility
Oil Sand Formation
Courtesy Neil Edmunds, EnCana
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SAGD and VAPEXSAGD and VAPEX
steam + oil+water + CH4
liquid level
oil and water
θlateral steam
chamber extension
“insulated”region
countercurrentflow
CH4 + oil
countercurrentflow
Keep ∆p small to maximize stability
overburden
water legcool bitumen plug
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Shale Barriers and SAGDShale Barriers and SAGD
∆V
T
dehydroxylation?
dehydration
sandsto
ne ∆V
shale r
espons
e
fracturesbypassing
SAGD passes through thin shales (∆V/∆T & t effects)
Shales are impermeable to steam, and behave differently
than sands
>300°C>125°C
Shales 1 m thick can be passed: thermal geomechanics effects
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CHOPSCHOPS
� C – Cold� H – Heavy� O – Oil � P – Production with Sand� Produces > 30% of Cdn
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Well 14Well 14--8 Performance8 Performance
Jan-81 Jan-85 Jan-89 Jan-93 Jan-97 Jan-01
Pro
duct
ion
rate
(bb
l/d)
0
50
100
150
200
250Central Well 14 - 8
Start CHOPS
Oil rate
Water rate
Luseland Field
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Short Flow Path DevelopmentShort Flow Path Development
“undisturbed”, low kv zone
yielded zone
5-15 m
Short flow path in low kv area, long flow path in high kh zone
CHOPS wells
Vertical exaggeration x10-20
path of high k
short flow path
180-300 m
Massive sand yield is the mechanism behind CHOPS
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Edam Field Edam Field –– 31 Wells31 Wells
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
Oil - m 3/day
Water - m 3/day
Pro
duct
ion
rate
, oil
or w
ater
–m
3 /d
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Edam Field Edam Field –– Sand!Sand!
More sand in the well drilling period
Cum
ulat
ive
oil o
r w
ater
pro
duct
ion
–m
3
Cum
ulat
ive
sand
pro
duct
ion
–m
3
622027.5
528823.4
4132.4
0
160000
320000
480000
640000
800000
1980 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 20050
800
1600
2400
3200
4000
4800OilWaterSand
NOTE: Sand curve is from 13 wells only of the 31 wells included in the sample
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CHOPS Produced Sand in Canada
CHOPS Produced Sand in Canada
Heavy Oil is a “Dirty” Business
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CH
OP
S
Mec
hani
csCHOPS MechanismsCHOPS Mechanisms
Solution gas pressure and foamy oil behavior
Overlying strata flex downward, an effective form of gravity drive
Remolded and wormholed zone
Moving sand means no fines or asphaltene blockage
Oil, gas, sand and water produced as a slurry
Coal seam
Remote water influx
Highly complex!
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Why Increased Oil Production?Why Increased Oil Production?
� Sand flux increases fluid flux
� Dilation and sand production increases the permeability in a growing zone
� Foamy oil mechanics aid production and also maintain sand flux
� If sand is produced – no skin development
� The overburden weight helps shear and dilate sand, driving it toward the wellbore
Extrusion of yielded sand
stress
The “toothpaste” tube effect…
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OilOil--Wet Wet -- WaterfloodWaterflood
Time = 139.2 s Time = 138.7 s
35 cP light oil
water flood
0.5 m static pressure head
identical tests
No pulsing Pulsing
Pulsing increases oil rates!
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Lone Rock Field Petrovera
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The THAIThe THAI™™ Process Process
Air or O2 (±H2O) Product
Combustion zone Mobile gas and oil bank
toeheel
Cold reservoir
Horizontal well enforces a short flow and reaction zone, traditional
instabilities are greatly reduced
The Whitesands Project looks very promising (15 mon ths… )
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Geomechanics in CSSGeomechanics in CSS
� CSS = high pressures, high temperatures�→Fracturing, massive ∆σ, shearing
� Beneficial effects on rock properties…�Porosity and permeability increases - dilation
�Breaching shale beds and flow barriers
�Fracture orientation changes: better contact
� The reservoir is improved for SAGD
� Negative? Casing shear, seal impairment
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Shell Peace River HCSShell Peace River HCS
HCS: Horizontal Cyclic Steam stimulation
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CSS CSS –– pp--Response vs. CycleResponse vs. Cycle
pressure
time
1
2
34
5original σv (= γ·z)
~0.3 - 0.4·σv
In CSS, pressure response changes with cycle number
Stress effects +Steam effects +
Geometry effectsReduced pReduced pFF
Increased pIncreased pFF
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Recompaction Drive ProofRecompaction Drive Proof
timeinitial ground elevation
1 2 3 4
inje
ctio
nso
akpr
oduc
tion
inje
ctio
nso
akpr
oduc
tion
1.00
0.75
0.50
0.25
0
Ver
tical
hea
ve –
∆z -
m
Full recom-paction drive
∆z
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Ground Surface MovementsGround Surface Movements
+285 mm+200
-210
+260
+130 mm
-165
km
+100
mod. Stancliffe & van der Kooij, AAPG 2001
Uplift
Subsidence
CSS CSS –– IOL Cold LakeIOL Cold Lake
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Shell Oil Canada Shell Oil Canada –– Peace RiverPeace River
ref. Nickle’s New Technology Magazine, Jan-Feb 2005
Surface uplift & tilt data
reservoir inversion gridwith 50x50m grid cells
Multi-lateralCSS
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Casing ShearCasing Shear
RealityReality
SimulationSimulation
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Mixed DevelopmentMixed Development
Water sand
Continuous sands
Other sands
CHOPS wells
PPT wells Horizontal
wells
Water sand
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The New TechnologiesThe New Technologies
SAGD
PPT
VAPEX
Years
~6
2(?)
?
Status(2009)
$profitable
$$early days
some field trials
Suitability
Probably limited to thicker zones, > 15-20 m
CHOPS >15$$$ - fullycommercial
Best for 5-20 m zones,no mobile water or water legs
Useful along with other methods (cold flow, CHOPS)
Method
Best in >20°API cases, or along with SAGD
IGI >15 $$$ Good kv & low µ needed
HCS 4 $ Lower k than SAGD, >15m
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ConclusionsConclusions
� Conventional oil will peak soon
� Good for heavy oil, IOR, profits
� Remarkable technology advances recently
� New ideas for light oil as well
� We must try to consolidate & perfect them� The role of geosciences and geomechanics is
fundamental in technology choice, sequencing
� Geomechanics is becoming a mainstream discipline, vital to manage heavy oil value
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The Next ChallengeThe Next Challenge……
� Naturally Fractured Carbonates!
� ~2 Tb of heavy oil, 15% of world OOIP
� Multi-porosity systems�Fractures
�Matrix
�Vugs (dolomitization)
� We need to develop new production technologies for HO in NFCR’s
� A geoscience and geomechanics challenge.
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Different Joint SetsDifferent Joint Sets
Sou
rce:
N. B
arto
n an
d A
. Mak
urat
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The Next ChallengeThe Next Challenge……
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Rough or Smooth?Rough or Smooth?
Sou
rce:
N. B
arto
n an
d A
. Mak
urat
