Mass And Heat Transfer By High Rayleigh Number Convection In A Porous Medium Heated From Below

This paper outlines a combined theoretical and numerical study of the mass transfer effected by high Rayleigh number Bénard convection in a two-dimensional saturated porous layer heated from below. The focus of this study is on the Darcy flow, heat transfer and mass transfer scales of a single cell (roll) that exists in the steady two-dimensional convection regime. The numerical solutions are based on the complete governing equations for two-dimensional flow, and cover the Rayleigh number range 50-2000. The numerical results compare favorably with the theoretical conclusions of a scale analysis that is based on the recognition of 1. (i) two temperature difference scales in the cell, 2. (ii) a flow field without horizontal boundary layers, and 3. (iii) thermal top and bottom end-regions that are not slender enough to be boundary layers. Writing Le for the Lewis number, the overall mass transfer rate or Sherwood number is shown to scale as Le1 2Ra7 8 if Le > Ra1 4, as Le2 Ra1 2 if Ra- 1 4 < Le < Ra1 4, and as O(1) if Le < Ra- 1 4. The transition from the Darcy flow to the inertia-dominated Forschheimer flow and the scales of the Forschheimer regime are discussed in the closing section. © 1987.301123412356Cheng, Heat transfer in geothermal systems (1978) Adv. Heat Transfer, 14, pp. 1-105Cheng, Geothermal heat transfer (1985) Handbook of Heat Transfer, , W.M. Rohsenow, J.P. Hartnett, E. Ganic, 2nd Edn, McGraw-Hill, New YorkNield, Recent research on convection in a saturated porous medium (1985) Proceedings of a seminar organized by DSIR and CSIRO Institute of Physical Sciences, , R.A. Wooding, I. White, Wairakei, New Zealand, 3–4 May 1984, 2nd Edn, Convective Flows in Porous Media, DSIR Science Information Publishing Centre, P.O. Box 9741, WellingtonMcKibbin, Thermal convection in layered and anisotropic porous media: a review (1985) Proceedings of a seminar organized by DSIR and CSIRO Institute of Physical Sciences, , R.A. Wooding, I. White, Wairakei, New Zealand, 3–4 May 1984, 2nd Edn, Convective Flows in Porous Media, DSIR Science Information Publishing Centre, P.O. Box 9741, WellingtonBejan, Convective heat transfer in porous media (1987) Handbook of Single-phase Convective Heat Transfer, , S. Kakac, R.K. Shah, W. Aung, 2nd Edn, Wiley, New York, Chap. 16Nield, Onset of thermohaline convection in a porous medium (1968) Water Resources Research, 4, pp. 553-560Rubin, Effect of nonlinear stabilizing salinity profiles on thermal convection in a porous medium layer (1973) Water Resources Research, 9, pp. 211-221Rubin, Onset of thermohaline convection in a cavernous aquifer (1976) Water Resour. Res., 12, pp. 141-147Rubin, Roth, Instability of horizontal thermohaline flow in a porous medium layer (1978) Israel J. Tech., 16, pp. 216-222Patil, Rudraiah, Linear Convective stability and thermal diffusion of a horizontal quiescent layer of a two component fluid in a porous medium (1980) Int. J. Engng Sci., 18, pp. 1055-1059Rudraiah, Srimani, Friedrich, Finite amplitude convection in a two component fluid saturated porous layer (1982) Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, 25, pp. 715-722Elder, Steady free convection in a porous medium heated from below (1967) Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 27, pp. 29-48Palm, Weber, Kvernvold, On steady convection in a porous medium (1972) Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 54, pp. 153-161Robinson, O'Sullivan, A boundary-layer model of flow in a porous medium at high Rayleigh number (1976) J. Fluid Mech., 75, pp. 459-467Bejan, (1984) Convection Heat Transfer, , Wiley, New York, Chap. 10Blake, Bejan, Poulikakos, Natural convection near 4°C in a water saturated porous layer heated from below (1984) Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, 27, pp. 2355-2364Patankar, (1980) Numerical Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow, , Hemisphere, Washington, D.CCombarnous, LeFur, Transfert de chaleur par convection naturelle dans une couche poreuse horizontale (1969) C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, 269 B, pp. 1009-1012Caltagirone, Cloupeau, Combarnous, Convection naturelle fluctuate dans une couche poreuse horizontale (1971) C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, 273 B, pp. 883-936Combarnous, Bories, Hydrothermal convection in saturated porous media (1975) Adv. Hydrosci., 10, pp. 231-307Horne, O'Sullivan, Oscillatory convection in a porous medium (1974) J. Fluid Mech., 66, pp. 339-352Caltagirone, Thermoconvective instabilities in a horizontal porous layer (1975) J. Fluid Mech., 72, pp. 269-287Kimura, Schubert, Straus, Route to chaos in porous medium thermal convection (1986) J. Fluid Mech., 166, pp. 305-324M. J. O'Sullivan, Private communication to A. Bejan during the 6th New Zealand Geothermal Workshop, University of Auckland, Geothermal Institute, 7–9 November (1984)Weber, The boundary layer regime for convection in a vertical porous layer (1975) Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, 18, pp. 569-573Bejan, The basic scales of natural convection heat and mass transfer in fluids and fluid-saturated porous media (1987) Int. Commun. Heat Mass Transfer, 14, pp. 107-123Bejan, Stressing the “free” in free convection research: the basic scales of heat and mass transfer in fluids and fluid-saturated porous media, Keynote address (1987) Proceedings of the 1987 ASME-JSME Thermal Engineering Joint Conference, 2, pp. 195-202. , 2nd Edn, P.J. Marto, I. Tanasawa, ASME, New YorkGeorgiadis, Catton, Prandtl number effect on Bénard convection in porous media (1986) J. Heat Transfer, 108, pp. 284-290Jonsson, Catton, Prandtl number dependence of natural convection in porous media (1985) Heat Transfer in Porous Media and Particulate Flows, pp. 21-29. , L.S. Yao, M.M. Chen, C.E. Hickox, P.G. Simpkins, L.C. Chow, M. Kaviany, P. Cheng, L.R. Davis, ASME, New YorkPrasad, Kulacki, Convective heat transfer in a rectangular porous-cavity-effective aspect ratio and flow structure in heat transfer (1984) J. Heat Transfer, 106, pp. 158-16

Catalytic Effect Of Metallic Additives On In-situ Combustion Of Two Brazilian Medium And Heavy Oils

Increasing the final recovery factor from mature fields is a major challenge to meet the growing energy demand in the coming years. The in-situ combustion, an important thermal enhanced oil recovery method, has experienced an increasing interest as an alternative solution to this challenge. In-situ combustion is the process of injecting oxygen into oil reservoirs where a portion of oil is burned and heat is in-situ generated. As consequence the oil viscosity decreases resulting in larger oil recovery factor. The propensity of the reservoir oil to form fuel is a major constraint limiting the applicability of the in-situ combustion. In lighter oil reservoirs insufficient fuel may be deposited resulting in a combustion front that cannot be self-sustained. Contrariwise, in heavier oil reservoirs excessive fuel may be deposited leading to high air injection. Metallic salts are known to play an important role as a catalyst and thereby affect the amount of fuel formed. This paper describes an experimental study with eight combustion tube runs to evaluate the effects of metallic additives in the combustion of two Brazilian medium and heavy oils. The oils are 12.8° and 27.2° API, respectively from an onshore field in Espirito Santos Basin and an offshore field in Santos Basin. The metallic additives are iron nitrate and zinc nitrate. Results for the heavy oil show that a self-sustained front combustion can be obtained only with the presence of clay, due to its catalytic effect. The addition of iron nitrate increased the fuel concentration while increasing the air requirement and reducing the combustion front velocity. The addition of zinc nitrate also increased the fuel concentration and increased the air requirement and reduced the combustion front velocity. Interesting results were observed for the medium oil: a self-sustained combustion was not achieved only with the presence of clay, but stable and sustained combustions were observed with the addition of iron and zinc nitrates. Iron and zinc salts are metallic additives with potential to expand the range of candidate reservoirs for in-situ combustion. Further studies are necessary to evaluate potential additives to act as fuel reducing agent. Copyright 2014, Society of Petroleum Engineers.210791104Chevron,Halliburton,PDVSA,Schlumberger,TotaAkkutlu, I.Y., Yortsos, Y.C., Dual-role of water-soluble metallic additives on modifying in-situ combustion performance using large activation energy asymptotics (2008) 2008 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, , SPE 115506, paper presented at the, held in Denver, Colorado, USA, 21-24 SeptemberAlboudwarej, H., Felix, J., Taylor, S., Highlightining heavy oil (2006) Oilfield Review, pp. 34-53. , JuneCastanier, L.M., Baena, C.J., Holt, R.J., Brigham, W.E., In-situ combustion with metallic additives (1992) SPE Second Latin America Petroleum Engineering Conference, , SPE 23708 presented at, II LACEC held in Caracas, Venezuela, 8-11 MarchGerritsen, M., Kovscek, A., Castanier, L., Nilsson, J., Yonis, R., He, B., Experimental investigation and high resolution simulator of in-situ combustion processes1. Simulator design and improved combustion with metallic additives (2004) SPE International Thermal Operations and Heavy Oil Symposium and Western Regional Meeting, , SPE 86962 presented at the, held in Bakersfield, California, 16-18 MarchChicuta, A.M., (2009) Estudo Experimental Sobre A Recuperaçào de Oleo Pesado Através da Combustäo In-Situ, , Dissetaçào de Mestrado em Ciência e Engenharia de Petróleo, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica, UNICAMP, CampinasChicuta, A.M., Trevisan, O.V., Experimental study on in-situ combustion of brazilian heavy oil (2009) 2009 SPE Latin American and Caribbean Petroleun Engineering Conference, , SPE 122036, paper presented at the, held in Cartagena, Colombia, 31 May-3-JuneCristofari, J., Castanier, L., Kovscek, (2008) Laboratory Investigation of the Effect of Solvent Injection on In-situ Combustion, , SPE 99752, JuneGonçalves, L.I.B., (2010) Estudo Experimental da Combustäo Molhada Na Recuperaçào de Óleo Pesado, p. 154. , Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Dissertaçào de MestradoGonçalves, L.I.B., Trevisan, O.V., (2009) Numerical Simulation of Combustion Lab Experiments on Wet Forward Combustion, , COB09-0302He, B., Chen, Q., Castanier, L., Kovscek, A., Improved in-situ combustion performance with metallic salt additives (2005) 2005 SPE Western Regional Meeting, , SPE 93901, presented at the, held in Irvine, CA, USA, 30 March - 1 AprilHolt, R.J., In-situ combustion with metallic additives (1992) SUPRI TR, 87. , Stanford UniversityKooper, R., Curtis, C., Decoster, E., Garcia, A.G., Huggins, C., Heavy-oil reservoirs (2002) Oilfield Review, (30), pp. 30-52Moritis, G., Biennial EOR production report-california steam eor produces less, other EOR continues (2002) Oil and Gas Journal (Apr. 15), p. 72Shallcross, D.C., De Los Rios, C.F., Castanier, L.M., Brigham, W.E., Modifying in-situ combustion performance by the use of water-soluble metallic additives (1989) SPE AIME Aisa-Pacific Conference, , SPE 19485, paper presented at the, Sydney, Australia, and September 13-1

Dispersion In Heat And Mass Transfer Natural Convection Along Vertical Boundaries In Porous Media

This paper reports an analytical-numerical study on hydrodynamic dispersion in natural convection heat and mass transfer near vertical surfaces embedded in porous media. The study considers the convective flows promoted by the density variation due to the combination of temperature and concentration gradients. Scale analysis is used to determine predominant parameters from a general descriptive form for the diffusive terms in the governing equations. Four classes of flow are possible according to the relative magnitude of the dispersion coefficients. Order of magnitude reasoning is used to obtain the similarity variables and dimensionless parameters, in the search for similarity solutions. An enhanced form of the Runge-Kutta algorithm is applied to solve the system of coupled similarity equations. Results are presented for several cases in each class of flow, covering an extensive range of the governing parameters. © 1993 Pergamon Press Ltd.36513571365Bear, (1972) Dynamics of Fluids in Porous Media, , American Elsevier, New YorkTaylor, Dispersion of soluble matter in solvent flowing slowly through a table (1953) Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 219 A, pp. 186-203Saffman, Dispersion due to molecular diffusion and macroscopic mixing in flow through a network of capillaries (1960) Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 7, pp. 194-208Trevisan, Bejan, Combined heat and mass transfer by natural convection in porous medium (1990) Adv. Heat Transfer, 20, pp. 315-349Bejan, Khairy, Heat and mass transfer by natural convection in a porous medium (1985) Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, 28, pp. 909-918Lai, Kulacki, Coupled heat and mass transfer by natural convection from vertical surfaces in porous media (1991) Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, 34, pp. 1189-1194Perkins, Johnston, A review of diffusion and dispersion in porous media (1963) Trans. AIME, 228Hong, Tien, Analysis of thermal dispersion effect on vertical plate natural convection in porous media (1987) Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, 30, pp. 143-150Kvernvold, Tyvand, Dispersion effects on thermal convection in porous media (1980) J. Fluid Mech., 99, pp. 673-686Plumb, The effect of thermal dispersion on heat transfer in packed bed boundary layers (1983) ASME-JSME Joint Thermal Conf. Proc, 2, pp. 17-21Adams, Rogers, (1973) Computer-aided Heat Transfer Analysis, , McGraw-Hill, New YorkMarquardt, An algorithm for least squares estimation of nonlinear parameters (1963) Journal of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, 11, pp. 431-441Telles, Efeito da Dispersao Hidrodinamica na Conveccao Natural por Difusao Dupla em Meios Porosos (1990) Ms. Thesis, , UNICAMP, New Yor

Experimental Study On In-situ Combustion Of Brazilian Heavy Oil

The present work refers to an experimental study on oil recovery by in-situ combustion. A specific apparatus holding a combustion tube of 100 cm in length and 6.9 cm internal diameter was designed and constructed for the study. Experimental tests were performed with a heavy oil of 12.8°API from a Brazilian onshore field. Plain air was injected at a constant rate of 3 SLPM, while the production pressure was set at 10 bar. The main purpose of this study was to survey the influence of clay content in the reservoir rock with initial oil saturations ranging from 25 to 50%. The results indicate that the in-situ combustion method is technically applicable to the rock-fluid system tested. Moreover, the tests were useful in providing the proper range of parameters for the oxidation reactions to occur. Clay has proved to play a key role on fuel deposition and, consequently, on propagation of the combustion front. In a clean sandpack medium, the combustion front was not self-sustained, while in presence of clay, in amount ranging from 4.5 to 10.0% mass fraction, sustainable combustion reactions were achieved. Front peak temperatures were recorded in the range of 457-501 °C, and for oil recovery factors were greater than 84%. From the set of data collected during the tests, results show combustion front velocities to span between 14.1 to 18.3 cm/h. Worth mentioning, upgradings of 3.2° to 8.4° API were observed in the produced oil. The basic combustion parameters - fuel consumption, air requirement, air-fuel ratio, atomic H/C ratio, oxygen utilization - obtained during the experiments are favorable to the implementation of in-situ combustion and shall be used as a guide to the pilot project planned for the field. Copyright 2009, Society of Petroleum Engineers.2674684Bagci, S., Estimation of Combustion Zone Thickness during In Situ Combustion Processes (1998) Energy & Fuels, 12, pp. 1153-1160Castanier, L.M., Baena, C.J., Holt, R.J., Brigham, W.E., Tavares, C., In Situ Combustion with Metallic Additives, SPE 23708, 1992Farouq Ali, S.M., Heavy Oil - evermore mobile (2002) Journal of Petroleum Science & EngineeringGreaves, M., Xia, T.X., Turta, A.T., Ayasse, C., (2000) Recent Laboratory Results of THAI and Its Comparison with Other IOR Processes, , SPE 59334Greaves, M., Young, T.J., El-Usta, S., Rathbone, R.R., Ren, S.R., Xia, T.X., Air Injection into Light and Medium Oil Reservoirs: Combustion Tube Studies on West of Shetlands Clair Oil and Light Australian Oil (2000) Trans IChemE, 78 (PART A)He, B., Chen, Q., Castanier, L.M., Kovscek, A.R., (2005) Improved In-Situ Combustion Performance With Metallic Additives, , SPE 93901Mamora, D.D., (1993) Kinetics of in situ combustion, , Stanford UniversityMoore, R.G., Laureshen, C.J., Belgrave, J.D.M, Ursenbach, M.G., Mehta, S.A., In-Situ Combustion: New Ideas for an Old Process, Presented at the 11 th Annual Canadian Heavy Oil and Oil Sands Symposium. Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 1994Pereira, A.N., Estudo termoanalitico e cinetico das reações de oxi-combustão de óleo pesado, (2008), Master dissertation, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica, UnicampRamirez-Garnica, M.A., Mamora, D.D., Nares, H.R., Schacht-Hernandez, P., Mohammad, A.A., Cabrera-Reyes, M.C., (2007) Increase Heavy-Oil Production in Combustion Tube Experiments Through the Use of Catalyst, , SPE 107946Rodriguez, J.R., Experimental and Analytical Study to Model Temperature Profiles and Stoichiometry in Oxigen-Enriched In-Situ Combustion, (2004), Ph.D. dissertation, Texas A&M UniversitySarathi, P.S., (1999) In-Situ Combustion Handbook - Principles and Practices, , BDM Petroleum Technologies, OklahomaXia, T.X., Greaves, M., (2001) Downhole Upgrading Athabasca Tar Sand Bitumen Using THAI - SARA Analysis, , SPE 6969

Numerical Simulation Of A Dry Combustion Tube Test For A Brazilian Heavy Oil

Combustion tube tests' simulations become an increasingly important part in the design of projects aimed at the implementation of this recovery technique. Although simulations at the laboratory scale cannot be scaled directly to the field, they provide essential knowledge on how numerical modeling of physical and chemical phenomena that occur during combustion could be dealt with. The present paper reports simulations and history matching of a dry combustion tube test for a Brazilian heavy oil. Reaction model includes a coke generation reaction and three high temperature oxidation reactions of coke, heavy and light oil components. The history matching process is conducted in three stages. The first stage considers the matching of the combustion front velocity and fuel consumption, by altering the activation energy of the heavy fraction cracking reaction and the frequency factor of coke oxidation. In the second stage, production fluid rates and pressure drops are considered with the adjustment of the relative permeability curves and heat losses. In the third stage, the peak temperatures and produced gas composition are matchedby reviewing the kinetic parameters and the reaction stoichiometry. From the analysis of the laboratory data, a significant influence of the steam plateau in the production behavior is identified. It is observed that the initial volume of water present in the system is produced almost entirely before oil production begins. The oil bank approximates to the producer well once the initial water volume of the system has been produced. To better represent such occurrence, it is necessary to consider the relative permeability variation as a function of oil temperature, besides taking into account the radial heat losses in the system. This is shown as an efficient alternative to more adequately represent the fluid distribution along the combustion tube. Finally, it should be noted that the simulated results show an overall good representation of the experimental data.1900910Chevron,Halliburton,PDVSA,Schlumberger,TotalBonet Gonçalves, L., Trevisan, O., (2010) Experimental Study of the Wet Combustion on Heavy Oil Recovery, , Campinas, São Paulo: Universidade Estadual de campinasBousald, S., Multiple-quenched fireflood process boosts efficiency (1989) Journal Petroleum Technology, , Vol. SPE 16739Burger, J., Sorieau, P., (1985) Thermal Methods of Oil Recovery, , Paris: Editions TechnipGottfried, B.S., Theoretical analysis of the steam plateau in forward in-situ combustion (1963) Society of Petroleum Engineers, 774, p. 31. , SPEGreen, D.W., Willhite, G., (2003) Enhanced Oil Recovery, , Richardson, TX: Society of Petroleum EngineersGutierrez, D., The ABCs of in-situ combustion simulations: From laboratory experiments to the field scale (2011) Society of Petroleum Engineers, pp. 1-15. , Vol. CSUG/SPE 148754Gutierrez, D., The challenge of predicting field performance of air injection projects based on laboratory and numerical modelling (2009) Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology, 48 (4)Sarathi, P., (1999) In-Situ Combustion Handbook: Principles and Practices, , USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE) (US)Penberthy, W., Some fundamentals of steam-plateau behavior in combustion oil recovery (1968) Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME, 2213. , SPEAl-Hussainy, R., Ramey, H.R., Jr., Design and operation of laboratory combustion tubes (1966) Society of Petroleum Engineers, 1290. , SPE 1966Pereira, A., Trevisan, O., (2008) Thermoanalysis and Reaction Kinetics of Heavy Oil Combustion, , Campinas: Universidade Estadual de CampinasSatman, A., (1981) In-situ Combustion Models for the Steam Plateau and for Fieldwide Oil Recovery, , Standford University Petroleum Research Institute, Standfor

Economic Evaluation Of Steam And Nitrogen Injection On Sagd Process

Thermal recovery methods made possible the production of heavy oil fields considered non-commercial with conventional methods of recovery. In this context, steam injection has proved to be a major cost-effective alternative for increasing the heavy oil recovery. Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) is one of the field proven improvements. It uses two horizontal wells with the steam injector above the producer, which stays at the base of the reservoir. Sweeping the reservoir with the growth of a steam chamber. The variations on conventional SAGD involving non-condensable gases show a new trend. Numerical results suggest that after a certain period of time operating only with steam is effective to inject only inert gas. In this process the steam chamber keeps growing even after the steamflood is stopped. The purpose of the gas injection is to maintain the reservoir pressure elevated to keep the oil production. The cumulative steam oil ratio has a downward trend, yielding a reduction in the project costs. In this paper, a numerical study of the SAGD method in field scale is conducted. The reservoir model is simulated with properties obtained from a Brazilian onshore field. The methodology used involves an investigation of the main parameters that influence the application of the method and, according to a sensitivity analysis. The aim is to determine the best time to start gas injection looking to maximize NPV. A commercial software is used to simulate the injection of nitrogen after steamflooding the reservoir in order to obtain the results that are used to perform the sensitivity analysis. It was verified that the steam injection rate and the bottom hole pressure are decisive parameters to be considered. The simulations show that the nitrogen injection after a determined period of time of continuous steam injection reflects in a reduction in the order of 40% of the steam oil ratio. However, the cumulative oil production is almost the same when compared with the conventional SAGD. Copyright 2010, Society of Petroleum Engineers.214871492Aherne, A.L., Maini, B., Fluid Movement in the SAGD Process: A Review of the Dover Project 7th Canadian International Petroleum Conference the 57th Annual Technical Meeting of the Petroleum Society, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 13-15, June, 2006, , presented at theButler, R.M., Stephens, D.J., (1981) The Gravity Drainage of Steam-Heated Heavy Oil to Parallel Horizontal Wells, , JCPT, FebruaryButler, R.M., (1991) Thermal Recovery of Oil Bitumen, , Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Prentice Hall: New Jersey, USACanbolat, S., Akin, S., Polikar, M., Evaluation of SAGD Performance in the Presence of Non-Condensable Gases Petroleum Society's 5th Canadian International Petroleum Conference, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 8-10, June, 2004Harding, T.G., Farouq Ali, S.M., Flock, D.L., Steam Performance in the Presence of Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen (1983) J. Cdn. Pet Tech, p. 30. , September-OctoberLaboissière, P., (2009) Steam and Nitrogen Injection in Improved Heavy Oil Recovery, p. 141. , Campinas: UNICAMP, 2009. (Dissertation) - Master in Science and Petroleum Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, State University of CampinasZhao, L., Law, D., Yuan, J.-Y., Numerical Investigation of Steam and Gas Mixing in Heavy Oil Production CSPG and Petroleum Society Joint Convention, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 14-18, 1999, , presented at theZhao, L., Law, D., Coates, R., Numerical Study and Economic Evaluation of SAGD Wind-Down Methods (2003) Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology, 42 (1). , JanuaryLaboissière, P., Rios, V.S., Trevisan, O.V., Estudo Numérico da Injeção de Vapor e Nitrogênio no Processo SAGD International Rio Oil & Gas Expo and Conference, Rio de Janeiro, September, 2010, , Presented at th

Heavy-oil Recovery Mechanisms During Steam Injection In Naturally Fractured Reservoirs

The present work addresses the contributions, in both individual and combined forms, of the driving mechanisms, namely, solution gas, CO2 generation, steam distillation, capillary imbibition and gravitational drainage, for the recovery of oil and gas during the continuous steamflooding of a naturally fractured reservoir containing heavy oil. The investigation is carried out via numerical simulation of the phenomena in representative pattern cells. Two numerical models were used to represent the matrix heating process. The first describes the heating of a horizontal cross-section of a matrix block surrounded by a fracture, in which the steam is steadily flooding. The second model is similar to the first, except for the position, which is changed to vertical to incorporate gravity effects. The studies were performed for a fractured rock saturated with live oil. The rock properties are representative of a real fractured carbonate reservoir, as well as the fluid properties referring to the same field case. Also, the operational conditions used for pressure and temperature were the ones observed in the field, conferring to the work and conclusions, the character of a case study. A strategy was adopted to isolate the effects of each recovery mechanism. The results show that the main mechanisms of oil recovery for the matrix block during steamflooding are the integrated action of steam distillation and solution gas. The first is the dominant mechanism and it is responsible for the quality improvement of the produced oil. The other mechanisms have a minor contribution to ultimate oil recovery. Such results are vital for the design of a steam injection project in similar oil fields. Copyright 2007, Society of Petroleum Engineers.2639649Reis, J.C., Oil Recovery Mechanism in Fractured Reservoir during Steam Injection (1990) Symposium on Enhanced Oil Recovery, pp. 22-25. , SPE 20204 SPE/DOE, Tulsa, OK, AprilWillman, B.T., Valleroy, V.V., Runberg, G.W., Cornelius, A.J., Powers, L.W., Laboratory Studies of Oil Recovery by Steam Injection (1961) J. Pet. Tech, p. 681. , JulyMattax, C.C., Kyte, J.R., Imbibition Oil Recovery from Fractured Water Drive Reservoir (1962) SPEJ, pp. 177-184. , JuneDehann, H.J., van Lookeren, J., Early Result of the First Large Scale Steam Soak Project in Tia Juana Field Western Venezuela (1969) JPT, pp. 101-110. , JanuaryKyte, J.R., A Centrifuge Method to Predict Matrix Block Recovery in Fractured Reservoir (1970) SPEJ, pp. 164-170. , JuneSahuquet, B.C., Ferrier, J.J., Steam-Drive Pilot in a Fractured Carbonate Reservoir: Lacq Superieur Field (1982) JPT, pp. 873-880. , AprilDreher, K.D., Kenyon, D.E., Iwere, F.O., Heat Flow During Steam Injection Into a Fractured Carbonate Reservoir (1986) SPE Enhanced Oil Recovery Symposium, pp. 20-23. , Tulsa, Oklahoma, AprilJensen, T.B., Sharma, M.P., Oil Production Mechanisms by Steam and Hot Water in Fractured Porous Media - Experimental and Numerical Studies (1991) 112th ASME Winter Annual Meeting, , Atlanta, Georgia, DecBriggs, P.J., Beck, D.L., Black, C.J.J., Bissel, R., Heavy Oil from Fractured Carbonate Reservoirs (1992) SPE Reservoir Engineering, pp. 173-179. , MayHaghighil, M., Yortsos, Y.C., Visualization of Steam Injection in Fractured System Using Micromodels (1997) International Thermal Operations and Heavy Oil Symposium, , SPE 37520, Bakersfield, CA, Febvan Wunnik, J.N.M., Wit, K., Improvement of Gravity Drainage by Steam Injection into a Fractured Reservoir: An Analytical Evaluation (1992) SPE Reservoir Engineering, 7 (1), pp. 59-66. , FebPooladi-Darvish, M., Farouq Ali, S.M., Steam Heating of Fractured Formations Containing Heavy Oil: Basic Premises and a Single-Block Analytical Model (1994) SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, , New Orleans, Louisiana, SeptChen, W.H., Wasserman, M.L., Fitzmorris, R.E., A Thermal Simulator for Naturally Fractured Reservoirs (1987) SPE Symposium on Reservoir Simulation, , San Antonio, Texas, FebFiroozabadi, A., Thomas, L.K., (1990) The Sixth SPE Comparative Solution Project: Dual Porosity Simulator, , SPE 18741Cathles, L.M., Shoell, M., Simon, R.A., Kinetic Model of CO2 Generation and Mineral and Isotopic Alteration during Steamflooding (1990) SPE Reservoir Engineering, pp. 524-530. , Novembe

Transient Method For Measuring Thermal Properties Of Saturated Porous Media

This paper describes the development of a transient technique to measure thermal diffusivily and conductivity of porous samples. The method uses the film heat sensor to probe heat flux. Temperature and heat flux are measured dynamically allowing conditions to vary in time at the point of measurement. The data are then treated by a deconvolution algorithm, rendering results proper to simpler models for the same geometry. The numerical treatment in the deconvolution procedure was verified for a hypothetical case. The method was finally tested in the laboratory, with experiments made on samples of natural rock. © 1993 Pergamon Press Ltd.361025652573Miller, Mohanty, Thermal and Thermo-Mechanical Effects in Thermal Oil Recovery (1991) Center for Enhanced Oil and Gas Recovery Research Annual Report, , Category BTye, (1969) Thermal Conductivity, , Academic Press, New YorkScott, Seto, Thermal properties measure-ments on oil sands (1970) J. Can. Petrol. Technol., 25, pp. 70-77Harmarthy, Variable-state methods of measuring the thermal properties of solids (1964) Journal of Applied Physics, 35, pp. 1190-1200Shallcross, Wood, The accurate measurement of heat flux using film heat sensors with application to axisymmetric bodies (1986) Proceedings of the Eighth International Heat Transfer Conference, 2, pp. 477-482. , San Francisco, CaliforniaCheney, Kincaid, (1980) Numerical Mathematics and Computing, , Brooks/Cole, New YorkPress, Flannery, Teukolsky, Vetterling, (1989) Numerical Recipes, , Cambridge University Press, Monterey-CACarslaw, Jaeger, (1959) Conduction of Heat in Solids, , Oxford University Press, MelbourneStehfest, Algorithm 368 Numerical inversion of Laplace transform (1970) Communications of the ACM, 13, pp. 47-4