Course RM5

Low-Carbon Intensity Methods for Unconventional Oil Recovery

Conventional enhanced oil recovery methods are currently being taught as the only means of producing unconventional oil. However, with the current emphasis on environmental impacts and minimizing carbon footprint, low-carbon intensity methods are being pursued as alternative EOR techniques. In this 5-day course, both the thermal and non-thermal methods will be discussed.

Detailed Topics

1.The Challenges of Unconventional Oil Recovery a.unconventional oil, the prize, the problem b.Conventional processes for increasing oil mobility or decreasing injectant mobility and environmental constraints 2.Unconventional Oil Recovery Methods a.Cold Primary Production (wormholes, sand production, foamy oil, CHOPS), Low Energy EOR Processes b.Friendlier Steam c.Lower impact in-situ combustion d.Alternative heating: electrical, microwave, radiation e.Screening techniques 3.Reservoir and Fluid Characterization a.The need for characterizing fluid, rock, reservoir properties, its volumetric heat capacity and thermal conductivity b.Case Studies 4.Cold primary production a.What makes a heavy oil foamy? Why produce sand? b.Multilateral horizontal wells c.How is cold production maximized? d.case studies 5.Cold enhanced recovery a.Water drive, Solvents and CO2 injection, Emulsion flooding, polymer flooding (ASP), chemical-laden water b.case studies 6.Enhanced Steam injection a.Problems with conventional steam injection b.Review of “conventional” continuous steam injection, gravity drainage, cyclic, steam drive, and SAGD c.How to reduce the carbon footprint of steam injection d.Case studies 7.Enhanced In-situ combustion a.Review of process variants, fuel formation, oxidation kinetics, front propagation, field performance and risk mitigation b.Case Studies 8.Other methods of heating reservoirs a.Electrical Heating b.Microwave Heating c.In situ upgrading d.Radiation 9.How to increase the Efficiency of low-carbon energy processes a.Novel well arrangements b.Right sequencing 10.Challenges in Reservoir Simulation of Unconventional technologies a.Frontal displacement, distillation and upgrading, reaction kinetics, compositional modelling b.Wormholes c.Additives 11.Facilities and Operations a.thermal & CO2 completions & artificial lift, heat losses from surface lines and wells, sand management, transport in wells, and disposal b.Thermal/separation facilities, water treatment, CO2 separation and sequestration c. surface upgrading, refining issues and compatibility aspects d.health and safety

Duration

Five (5) Days

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