Operation constraints of steam assisted gravity drainage considering steam interference to accomplish optimum bitumen recovery

초록

This paper determined the optimum operations of steam assisted gravity drainage covering steam interference between vapor chambers in a heterogeneous oil-sands deposit. The objective value was the minimum cumulative steam to oil ratio that represented energy efficiency. Three wellpairs, i.e. six horizontal wells, were installed to take steam interference between the chambers into consideration. The optimum operations showed the small difference of bottom hole pressure between an injector and a producer that released a small amount of steam into the reservoir. The lower injection could decrease the steam interference and lateral fluid movement by generating a similar size of chamber. A sensitivity analysis showed the key factors to cumulative steam to oil ratio were bottom hole pressure of the injectors and surface steam rate at the producers. To satisfy the limit of surface steam rate at the producer, the bottom hole pressure at the producer increased sharply and maintain the small difference between the producer and the injector. © © 2015 by the International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers (ISOPE).

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