Browsing by Author "Alizadeh, Ahmad"

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    A Robust Kinetic Model for Computer Modelling of In Situ Combustion Processes in Athabasca Oil Sands
    (2020-07-07) Alizadeh, Ahmad; Mehta, Sudarshan A.; Moore, Robert Gordon; Belgrave, John D. M.; Harding, Thomas Grant
    In situ combustion (ISC) enhanced oil recovery is one of the most theoretically attractive thermal recovery techniques. This method is comparable with steam-based processes while it has a higher thermal efficiency and a lower environmental footprint. However, ISC is notorious for being less successful during field operations as it is substantially more complex than steam methods. This has eventually motivated the operating companies to opt for steam injection over this recovery technique. One major and persisting complexity of ISC is understanding the chemical reactions that occur during this process and proper definition of kinetic models. In general, kinetic models specify reactions that take place between the injected oxygen and the reservoir hydrocarbons. A good kinetic model should capture the principal reactions of this dynamic process and describe the process mechanism. At the same time, and for modelling purposes, it must avoid putting a huge computational burden on simulation engines so that they can handle the great deal of coupling between the fluid flow, heat transfer, and reaction kinetics appropriately. The principal objective of this research was to develop a comprehensive kinetic model for ISC applications in Athabasca oil sands. The research began with the fluid characterization of Athabasca bitumen, having the ISC mechanism and kinetics in mind. Then, the development stage of the kinetic model was started by history matching of some basic LTO and thermal cracking experiments. In the next stage, and as the main body of this research, the developed kinetic model was tuned by using 27 ramped temperature oxidation (RTO) experiments at a wide range of operating conditions. And as the final stage, the developed model was successfully evaluated over three different modes of combustion tube (CT) experiments. The outcome of this research is a demanded kinetic model which is vigorously validated on the broadest range of operating conditions to date. It can considerably reduce the number of required laboratory experiments and help with more accurate screening of potential ISC reservoirs. Finally, the procedure introduced in this research will be extremely helpful for development of kinetic models for other oil types.