Browsing by Author "Jiang, Qi"
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- ItemOpen AccessExperimental and Mechanism Study of Superheated SAGD vs. Conventional SAGD Technique: A Cost-Effective Scheme for Superheated SAGD(2022-04-27) Huang, Ke; Huang, Siyuan; Jiang, Qi; Liu, YangSteam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is one of the steam injection techniques to exploit heavy oil and extra heavy oil resources, where the nature of steam is crucial to the production efficiency. Replacing saturated steam with superheated steam can effectively improve the steam quality at the bottom of the well and the production efficiency. In this study, based on the 2-D SAGD experiments, the recovery mechanisms of SAGD under the 220°C saturated steam and 260°C (superheated degree of 40°C) and 300°C (superheated degree of 80°C) superheated steam are compared and analyzed. The numerical model was developed based on experimental results, and the influence of steam superheated degree on the recovery degree of the SAGD process was further investigated. The physical experiment results and numerical simulation results show that the advantages of high enthalpy and large specific volume of superheated steam are significant at the horizontal expansion stage of the steam chamber stage compared to those of saturated steam. However, although the superheated steam can improve the recovery degree, the economic efficiency may decrease with the addition of superheated steam since it requires higher energy to generate the superheated steam. Thus, the SOR (steam-oil ratio) cannot appropriately describe the energy and economic efficiency when superheated steam is considered. Therefore, the cumulative FOR (fuel-oil ratio) is proposed, and the optimal superheated degree, optimal injection strategy, and its relation with the recovery mechanisms are studied. The results indicate that using superheated steam at 80°C superheated degree during the steam chamber horizontal expansion stage can increase the recovery factor around 12% and also reduce the cumulative FOR around 5.3 compared to the conventional SAGD strategy.
- ItemOpen AccessIn Situ Combustion for Heavy Oil: Toe-to-Heel Air Injection(2020-12-22) Wei, Wei; Gates, Ian Donald; Hejazi, Seyed Hossein; Hu, Jinguang; Huang, Haiping; Jiang, QiGiven the environmental impact and relatively high cost of steam-based recovery processes for oil sands reservoirs, there is a search for other recovery processes that yield greater efficiency and lower operating costs. Air injection based recovery processes offer potential for improved efficiency given that the heat is generated within the reservoir. However, industry has been reluctant to adopt air injection methods for oil sands reservoirs. In the research documented in this thesis, a detailed examination of the Kerrobert toe-to-heel air injection (THAI) process is conducted by using data analytics. The current operator of the facility has provided all of the data for the operation including injection and production rates, temperatures, pressures, gas compositions, and facility data. Four studies were conducted: 1. Detailed analysis of causal relationships between injectants and production rates, gas composition, and temperature rise within the reservoir through manual examination of the data, 2. Clustering analysis of operational variables and seek for optimal operating strategy to maximize production rate, 3. Lag time analysis between injection and production to explain the underlying production mechanisms in THAI, and 4. Understand the reaction systems in THAI using produced gas compositions through an inverse calculation approach.
- ItemOpen AccessOn Solvent-Rich Recovery Processes(2023-04-26) Liu, Jianbo; Gates, Ian; Gates, Ian; Hejazi, Hossein; Lu, Qingye; Du, Ke; Jiang, QiCurrent steam-based recovery processes such as Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) are very effective at recovering bitumen (extra heavy oil) from oil sands reservoirs but these recovery processes have significant emissions making bitumen among the most emission intensive oils globally. Solvent-based recovery processes are one option that would lower the emissions intensity of oil sands recovery yielding a potentially upgraded oil product to the surface leaving a fraction of the asphaltenes and sulphur within the reservoir. This would not only be beneficial for upstream emissions reduction but also for downstream processing emissions since there would be less petroleum coke and sulphur generated in the upgrading and refining of the upgraded oil product. However, there are many uncertainties for solvent-based recovery processes that render it a challenge to move these processes forward commercially. The research in this thesis is different than other research – it attempts to examine the solvent-based processes and the connected physical phenomena including solvent solubility, viscosity reduction in dilution, onset of asphaltene precipitation and onset of asphaltene depostion, viscosity of the upgraded oil after asphaltene precipitation, W/O emulsions in bitumen and the effect of solvent on emulsions, and an examination of the performance of solvent-based recovery processes in two-dimensional prototypical physical model experiments in a holistic manner, for the first time. The results provide new data on asphaltene, the impact of solvent dilution on viscosity before and after asphaltene precipitation onset, new solubility data, new insights from rich-solvent Hele-Shaw gravity drainage experiments, and effect of solvent on emulsions. The outcomes provide a basis for optimized design of the solvent-based recovery processes.
- ItemOpen AccessRecovery of heavy oil and bitumen using vapex process in homogeneous and heterogenous reservoirs(1997) Jiang, Qi; Butler, Roger M.
- ItemOpen AccessRecovery of oil from reservoirs underlain with a bottom water zone by horizontal wells(1994) Jiang, Qi; Butler, Roger M.