Heat of Combustion Analysis of Residual Hydrocarbon Following In Situ Combustion Tests

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorMehta, Sudarshan A.
dc.contributor.advisorMoore, Robert Gordon Gord
dc.contributor.authorKamisaki, Marta Hiromi
dc.contributor.committeememberMehta, Sudarshan A.
dc.contributor.committeememberMoore, Robert Gordon Gord
dc.contributor.committeememberPereira Almao, Pedro R.
dc.contributor.committeememberAguilera, Roberto F.
dc.date2018-11
dc.date.accessioned2018-10-05T19:03:55Z
dc.date.available2018-10-05T19:03:55Z
dc.date.issued2018-09-21
dc.description.abstractProduction of Athabasca Oil Sands has always been a challenge due to its high viscosity. To produce the subsurface oil, enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is necessary. In Situ Combustion (ISC) is an EOR technique with high recovery factor but, due to the high number of reactions occurring simultaneously during application of the method, the use of computational simulators is still a challenge. Therefore, laboratory physical simulations are necessary to evaluate the viability of ISC in a specific field. These simulations are normally conducted using core samples in one-dimensional combustion tube tests to analyze the temperature profiles, pressure drops, product gas compositions and fluid production. A new 3-D physical laboratory simulator has been developed by the In Situ Combustion Research Group at the University of Calgary. The model consists of a 3-D box to evaluate ISC as a hybrid process with steam. The advantage of the 3-D model is that it provides better visualization of the process since multiple dimensional data are obtained. Post-test core samples that exhibited a significant coke bank or wall were selected from two 3-D tests which had been previously performed using cores from Athabasca Oil Sands reservoirs. Both of the 3-D tests evaluated in this research simulated a pre-production by SAGD (Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage). The 3-D boxes were packed with two distinct oil zones: Rich Zone (with a higher oil concentration) and Lean Zone (with a lower oil concentration). Lean Zone represented the area pre-produced by SAGD. After packing, the ISC process was performed with dry air (21% oxygen) injection during 3-D Test #1 and with enriched air (95% oxygen) and super-heated steam co-injection during 3-D Test #2. This current study analyzes selected samples of the post-test residual that are associated with the coke bank or coke wall in terms of the heats of combustion of residual hydrocarbon in contact with the sand, the toluene extractable oil, its fractions (maltenes and asphaltenes), as well as the toluene insoluble coke fraction remaining on the extracted core matrix. The higher O2 concentration on the injected fluid used during 3-D Test #2 might have increased the oxidation of the hydrocarbons. As a result, the heat of combustion of coke from 3-D Test #2 was found to be lower than from Test #1 (with normal air injection). Therefore, it was not possible to obtain a generalized value for the heat of combustion of coke for Athabasca Oil Sands. Coke showed to have a lower contribution to the total heat of combustion when compared to other hydrocarbon components tested (oil, maltenes and asphaltenes). For this reason, coke appears to not be the main fraction used as fuel used during In Situ combustion process. A significant finding from this study is that the residual hydrocarbon which is visually identified as the coke bank or coke wall is a mixture of maltenes, asphaltenes and toluene insoluble coke fractions. It was also observed when measuring the heat of combustion of samples that involved residual hydrocarbon plus sand that either gelatin capsules or benzoic acid was required to achieve complete combustion of the samples.en_US
dc.identifier.citationKamisaki, M. H. (2018). Heat of Combustion Analysis of Residual Hydrocarbon Following In Situ Combustion Tests (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/33125
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/33125
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/108773
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.facultySchulich School of Engineering
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectIn Situ Combustion
dc.subjectHeat of Combustion
dc.subjectResidual Hydrocarbon
dc.subject3-D Test
dc.subjectCoke
dc.subjectHydrocarbon Fractions
dc.subject.classificationEngineering--Petroleumen_US
dc.titleHeat of Combustion Analysis of Residual Hydrocarbon Following In Situ Combustion Tests
dc.typemaster thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineChemical and Petroleum Engineering
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (MSc)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
ucalgary_2018_kamisaki_marta.pdf
Size:
4.19 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.74 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Open Theses and Dissertations