Pore-Scale Modelling of Thermal and Solvent Mobilization of Bitumen and Upscaling to Reservoir Level

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dc.contributor.advisorFarouq Ali, S. M.
dc.contributor.advisorAbedi, Jalal
dc.contributor.authorBayestehparvin, Bita
dc.contributor.committeememberMoore, Robert Gordon
dc.contributor.committeememberHarding, Thomas G.
dc.contributor.committeememberMehta, Sudarshan A.
dc.contributor.committeememberLines, Lawrence R.
dc.contributor.committeememberSoliman, Mohamed Y.
dc.date2019-06
dc.date.accessioned2019-01-04T20:34:05Z
dc.date.available2019-01-04T20:34:05Z
dc.date.issued2019-01-03
dc.description.abstractA major shortcoming of the existing numerical models for prediction of solvent performance in the reservoir is the unrealistic assumption of equilibrium, viz. the complete mixing of the injected solvent with oil under field conditions. In this study, a workflow is developed to capture mass transfer and solvent dissolution in porous media and upscaling of the same for application to a reservoir simulator. The aim is to address the mechanism of solvent dissolution of bitumen and the expected improvement in oil recovery when a solvent is injected with steam. To achieve this goal, mobilization of bitumen with solvent is investigated using analytical models, pore-scale modelling, and reservoir simulators. In the first step, an analytical model is developed to investigate the validity of the non-equilibrium assumption and investigate the performance of heat and mass transfer in bitumen mobilization. The analytical investigation confirmed time and scale dependency of mass transfer phenomena. Therefore, a pore-scale simulator is developed to investigate the performance of cold and heated solvent injection in porous media. The results of the pore-scale simulation confirmed the slow rate of mass transfer even for heated solvent injection. In the next step, the pore-scale results are upscaled to address time-dependency of the average concentration of solvent in the oleic phase for use in a reservoir simulator. In the last step, a thermal reservoir simulator is developed and validated with analytical and numerical models. The simulator developed in conjunction with upscaled mass transfer coefficients is used to model the non-equilibrium phenomena for ES-SAGD. Results show that ignoring the non-equilibrium phenomena will result in overestimating the solvent performance viz. higher calculated solvent concentration and hence greater viscosity reduction. The simulation results show a reduction of 20-25% in increased oil production compared to ES-SAGD with equilibrium assumption for 10 wt% butane injection with steam.en_US
dc.identifier.citationBayestehparvin, B. (2019). Pore-Scale Modelling of Thermal and Solvent Mobilization of Bitumen and Upscaling to Reservoir Level (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/35694
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/109419
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisher.facultySchulich School of Engineeringen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
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.en_US
dc.subjectPore-Scaleen_US
dc.subjectReservoir Simulationen_US
dc.subjectNon-Equilibriumen_US
dc.subjectSolvent Assisted Recovery Processesen_US
dc.subjectHeavy oil and Bitumenen_US
dc.subjectAnalytical and Numerical Modellingen_US
dc.subject.classificationEngineering--Chemicalen_US
dc.subject.classificationEngineering--Petroleumen_US
dc.titlePore-Scale Modelling of Thermal and Solvent Mobilization of Bitumen and Upscaling to Reservoir Levelen_US
dc.typedoctoral thesisen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineEngineering – Chemical & Petroleumen_US
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgaryen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)en_US
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