Analytical and numerical modeling of the Cyclic ES-SAGD process

Manfre Jaimes, Diego

Analytical and numerical modeling of the Cyclic ES-SAGD process

dc.contributor.advisor	Clarke, Matthew A.
dc.contributor.author	Manfre Jaimes, Diego
dc.contributor.committeemember	Gates, Ian Donald
dc.contributor.committeemember	Maini, B. B.
dc.date	2019-06
dc.date.accessioned	2019-04-25T21:04:14Z
dc.date.available	2019-04-25T21:04:14Z
dc.date.issued	2019-04-25
dc.description.abstract	The world is still highly dependable on the energy that comes from oil. The current demand for energy has given importance to oil reservoirs that were normally overlooked in the past due to its properties. One example is found in the Canadian heavy oil sands. The amount of oil that is accumulated in these reservoirs represents the third largest accumulation of oil in the world. In these reservoirs, thermal processes such as Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD), are used extensively as a production method. In SAGD, the injection of the steam into the reservoir reduces the viscosity of the oil, which moves downward by the effect of gravity until it reaches a production well. This research presents an alternative way of using SAGD in an efficient and profitable manner. One of the possible variations of SAGD that has shown positive results is the co-injection of a solvent in the injected stream. The idea behind this is to improve the effect of the reduction in the oil viscosity by the diffusion of this solvent in the oil. The amount and type of solvent injected as well as the amount that is recovered are key parameters in the performance of this process, particularly because these solvents are generally more expensive than oil. This work studied the co-injection of the solvent with the steam periodically. This means that in this case the solvent is co-injected through cycles instead of continuously. Some of the aspects that were evaluated are the type of solvent, its concentration and the duration of each of the solvent injection cycles. This study includes the derivation of an analytical model that is able to estimate the oil rate than comes from a cyclic solvent co-injection SAGD process and the use of numerical reservoir simulation to determine the principal recovery mechanisms of the process. One of the principal conclusions is that a similar positive result of the solvent co-injection could be achieved with less amount of solvent usage. This would considerably benefit the profitability of the process and the general performance of SAGD.	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Manfre Jaimes, D. (2019). Analytical and numerical modeling of the Cyclic ES-SAGD process (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.	en_US
dc.identifier.doi	http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/36401
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110216
dc.language.iso	eng	en_US
dc.publisher.faculty	Schulich School of Engineering	en_US
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary	en
dc.rights	University 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.subject	SAGD	en_US
dc.subject	ES-SAGD	en_US
dc.subject	Reservoir Engineering	en_US
dc.subject	Numerical simulation	en_US
dc.subject	Thermal Recovery Methods	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Engineering	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Engineering--Chemical	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Engineering--Petroleum	en_US
dc.title	Analytical and numerical modeling of the Cyclic ES-SAGD process	en_US
dc.type	master thesis	en_US
thesis.degree.discipline	Engineering – Chemical & Petroleum	en_US
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Calgary	en_US
thesis.degree.name	Master of Science (MSc)	en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopy	true