Heavy Oil
Production
| A primary application for the downhole
combustor technology will be for improving mobility of heavy oil to aid
in production. World heavy oil reserves exceed those of light oil, are
concentrated in the Western Hemisphere yet comprise only a small fraction of world oil production. The challenge is that heavy oil is
difficult and expensive to produce, as it requires massive amounts of heat to make it
mobile and less viscous. Most heavy oil is produced by
mining and thermal stimulation using surface steam injection through the wellbore. |
The heavy-oil deposits in Canada are vast, with an estimated 2.2
trillion barrels of original oil in place (Dusseault, 2001). |
Unlike steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD), PCI's Downhole Catalytic Combustor (DCC) Technology
recovers heavy oil more efficiently by employing:
- Fuel, air/oxidant, water convert to heat, steam, N2, CO2;
- Catalytic surface reactions convert to gas phase combustion;
- Catalyst converts some fuel to heat/ reactive intermediates, boosts flame
speed, broadens gas phase combustion stability.
The advantages
of PCI's
downhole combustor technology for heavy oil production compared to surface steam
injection include the following:
Key Technology Benefits:
- Increased production and total reservoir recovery.
- High BTU rate (up to 50mm BTU/hour), with all heat being delivered to the target location.
- Combustor gasses injected downhole - possible CO2 sequestration.
- By effectively increasing U.S. oil reserves, this technology has the
potential to reduce dependence on imported oil and to offer a
low-cost strategic oil reserve from wells too costly to produce at
prevailing oil prices.
- Fuel flexibility - natural/associated gas/others.
- Can circumnavigate permafrost, underwater and deep wells.
- Design flexibility with synergy with other
enhanced oil recovery technologies.
- Heat temperature is selectable: by adding less diluent, higher than
saturated steam temperatures can be achieved. This offers advantage for
the spinout applications of heavy oil and shale oil production, leading
to increase recovery of original oil in place.
Resource Savings and Cost Benefits:
- Energy savings of 30-60% (after compression costs) of the 20-30% of
produced heavy oil BTUs now expended for surface steam. Significant cost
advantage vs surface steam generation: $3-$4 per US barrel.
- Avoids losing higher heating value of fuel as well as boiler, distribution and wellbore
losses.
- Water savings - less water needed/BTU due to use of 100% steam quality
(this requires higher quality water, but the savings justifies
the cost)
- Air emissions savings & CO2 emissions reduction - efficiency and downhole injection.
PCI is now working to develop this technology for heavy oil production applications.
Contact PCI to learn more about how our solutions may be
adapted for your needs.
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