Análise de viabilidade de injeção de fluidos alternativos ao vapor em reservatórios de óleo pesado

Many of hydrocarbon reserves existing in the world are formed by heavy oils (°API between 10 and 20). Moreover, several heavy oil fields are mature and, thus, offer great challenges for oil industry. Among the thermal methods used to recover these resources, steamflooding has been the main economically viable alternative. Latent heat carried by steam heats the reservoir, reducing oil viscosity and facilitating the production. This method has many variations and has been studied both theoretically and experimentally (in pilot projects and in full field applications). In order to increase oil recovery and reduce steam injection costs, the injection of alternative fluid has been used on three main ways: alternately, co-injected with steam and after steam injection interruption. The main objective of these injection systems is to reduce the amount of heat supplied to the reservoir, using cheaper fluids and maintaining the same oil production levels. This works discusses the use of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, methane and water as an alternative fluid to the steam. The analyzed parameters were oil recoveries and net cumulative oil productions. The reservoir simulation model corresponds to an oil reservoir of 100 m x 100 m x 28 m size, on a Cartesian coordinates system (x, y and z directions). It is a semi synthetic model with some reservoir data similar to those found in Brazilian Potiguar Basin. All studied cases were done using the simulator STARS from CMG (Computer Modelling Group, version 2009.10). It was found that waterflood after steam injection interruption achieved the highest net cumulative oil compared to other fluids injection. Moreover, it was observed that steam and alternative fluids, co-injected and alternately, did not present increase on profitability project compared with steamflooding

Estudo do acoplamento do poço injetor nas simulações de injeção cíclica de vapor

Steam injection is a method usually applied to very viscous oils and consists of injecting heat to reduce the viscosity and, therefore, increase the oil mobility, improving the oil production. For designing a steam injection project it is necessary to have a reservoir simulation in order to define the various parameters necessary for an efficient heat reservoir management, and with this, improve the recovery factor of the reservoir. The purpose of this work is to show the influence of the coupled wellbore/reservoir on the thermal simulation of reservoirs under cyclic steam stimulation. In this study, the methodology used in the solution of the problem involved the development of a wellbore model for the integration of steam flow model in injection wellbores, VapMec, and a blackoil reservoir model for the injection of cyclic steam in oil reservoirs. Thus, case studies were developed for shallow and deep reservoirs, whereas the usual configurations of injector well existing in the oil industry, i.e., conventional tubing without packer, conventional tubing with packer and insulated tubing with packer. A comparative study of the injection and production parameters was performed, always considering the same operational conditions, for the two simulation models, non-coupled and a coupled model. It was observed that the results are very similar for the specified well injection rate, whereas significant differences for the specified well pressure. Finally, on the basis of computational experiments, it was concluded that the influence of the coupled wellbore/reservoir in thermal simulations using cyclic steam injection as an enhanced oil recovery method is greater for the specified well pressure, while for the specified well injection rate, the steam flow model for the injector well and the reservoir may be simulated in a non- coupled way

Estudo paramétrico da injeção de polímeros em reservatórios de petróleo

Developing an efficient methodology for oil recovery is extremely important . Within the range of enh anced oil recovery, known as EOR, the injection of polymer solutions becomes effective in controlling the mobility of displacing fluid . This method consists of adding polymers to the injection water to increase its viscosity, so that more water diffuses in to the porous medium and increasing the sweep efficiency in the reservoir. This work is studied by numerical simulation , application of the injection polymer solution in a homogeneous reservoir , semisynthetic with similar characteristics to the reservoirs of the Brazilian Northeast , numerical simulations were performed using thermal simulator STARS from CMG (Computer Modelling Group ). The study aimed to analyze the influence of some parameters on the behavior of reservoir oil production, with the response to cumulative production. Simulations were performed to analyze the influence of water injection, polymer solution and alternating injection of water banks and polymer solution, comparing the results for each simulated condition. The primary outcomes were: oil viscosity, percentage of injected polymer, polymer viscosity and flow rate of water injection. The evaluation of the influence of variables consisted of a complete experimental design followed a Pareto analysis for the purpose of pointing out which va riables would be most influential on the response represented b y the cumulative oil production . It was found that all variables significantly influenced the recovery of oil and the injection of polymer solution on an ongoing basis is more efficient for the cumulative production compared to oil recovery by continuous water injection. The primary recovery show ed low levels of oil production , water injection significantly improves the pro duction of oil in the reservoir , but the injection of polymer solution em erges as a new methodology to increase the production of oil, increasing the life of the well and possible reduction of water produced.

Influência das tensões tectônicas na permeabilidade da formação Açu - Bacia Potiguar

The behavior of the fluid flux in oil fields is influenced by different factors and it has a big impact on the recovery of hydrocarbons. There is a need of evaluating and adapting the actual technology to the worldwide reservoirs reality, not only on the exploration (reservoir discovers) but also on the development of those that were already discovered, however not yet produced. The in situ combustion (ISC) is a suitable technique for these recovery of hydrocarbons, although it remains complex to be implemented. The main objective of this research was to study the application of the ISC as an advanced oil recovery technique through a parametric analysis of the process using vertical wells within a semi synthetic reservoir that had the characteristics from the brazilian northwest, in order to determine which of those parameters could influence the process, verifying the technical and economical viability of the method on the oil industry. For that analysis, a commercial reservoir simulation program for thermal processes was used, called steam thermal and advanced processes reservoir simulator (STARS) from the computer modeling group (CMG). This study aims, through the numerical analysis, find results that help improve mainly the interpretation and comprehension of the main problems related to the ISC method, which are not yet dominated. From the results obtained, it was proved that the mediation promoted by the thermal process ISC over the oil recovery is very important, with rates and cumulated production positively influenced by the method application. It was seen that the application of the method improves the oil mobility as a function of the heating when the combustion front forms inside the reservoir. Among all the analyzed parameters, the activation energy presented the bigger influence, it means, the lower the activation energy the bigger the fraction of recovered oil, as a function of the chemical reactions speed rise. It was also verified that the higher the enthalpy of the reaction, the bigger the fraction of recovered oil, due to a bigger amount of released energy inside the system, helping the ISC. The reservoir parameters: porosity and permeability showed to have lower influence on the ISC. Among the operational parameters that were analyzed, the injection rate was the one that showed a stronger influence on the ISC method, because, the higher the value of the injection rate, the higher was the result obtained, mainly due to maintaining the combustion front. In connection with the oxygen concentration, an increase of the percentage of this parameter translates into a higher fraction of recovered oil, because the quantity of fuel, helping the advance and the maintenance of the combustion front for a longer period of time. About the economic analysis, the ISC method showed to be economically feasible when evaluated through the net present value (NPV), considering the injection rates: the higher the injection rate, the higher the financial incomes of the final project

Estudo paramétrico da recuperação de óleo no processo de drenagem gravitacional com injeção de CO2

The gas injection has become the most important IOR process in the United States. Furthermore, the year 2006 marks the first time the gas injection IOR production has surpassed that of steam injection. In Brazil, the installation of a petrochemical complex in the Northeast of Brazil (Bahia State) offers opportunities for the injection of gases in the fields located in the Recôncavo Basin. Field-scale gas injection applications have almost always been associated with design and operational difficulties. The mobility ratio, which controls the volumetric sweep, between the injected gas and displaced oil bank in gas processes, is typically unfavorable due to the relatively low viscosity of the injected gas. Furthermore, the difference between their densities results in severe gravity segregation of fluids in the reservoirs, consequently leading to poor control in the volumetric sweep. Nowadays, from the above applications of gas injection, the WAG process is most popular. However, in attempting to solve the mobility problems, the WAG process gives rise to other problems associated with increased water saturation in the reservoir including diminished gas injectivity and increased competition to the flow of oil. The low field performance of WAG floods with oil recoveries in the range of 5-10% is a clear indication of these problems. In order to find na effective alternative to WAG, the Gas Assisted Gravity Drainage (GAGD) was developed. This process is designed to take advantage of gravity force to allow vertical segregation between the injected CO2 and reservoir crude oil due to their density difference. This process consists of placing horizontal producers near the bottom of the pay zone and injecting gás through existing vertical wells in field. Homogeneous models were used in this work which can be extrapolated to commercial application for fields located in the Northeast of Brazil. The simulations were performed in a CMG simulator, the STARS 2007.11, where some parameters and their interactions were analyzed. The results have shown that the CO2 injection in GAGD process increased significantly the rate and the final recovery of oil

Estudo comparativo da utilização do nitrogênio como fluido alternativo após a injeção de vapor

Currently, due to part of world is focalized to petroleum, many researches with this theme have been advanced to make possible the production into reservoirs which were classified as unviable. Because of geological and operational challenges presented to oil recovery, more and more efficient methods which are economically successful have been searched. In this background, steam flood is in evidence mainly when it is combined with other procedures to purpose low costs and high recovery factors. This work utilized nitrogen as an alternative fluid after steam flood to adjust the best combination of alternation between these fluids in terms of time and rate injection. To describe the simplified economic profile, many analysis based on liquid cumulative production were performed. The completion interval and injection fluid rates were fixed and the oil viscosity was ranged at 300 cP, 1.000 cP and 3.000 cP. The results defined, for each viscosity, one specific model indicating the best period to stop the introduction of steam and insertion of nitrogen, when the first injected fluid reached its economic limit. Simulations in physics model defined from one-eighth nine-spot inverted were realized using the commercial simulator Steam, Thermal and Advanced Processes Reservoir Simulator STARS of Computer Modelling Group CMG

Estudo paramétrico da recuperação de petróleo pesado por aquecimento eletromagnético resistivo

Electrical resistive heating (ERH) is a thermal method used to improve oil recovery. It can increase oil rate and oil recovery due to temperature increase caused by electrical current passage through oil zone. ERH has some advantage compared with well-known thermal methods such as continuous steam flood, presenting low-water production. This method can be applied to reservoirs with different characteristics and initial reservoir conditions. Commercial software was used to test several cases using a semi-synthetic homogeneous reservoir with some characteristics as found in northeast Brazilian basins. It was realized a sensitivity analysis of some reservoir parameters, such as: oil zone, aquifer presence, gas cap presence and oil saturation on oil recovery and energy consumption. Then it was tested several cases studying the electrical variables considered more important in the process, such as: voltage, electrical configurations and electrodes positions. Energy optimization by electrodes voltage levels changes and electrical settings modify the intensity and the electrical current distribution in oil zone and, consequently, their influences in reservoir temperature reached at some regions. Results show which reservoir parameters were significant in order to improve oil recovery and energy requirement in for each reservoir. Most significant parameters on oil recovery and electrical energy delivered were oil thickness, presence of aquifer, presence of gas cap, voltage, electrical configuration and electrodes positions. Factors such as: connate water, water salinity and relative permeability to water at irreducible oil saturation had low influence on oil recovery but had some influence in energy requirements. It was possible to optimize energy consumption and oil recovery by electrical variables. Energy requirements can decrease by changing electrodes voltages during the process. This application can be extended to heavy oil reservoirs of high depth, such as offshore fields, where nowadays it is not applicable any conventional thermal process such as steam flooding

Estudo da perda de carga e calor no poço injetor no processo De drenagem gravitacional assistida por vapor (SAGD)

The oil companies in the area in general are looking for new technologies that can increase the recovery factor of oil contained in reservoirs. These investments are mainly aimed at reducing the costs of projects which are high. Steam injection is one of these special methods of recovery in which steam is injected into the reservoir in order to reduce the viscosity of the oil and make it more mobile. The process assisted gravity drainage steam (SAGD) using steam injection in its mechanism, as well as two parallel horizontal wells. In this process steam is injected through the horizontal injection well, then a vapor chamber is formed by heating the oil in the reservoir and, by the action of gravitational forces, this oil is drained down to where the production well. This study aims to analyze the influence of pressure drop and heat along the injection well in the SAGD process. Numerical simulations were performed using the thermal simulator STARS of CMG (Computer Modeling Group). The parameters studied were the thermal conductivity of the formation, the flow of steam injection, the inner diameter of the column, the steam quality and temperature. A factorial design was used to verify the influence of the parameters studied in the recovery factor. We also analyzed different injection flow rates for the model with pressure drop and no pressure drop, as well as different maximum flow rates of oil production. Finally, we performed an economic analysis of the two models in order to check the profitability of the projects studied. The results showed that the pressure drop in injection well have a significant influence on the SAGD process.

Efeito da perda de carga e calor no poço injetor no processo de drenagem gravitacional assistido com vapor e solvente

Nowadays, most of the hydrocarbon reserves in the world are in the form of heavy oil, ultra - heavy or bitumen. For the extraction and production of this resource is required to implement new technologies. One of the promising processes for the recovery of this oil is the Expanding Solvent Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (ES-SAGD) which uses two parallel horizontal wells, where the injection well is situated vertically above the production well. The completion of the process occurs upon injection of a hydrocarbon additive at low concentration in conjunction with steam. The steam adds heat to reduce the viscosity of the oil and solvent aids in reducing the interfacial tension between oil/ solvent. The main force acting in this process is the gravitational and the heat transfer takes place by conduction, convection and latent heat of steam. In this study was used the discretized wellbore model, where the well is discretized in the same way that the reservoir and each section of the well treated as a block of grid, with interblock connection with the reservoir. This study aims to analyze the influence of the pressure drop and heat along the injection well in the ES-SAGD process. The model used for the study is a homogeneous reservoir, semi synthetic with characteristics of the Brazilian Northeast and numerical simulations were performed using the STARS thermal simulator from CMG (Computer Modelling Group). The operational parameters analyzed were: percentage of solvent injected, the flow of steam injection, vertical distance between the wells and steam quality. All of them were significant in oil recovery factor positively influencing this. The results showed that, for all cases analyzed, the model considers the pressure drop has cumulative production of oil below its respective model that disregards such loss. This difference is more pronounced the lower the value of the flow of steam injection

Estudo dos parâmetros operacionais do processo de combustão in situ em reservatório de petróleo pesado

The occurrence of heavy oil reservoirs have increased substantially and, due to the high viscosity characteristic of this type of oil, conventional recovery methods can not be applied. Thermal methods have been studied for the recovery of this type of oil, with a main objective to reduce its viscosity, by increasing the reservoir temperature, favoring the mobility of the oil and allowing an increasing in the productivity rate of the fields. In situ combustion (ISC) is a thermal recovery method in which heat is produced inside the reservoir by the combustion of part of the oil with injected oxygen, contrasting with the injection of fluid that is heated in the surface for subsequent injection, which leads to loss heat during the trajectory to the reservoir. The ISC is a favorable method for recovery of heavy oil, but it is still difficult to be field implemented. This work had as an objective the parametric analysis of ISC process applied to a semi-synthetic reservoir with characteristics of the Brazilian Northeast reservoirs using vertical production and vertical injection wells, as the air flow injection and the wells completions. For the analysis, was used a commercial program for simulation of oil reservoirs using thermal processes, called Steam, Thermal and Advanced Processes Reservoir Simulator (STARS) from Computer Modelling Group (CMG). From the results it was possible to analyze the efficiency of the ISC process in heavy oil reservoirs by increasing the reservoir temperature, providing a large decrease in oil viscosity, increasing its mobility inside the reservoir, as well as the improvement in the quality of this oil and therefore increasing significantly its recovered fraction. Among the analyzed parameters, the flow rate of air injection was the one which had greater influence in ISC, obtaining higher recovery factor the higher is the flow rate of injection, due to the greater amount of oxygen while ensuring the maintenance of the combustion front

Análise paramétrica do método de injeção alternada de água e CO2(WAG) em reservatórios de petróleo

After the decline of production from natural energy of the reservoir, the methods of enhanced oil recovery, which methods result from the application of special processes such as chemical injection, miscible gases, thermal and others can be applied. The advanced recovery method with alternating - CO2 injection WAG uses the injection of water and gas, normally miscible that will come in contact with the stock oil. In Brazil with the discovery of pre-salt layer that gas gained prominence. The amount of CO2 present in the oil produced in the pre-salt layer, as well as some reservoirs is one of the challenges to be overcome in relation to sustainable production once this gas needs to be processed in some way. Many targets for CO2 are proposed by researchers to describe some alternatives to the use of CO2 gas produced such as enhanced recovery, storage depleted fields, salt caverns storage and marketing of CO2 even in plants. The largest oil discoveries in Brazil have recently been made by Petrobras in the pre -salt layer located between the states of Santa Catarina and Espírito Santo, where he met large volumes of light oil with a density of approximately 28 ° API, low acidity and low sulfur content. This oil that has a large amount of dissolved CO2 and thus a pioneering solution for the fate of this gas comes with an advanced recovery. The objective of this research is to analyze which parameters had the greatest influence on the enhanced recovery process. The simulations were performed using the "GEM" module of the Computer Modelling Group, with the aim of studying the advanced recovery method in question. For this work, semi - synthetic models were used with reservoir and fluid data that can be extrapolated to practical situations in the Brazilian Northeast. The results showed the influence of the alternating injection of water and gas on the recovery factor and flow rate of oil production process, when compared to primary recovery and continuous water injection or continuous gas injection

Análise de viabilidade de injeção de fluidos alternativos ao vapor em reservatórios de óleo pesado

Many of hydrocarbon reserves existing in the world are formed by heavy oils (°API between 10 and 20). Moreover, several heavy oil fields are mature and, thus, offer great challenges for oil industry. Among the thermal methods used to recover these resources, steamflooding has been the main economically viable alternative. Latent heat carried by steam heats the reservoir, reducing oil viscosity and facilitating the production. This method has many variations and has been studied both theoretically and experimentally (in pilot projects and in full field applications). In order to increase oil recovery and reduce steam injection costs, the injection of alternative fluid has been used on three main ways: alternately, co-injected with steam and after steam injection interruption. The main objective of these injection systems is to reduce the amount of heat supplied to the reservoir, using cheaper fluids and maintaining the same oil production levels. This works discusses the use of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, methane and water as an alternative fluid to the steam. The analyzed parameters were oil recoveries and net cumulative oil productions. The reservoir simulation model corresponds to an oil reservoir of 100 m x 100 m x 28 m size, on a Cartesian coordinates system (x, y and z directions). It is a semi synthetic model with some reservoir data similar to those found in Brazilian Potiguar Basin. All studied cases were done using the simulator STARS from CMG (Computer Modelling Group, version 2009.10). It was found that waterflood after steam injection interruption achieved the highest net cumulative oil compared to other fluids injection. Moreover, it was observed that steam and alternative fluids, co-injected and alternately, did not present increase on profitability project compared with steamflooding

Estudo do acoplamento do poço injetor nas simulações de injeção cíclica de vapor

Steam injection is a method usually applied to very viscous oils and consists of injecting heat to reduce the viscosity and, therefore, increase the oil mobility, improving the oil production. For designing a steam injection project it is necessary to have a reservoir simulation in order to define the various parameters necessary for an efficient heat reservoir management, and with this, improve the recovery factor of the reservoir. The purpose of this work is to show the influence of the coupled wellbore/reservoir on the thermal simulation of reservoirs under cyclic steam stimulation. In this study, the methodology used in the solution of the problem involved the development of a wellbore model for the integration of steam flow model in injection wellbores, VapMec, and a blackoil reservoir model for the injection of cyclic steam in oil reservoirs. Thus, case studies were developed for shallow and deep reservoirs, whereas the usual configurations of injector well existing in the oil industry, i.e., conventional tubing without packer, conventional tubing with packer and insulated tubing with packer. A comparative study of the injection and production parameters was performed, always considering the same operational conditions, for the two simulation models, non-coupled and a coupled model. It was observed that the results are very similar for the specified well injection rate, whereas significant differences for the specified well pressure. Finally, on the basis of computational experiments, it was concluded that the influence of the coupled wellbore/reservoir in thermal simulations using cyclic steam injection as an enhanced oil recovery method is greater for the specified well pressure, while for the specified well injection rate, the steam flow model for the injector well and the reservoir may be simulated in a non- coupled way

Desenvolvimento de pastas de cimento flexíveis para poços de petróleo submetidos à injeção de vapor utilizando látex do tipo SBR

Novel cementing materials formulations containing flexible polymeric admixtures have been studied aiming at improving the mechanical behavior of oil well cement slurries submitted to steam injection. However, research activities in this sector are still under development. The steam injected directly into the well causes casing dilation, which after a reduction in temperature, tends to return to its original dimensions, resulting in crack formation and hydraulic isolation loss of the well, which will result in shortening of well life. In this scenario, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the mechanical behavior of Portland-based slurries containing SBR latex, applied in oil well cementing of wells submitted to steam injection. Were formulated slurries with densities of 1.797 g/cm3 (15.0 lb/Gal) and 1.869 g/cm3 (15.6 lb/Gal), containing admixtures with a latex concentration of 0; 66.88; 133.76; 200.64 and 267.52 L/m3 (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 gpc). Tests including rheology, fluid loss control, thickening time, API compressive strength and splitting tensile strength, beyond steam injection simulation. Microstrutural characteristics of the slurries were also performed (XRD, TG, FTIR and SEM). The results showed that increasing the polymer concentration increased in the rheological properties and fluid loss, and a decrease in the elasticity modulus of the cement slurries. The results obtained showed that the slurries can be applied in cementing operations of oil wells submitted to steam injection.

Otimização e análise mecânica de pastas geopoliméricas para uso em poços sujeitos à injeção cíclica de vapor

Oil wells subjected to cyclic steam injection present important challenges for the development of well cementing systems, mainly due to tensile stresses caused by thermal gradients during its useful life. Cement sheath failures in wells using conventional high compressive strength systems lead to the use of cement systems that are more flexible and/or ductile, with emphasis on Portland cement systems with latex addition. Recent research efforts have presented geopolymeric systems as alternatives. These cementing systems are based on alkaline activation of amorphous aluminosilicates such as metakaolin or fly ash and display advantageous properties such as high compressive strength, fast setting and thermal stability. Basic geopolymeric formulations can be found in the literature, which meet basic oil industry specifications such as rheology, compressive strength and thickening time. In this work, new geopolymeric formulations were developed, based on metakaolin, potassium silicate, potassium hydroxide, silica fume and mineral fiber, using the state of the art in chemical composition, mixture modeling and additivation to optimize the most relevant properties for oil well cementing. Starting from molar ratios considered ideal in the literature (SiO2/Al2O3 = 3.8 e K2O/Al2O3 = 1.0), a study of dry mixtures was performed,based on the compressive packing model, resulting in an optimal volume of 6% for the added solid material. This material (silica fume and mineral fiber) works both as an additional silica source (in the case of silica fume) and as mechanical reinforcement, especially in the case of mineral fiber, which incremented the tensile strength. The first triaxial mechanical study of this class of materials was performed. For comparison, a mechanical study of conventional latex-based cementing systems was also carried out. Regardless of differences in the failure mode (brittle for geopolymers, ductile for latex-based systems), the superior uniaxial compressive strength (37 MPa for the geopolymeric slurry P5 versus 18 MPa for the conventional slurry P2), similar triaxial behavior (friction angle 21° for P5 and P2) and lower stifness (in the elastic region 5.1 GPa for P5 versus 6.8 GPa for P2) of the geopolymeric systems allowed them to withstand a similar amount of mechanical energy (155 kJ/m3 for P5 versus 208 kJ/m3 for P2), noting that geopolymers work in the elastic regime, without the microcracking present in the case of latex-based systems. Therefore, the geopolymers studied on this work must be designed for application in the elastic region to avoid brittle failure. Finally, the tensile strength of geopolymers is originally poor (1.3 MPa for the geopolymeric slurry P3) due to its brittle structure. However, after additivation with mineral fiber, the tensile strength became equivalent to that of latex-based systems (2.3 MPa for P5 and 2.1 MPa for P2). The technical viability of conventional and proposed formulations was evaluated for the whole well life, including stresses due to cyclic steam injection. This analysis was performed using finite element-based simulation software. It was verified that conventional slurries are viable up to 204ºF (400ºC) and geopolymeric slurries are viable above 500ºF (260ºC)