第一届世界稠油大会 8 Emerging Technologies共有11篇论文

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第一届世界稠油大会Technical Paper\Emerging Technologies
THAI Process Development – Experiment
to Pilot
M. GREAVES AND M. M. HWESSA
UNIVERSITY OF BATH, ENGLAND
C. AYASSE
PETROBANK ENERGY AND RESOURCES LIMITED


Abstract
The first experimental investigation of whether horizontal well technology could be used for operating the in situ (ISC) process was started in 1989 by the Improved Oil Recovery Group at the University of Bath, England. The initial objective was to explore the effect of a horizontal producer well on the multiphase flow generated by ISC. Over some 16 years of laboratory investigations, more than one hundred, three-dimensional physical experiments were conducted to explore the dynamics of the THAI process - ‘Toe-to-Heel Air Injection’. The specific techniques used to carryout the experiments were developed to an increasingly more sophisticated level, as understanding of the process behaviour gradually evolved. The experimental studies were also aided by detailed numerical simulations at the experimental and preliminary field scale level, using the STARS reservoir simulator. The 3D experiments used mainly Wolf Lake heavy crude oil, but also, Marguerite Lake heavy crude, Athabasca Oil Sand, Lloydminster heavy crude, and Clair North Sea medium heavy crude.
The THAI process is now considered as a potential successor to the conventional ISC process and could in fact revolutionize the technology for in situ recovery and upgrading of heavy oil and Oil Sands bitumen. Conventional ISC was extensively tested during the 1970-80’s, but a number of the pilot and development trials suffered from a lack of control, mainly due to severe gas overriding. THAI has now reached the field pilot stage, and a three-section field trial has been started by WHITESANDS In Situ Limited (Heavy Oil Division of Petrobank Energy & Resources Ltd.) at Christina Lake, in the Athabasca Tar Sands region of Alberta, Canada.
To date, the experimental work, numerical studies and developed field scale simulation studies, all show that THAI is a robust, stable process, with the potential to achieve very high oil recovery at primary, secondary and tertiary production stages. The oil produced by the THAI process is partially upgraded via in situ thermal cracking. This can be further enhanced by the CAPRI process, a catalytic adjunct to THAI.
The paper describes the major milestones achieved in the laboratory, and what the current position is with the WHITESANDS THAI field pilot.

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