Staged Steam Extraction for Bitumen Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current steam-assisted recovery methods for bitumen and heavy oil, such as CSS and SAGD, face challenges of low recovery rates and high energy and water usage, with continuous addition of chemical agents being expensive and impractical.
Innovation Solution
The Staged Steam Extraction (SSE) method involves injecting different steam compositions sequentially into a well to enhance bitumen and heavy oil recovery, using steam compositions that include enhanced oil recovery agents like alkanes, hydrocarbons, and surfactants, at optimized concentrations to improve extraction efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If continuous addition of chemical agents is used to enhance recovery, then bitumen recovery rate improves, but operational cost and practicality deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by injecting chemical agents in discrete pulses rather than continuous flow. The method involves injecting a slurry of chemical agent and water, followed by a water-only flush, then repeating the process after a waiting period. This periodic injection strategy maintains enhanced recovery effects while significantly reducing operational costs and practical difficulties associated with continuous chemical addition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the chemical agent injection process into distinct stages: initial slurry injection, water flush, waiting period, and subsequent pulsed injections. This segmentation allows the chemical agents to be distributed throughout the reservoir in controlled amounts over time, improving recovery while managing costs and operational complexity.
2Ease of operation
If thermal methods (CSS, SAGD) are used to reduce bitumen viscosity, then bitumen flowability improves, but energy consumption and water usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses chemical agents (surfactants, polymers, or alkaline substances) as intermediaries to modify the interfacial properties between bitumen, water, and rock. These chemicals reduce interfacial tension and alter wettability, enabling bitumen to flow more easily without requiring the high thermal energy input needed by conventional CSS or SAGD methods. This intermediary approach achieves flowability improvement with significantly reduced energy and water consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the injection fluid by adding surfactants, polymers, or alkaline substances to the water. This modifies the chemical environment in the reservoir, reducing bitumen viscosity and improving flowability through chemical mechanisms rather than thermal heating, thereby reducing energy and water requirements.
3Productivity
If high steam injection volume is used to extract bitumen, then extraction efficiency improves, but water usage and operational cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces chemical agents as intermediaries that enhance the efficiency of water-bitumen interaction. These agents reduce interfacial tension and improve displacement efficiency, allowing effective bitumen extraction with lower water volumes. The chemicals act as mediators that amplify the extracting capability of the injected water, reducing the total quantity of water needed while maintaining or improving extraction efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the injection fluid by adding surfactants, polymers, or alkaline substances. This modification improves the efficiency of each unit of injected water, enabling effective bitumen extraction with reduced water volumes and lower operational costs.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method increases bitumen and heavy oil recovery rates while being economically viable, with the potential for higher overall recovery percentages and reduced steam usage, by optimizing the use of enhanced oil recovery agents and staged injection strategies.
Implementation Method 1
steam heats bitumen in the subterranean environment around the well causing bitumen to drain into the well
Implementation Method 2
lowers the viscosity of bitumen by heating the oil sands, which facilitates flow of the bitumen
Implementation Method 3
combining hydrocarbons with steam in a SAGD-type process so the hydrocarbons can solubilize bitumen in subterranean oil sands to further reduce bitumen viscosity
Implementation Method 4
further reduce bitumen viscosity to facilitate the drainage of bitumen
Implementation Method 5
steam is injected down a first well into subterranean oil sands. The steam penetrates the sands and lowers the viscosity of bitumen by heating the oil sands
Implementation Method 6
heating bitumen in the surrounding subterranean environment thereby lowering the viscosity of the bitumen causing it to flow into the lower well
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an in situ staged steam extraction method for removing petroleum products from a heavy oil or bitumen reservoir from subterranean locations. Specifically, each injection stage comprises a different steam composition. A steam composition may consist essentially of steam or may comprise one or more enhanced oil recovery agent.