MBDCI

Thermal EOR:
High Temperatures, High Pressures
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

Maurice Dusseault
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6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p Belridge Diatomite - California

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Heavy Oil Production Processes

Production Processes

Primary Thermal Non-Thermal

6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

Cold Production Steam Combustion
Water Flooding

CHOPS
CSS
Fire Flooding
CO2, Gas Injec.

Flooding
THAI
Chemical Injec.

SAGD
Top Down
VAPEX

Hybrid Processes
Sequencing
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6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p Classic CSS

Source: Imperial Oil Ltd.

6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p Steam Flooding
MBDCI
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Typical CSS Well Behavior

Production Rates (Cold Lake, W ell: 1-3-66-4W 4)
120
Oil
100 W ater
Production Rate (m3/d)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
80

60
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

40

20
Wate r

Oil
0
1996 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007
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One HCS Cycle

Courtesy Canadian Natural Resources
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p
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HCS Conversion to SAGD

Courtesy Canadian Natural Resources

6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p
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Surmont SAGD Pilot

Production Rates (Surmont Project, 4 W ells)

700
350 m deep
Oil 350,000 cP
600 W ater 1-5 Darcy
30% porosity
Production Rates (m3/d)

500 45m thick

N/G > 85%
400 W ater
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

300

200

100 Oil

0
1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007
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CSS - Pressure Response vs. Time

pressure
1

2
3 original v (= z)
5
4

In CSS, pressure response

6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

changes with cycle number

Stress effects +
~0.3 - 0.4v
Steam effects +
Geometry effects

time
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CSS Stress Effects (1)

 During injection: formation shear, V, k
 ij in zone increased due to V(T, p)
 Fractures change orientation as a result
 Compressibility rises dramatically ()
 Shearing and dilation mean the stressing is not
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

reversible (i.e. not elastic)

 During production: contraction (-V) large
 -p causes substantial V - in zone
 Thus, very low initial pinj on later cycles
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Stress Trajectories, Injection

Injection plus temperature makes the thermal zone expand,

acting as a stiff inclusion, & stresses (v and h) increase

stiff region,
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

expanding
by T, + p
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Fracture Orientation Changes

Fracture geometry after first 2/3 Probable fracture geometry at
of main treatment end of pumping

Limited further growth

Creation of new of N80E fracture
vertical frac to
original vertical frac
wellbore

vertical
frac horizontal frac
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

horizontal frac
N80E

N80E

N10W
Courtesy Pinnacle Technologies
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Fracture Orientation Changes

 High pressures and high temperatures cause the

initial fracture plane to expand
 This increases the closure stress acting against
the fracture opening
 When effect is big enough, change of
Process is repeated as the zones grow
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

 After the production cycle, all the stresses have

been reduced by shrinkage
 Fracturing is again vertical, and low stress
 Steam is retained more in the reservoir
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Post-Production Fracture Injection

injection
stress along
A-A
A

wellbore
v
shale overburden
Fracture rise
hmin
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

is now limited
by higher h

oil sand
Z
A
Better lateral growth
 MBDCI

Cooling Also Reduces hmin

stress
Contraction of the thermal zone makes it act
as a soft inclusion, thus stresses (v and Augmented
h) are shed to surrounding stiffer zones h

cooled region, Reduced

6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

Injected reduced v, h h
fluid front

depth

This is an example from cold water injection disposal

 MBDCI

CSS Stress Effects (II)

 High stress contrasts in high T regions
 p is high during injection, so is lowered
 Cohesion, c, is low in UCS
 Yield criterion of the sand is exceeded
max = c + (
n)tan (M-C criterion)
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

 Sand shears and dilates at low n

 Porosity from 30% to ~35-40% (??)
 k increases, kw increases massively
 Cc by 10-100, etc
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Effects Around a Fracture in HO

Volume change effects:

V from the fracture aperture
V from the shear dilation
V from thermal expansion
V from p effects
These are additive!

V acts mainly outward,

6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

against the closure stress

(3), thereby increasing it

3
+
Aperture limited to open fracture 3
Dilated zone is relatively thin (~m)
T zone has a sharp front
Pressurized zone is diffuse, extensive
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Thermal Shear Dilation

in 25-32% rocks, such

cool region as most UCS sandstones,
dilation occurs during
hot region shearing processes
expansion
compressional r
extensional
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

+V

r
triaxial test
analogy
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Heating Effect

- shear stress- 1 2 Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion

2
Y a = 1
n

r = 3
f
shear
f planes
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

cohesion
Initial
state
c
n - normal stress
3 1
To ~ 0.12UCS
n
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Drive Mechanisms in CSS

 p drive is well understood
 Recompaction drive principles:
 Thermal concentration = shearing, dilation
 High pore pressures aid shearing, dilation

 Disturbed zone is compressible, higher k

 When pressure drops, recompaction occurs

6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

 Thought to contribute as much as 50-60% of

production in later cycles (vertical wells)
 This will also happen in horizontal well cyclic
steam processes and can be exploited
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Recompaction Proof

1.00 Cycle 1 Cycle 2 Cycle 3 Cycle 4

production
injection
soak
Vertical heave z - m

0.75

z
production
injection
soak

0.50
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

Almost full z recovery

production
injection
soak

observed in later cycles

0.25
Limited recovery of z
in first production cycles

0 initial ground elevation

time
 MBDCI

Imperial Oil Cold Lake

+285 mm mega-row
+200
CSS

-210
+100 Vertical
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

+260 displacements
(mm)
+130 mm over 86 days
-165
heave
km subsidence
mod. Stancliffe & van der Kooij, AAPG 2001
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Shear Failure of Sandstone

a = 1

High quality
cylinder

L = 2D
r = 3

Flat ends
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

High angle shear

plane a

Zone of dilation
and crushing

In the Lab
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Heating, Shearing, Fracturing

stress A Tendency to fracture
when pfrac >
Decreased h

Shear dilation

+r
-
+T +V
Section A-A +V +n
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

Increased h
Heated zone

Displaced zone Shearing,

Decreased h
high 1,
depth A low 3

In the Field During injection cycles

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Shell Oil, Canada Peace River

Surface HCS

uplift / tilt
data

reservoir inversion grid

with 50x50m grid cells
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

ref. Nickles New Technology Magazine, Jan-Feb 2005

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Thermally Induced Shearing

adjacent wells region of high shear

shearing no shearing

overburden

unheated HMAX > v

reservoir +T

6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

+ve +T T in the reservoir

max shear
-ve low shear stress because of symmetry
of displacements around the well
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Thermal Expansion Dilatancy

interface shear slip

insulated
region CH4 + oil

countercurrent countercurrent
flow steam + oil flow
+water + CH4
cold
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

dilation cold
dilation
major
shearing dilatancy
dilatancy regions

(After R. Chalaturnyk, U of Alberta)

28
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Geomechanics and Dilatancy

 Rocks are dense, tend to expand in volume
(dilate) when general shearing occurs, k
 Occurs where T generates contrasts in V, =
large shear stresses: (1 - 3)/2
 Thermal expansion pushes outward, thus, 1 =
r, and 3 = , and shear yield occurs
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

 Geomechanics modeling and monitoring also

indicate some remote, cold dilation
 Interfaces will also experience shear slip
 But! Little shear occurs in VAPEX 29
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Permeability Effects
 Dilation increases the porosity (~2-4%)
 The volume increase is filled with the most
mobile phase, water (and gas)
 Thus, the kw and kg rise substantially, in
advance of the T front.
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

 The SAGD process now becomes more

efficient, and drainage is more rapid
 Will occur in UC sands, fractured rocks
 Geomechanics modeling can help understand
and quantify these processes 30
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Shale Barriers and SAGD

 Thin shales (1-2 m) are not barriers to SAGD
chamber development. WHY?
 Sands and shales expand differently
 High T causes shrinkage of shales, vertical
fractures develop
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

 Higher T causes mineral changes, more

shrinkage, more fractures
 The hot fluids thus simply bypass the shales to
heat upper zones effectively
 However, shale beds are never good!
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Shale Barriers and SAGD

V e V
ds ton Thermal expansion behavior
san
dehydroxylation

e
ons
re sp
ale
s h
dehydration SAGD passes through shales
T because of volumetric effects
300 C
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

fractures
bypassing
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SAGD and Shales

 Shales have to be heated, just like the oil sand,
and this is expensive
 20-25% by volume of H2O in shales
 Plus the mineral matter of course

 Thin shales (<25 mm?) are broken by the

shearing and dilation that occurs at high T
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

 Thicker shales, even though breached and

fractured (naturally or induced), are:
 Partialbarriers (local), sometimes called
 Baffles to vertical flow
33
 MBDCI

High T and P in EOR

 Massive changes in stresses
 Changes in fracture gradient
 Stress orientation and HF changes
 Formation dilation (shear dilation)
 Massive changes in properties
Shearing of the interface casing losses
6-F Thermal EOR: High T, p

 Surface uplift
 Some of these effects are good changes
 Some of them cause problems
 Knowledge is better than ignorance