Optimization of well spacing to achieve a stable combustion during the THAI process

Renbao Zhao, Shuai Yu, Jie Yang, Minghao Heng, Chunhui Zhang, Yahong Wu, Jianhua Zhang and Xiang-an Yue

Energy, 2018, vol. 151, issue C, 467-477

Abstract: Toe-to-Heel Air Injection (THAI) is a great potential in improving energy efficiency for heavy oil/bitumen recovery. A 3D cylindrical combustion model with large size is used to carry out several experiments using Xinjiang (China) crude oil. The evolution of the fire chamber, temperature variation rate, and mass of burned carbon were analyzed using temperature measurements and flue gas composition analysis. Coke zone was quantified in the variation of zone thickness and distribution characteristics. The results reveal that there is a prevailing stable propagation of the combustion front during the first one third of the process for varying injector to producer spacing. Oxygen breakthrough is more susceptible for smaller separations and the combustion zone is reduced in length. Larger combustion fronts with greater relative propagation in the horizontal direction occurs when the well spacing is larger. The distribution of coke is significantly influenced by the injector/producer spacing. For a THAI pattern with greater injector/producer spacing, a smaller inclination angle of the coke zone occurs and the likelihood of oxygen breakthrough to the horizontal production well is lessened. Hence, the injector to producer spacing needs to be considered in designing a safe THAI process for potentially larger efficiency and optimum economics.

Keywords: Toe-to-Heel Air Injection; Coke zone distribution; Capillary force; Darcy's law; Kozeny-Carman equation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544218304468
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:151:y:2018:i:c:p:467-477

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2018.03.044

Access Statistics for this article

Energy is currently edited by Henrik Lund and Mark J. Kaiser

More articles in Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().