A Numerical Model for Investigating the Steam Conformance along the Dual-String Horizontal Wells in SAGD Operations

Peng Li, Yanyu Zhang, Xiaofei Sun, Huijuan Chen and Yang Liu
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Peng Li: School of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Yanyu Zhang: School of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Xiaofei Sun: School of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Huijuan Chen: Shanghai Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072, China
Yang Liu: Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, PetroChina, Beijing 100083, China

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 15, 1-38

Abstract: Non-uniformity of the steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) steam chamber significantly decreases the development of heavy oil reservoirs. In this study, to investigate the steam conformance in SAGD operations, a wellbore model is developed for fluid flow in dual-string horizontal wells. Then, a three-dimensional, three-phase reservoir model is presented. Next, the coupled wellbore and reservoir model is solved with a fully implicit finite difference method. Finally, the effects of the injector wellbore configuration, steam injection ratio and injection time on the steam conformance are investigated. The results indicate that under different injector wellbore configurations, the closer the differences between the pressure drop from the landing position of the short string to the heel of the wellbore and the pressure drop from the landing position of the short string to the toe of the wellbore, the better is the steam conformance. The smaller the difference in the steam injection rate between the long and short injection strings, the higher is the uniformity of the steam chamber. The injector annular pressure profile uniformity is consistent with the steam conformance. Creating a more uniform steam pressure in the annulus of the injector improves the uniformity of the steam chamber. The steam conformance decreases with increasing injection time, so the optimization method of steam chamber uniformity should be adjusted according to different injection times.

Keywords: heavy oil; SAGD; steam conformance; dual-string; numerical model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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