Multiphysics Field Coupled to a Numerical Simulation Study on Heavy Oil Reservoir Development via Electromagnetic Heating in a SAGD-like Process

Jifei Yu, Wenchao Liu (), Yang Yang, Mingkai Sun, Yanfeng Cao and Zicheng Meng
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Jifei Yu: State Key Laboratory of Offshore Oil and Gas Exploitation, Beijing 100028, China
Wenchao Liu: State Key Laboratory of Offshore Oil and Gas Exploitation, Beijing 100028, China
Yang Yang: State Key Laboratory of Offshore Oil and Gas Exploitation, Beijing 100028, China
Mingkai Sun: State Key Laboratory of Offshore Oil and Gas Exploitation, Beijing 100028, China
Yanfeng Cao: State Key Laboratory of Offshore Oil and Gas Exploitation, Beijing 100028, China
Zicheng Meng: State Key Laboratory of Offshore Oil and Gas Exploitation, Beijing 100028, China

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 20, 1-35

Abstract: Conventional thermal recovery methods for heavy oil suffer from significant issues such as high water consumption, excessive greenhouse gas emissions, and substantial heat losses. In contrast, electromagnetic heating, as a waterless method for heavy oil recovery, offers numerous advantages, including high thermal energy utilization, reduced carbon emissions, and volumetric heating of the reservoir, making it a focus of recent research in heavy oil thermal recovery technologies. This paper presents a numerical simulation study of electromagnetic heating for heavy oil recovery, using a heavy oil block in the Bohai Bay oilfield in China as a case study. Firstly, a multiphysics field coupled to a mathematical model was established, considering the impact of the temperature on the heavy oil viscosity, the threshold pressure gradient of non-Darcy flow, and the dielectric properties of the reservoir, along with heat dissipation from overlying and undercover sandstone and gravitational effects on fluid flow. Secondly, a numerical simulation method for the coupled multiphysics fields was developed, and the convergence and stability of the numerical simulation method were tested. Finally, a sensitivity analysis based on the numerical simulation results identified the factors affecting heavy oil production. It was found that electromagnetic heating significantly enhances heavy oil production, and the threshold pressure gradient greatly influences the prediction of heavy oil production. Moreover, heat dissipation from the overlying and undercover sandstone severely reduces cumulative oil production. When the production well is located below the electromagnetic heating antenna, larger well spacing results in higher cumulative heavy oil production. Higher heavy oil production is achieved when the antenna is positioned at the center of the reservoir for the studied cases. Power has a big effect on increasing heavy oil production, but its influence diminishes as power increases. There exists an optimal range of electromagnetic frequencies for maximum cumulative production, and higher water saturation leads to poorer electromagnetic heating efficiency. This study provides a theoretical foundation and technical support for the numerical simulation technology and development plan optimization of heavy oil reservoirs subjected to electromagnetic heating.

Keywords: horizontal well; electromagnetic thermal recovery; multiphysics field coupled; non-Darcy flow; heavy oil (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: 2024
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