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Applicability of Kinetic Models for In Situ Combustion Processes with Different Oil Types

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Abstract

The in situ combustion (ISC) process is of interest as an enhanced oil recovery method because it is an alternative to traditional steam-based processes for heavy oil and bitumen recovery. ISC is a technique applicable outside the window of reservoir conditions deemed appropriate for steam injection (such as deeper and thinner reservoirs). The process involves complex chemical reactions and physical recovery mechanisms, and predicting the likelihood of successful ISC in field applications remains challenging. This paper describes a numerical investigation of the capability of different ISC kinetic models to predict the combustion behaviors of different types of oils (light oil, heavy oil, and bitumen). Three kinetic models (of Coats, Crookston, and Belgrave) were selected from literature and compared using data from four published combustion-tube experiments. The comparison procedure is as follows: (1) validate the numerical modeling of each kinetic model by matching the selected experimental results or duplicating the numerical results found in published literature; (2) adjust fluid viscosities and densities to match the fluid properties of each experiment;and (3) use each validated kinetic model to predict the performance of the other experiments without further tuning the kinetic parameters. The knowledge derived from the experiments provides guidance for choosing the appropriate kinetic model when no other data are available and for the preliminary design and screening study of a potential ISC project.

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Abbreviations

A r :

Rate constant, day−1 bar−1 or day−1 psi−1

B, D, E :

Constants for KVCR (ECLIPSE keyword) input

C i , D i , E i :

Constants for k-value expression

C p1 :

Heat capacity coefficient, kJ/kg K or btu/lbm F

C p2 :

Heat capacity coefficient, kJ/kg K2 or btu/lbm F2

\( C_{{p_{a} }} \), \( C_{{p_{b} }} \), \( C_{{p_{c} }} \), \( C_{{p_{d} }} \) :

Polynomial coefficients for Belgrave’s original equation of heat capacities

E r :

Activation energy, cal/mol, kJ/kmol, or btu/lbm mol

H cgas :

Gas heat capacity, kJ/kg, or btu/lbm, in appendix

H cvap :

Heat of vaporization at standard temperature

H r1 :

Heat of reaction, btu/lbm, kJ/kmol, or btu/lbm mol

k i :

k-values, in Appendix

k rgro :

Relative permeability to gas at residual liquid saturation

k roiw :

Relative permeability to oil at irreducible water saturation

k rwro :

Relative permeability to water at residual oil saturation

k rw :

Water relative permeability

k row :

Relative permeability to oil in an oil/water system

k rog :

Relative permeability to gas in a gas/oil system with connate water

k rg :

Relative permeability to gas

k l :

Thermal conductivity of liquid

k w :

Thermal conductivity of water

k o :

Thermal conductivity of oil

k r :

Thermal conductivity of rock

n w :

Exponent on water saturation for k rw

n ow :

Exponent on oil saturation for k row

n g :

Exponent on gas saturation for k rg

n og :

Exponent on oil saturation for k rog

P :

Pressure for k-values calculation in appendix

P cgo :

Gas/oil capillary pressure, P g  − P o

P cwo :

Water/oil capillary pressure, P o  − P w

P g :

Gas pressure

P o :

Oil pressure

P w :

Water pressure

\( P_{{O_{2} }} \) :

Oxygen partial pressure

P c :

Critical pressure, kPa, Pa, or psi

r :

Reaction rate

R :

Universal gas constant

S gc :

Critical gas saturation

S gr :

Residual gas saturation

S orw :

Residual oil saturation to water

S w :

Water saturation

S wi :

Connate water saturation

S wir :

Irreducible water saturation

S org :

Residual oil saturation to gas

T :

Temperature

T c :

Critical temperature, K, R

T st :

Standard temperature, K, °F

φ :

Porosity

μ bitumen :

Viscosity of bitumen

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Schlumberger for permission to present and publish the work. Also, we would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for providing their valuable comments in reviewing our paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Schlumberger Reservoir Laboratories, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Na Jia, David H.-S. Law, Paul Naccache & Marie Ann Giddins

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  1. Na Jia
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Correspondence to Na Jia.

Appendix

Appendix

Both metric and field units are provided for most of the data for convenience. Values given as “literature” are derived from the literature review.

Coats’ Model

See Tables 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14.

Table 7 Kinetic parameters for Coats’ model
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Table 8 MW and critical properties for Coats’ model
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Table 9 Parameters of KVCR of Coats’ model
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Table 10 Heat capacity values of Coat’s model
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Table 11 Heat of vaporization values of Coat’s model
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Table 12 Viscosity correlation (T: °R)
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Table 13 Density Values for Coats’ Model
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Table 14 Liquid compressibility and thermal expansion coefficient for Coats’ model
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Crookston’s Model

See Tables 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22.

Table 15 Kinetic Parameters for Crookston’s model
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Table 16 MW and critical properties for Crookston’s model
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Table 17 Parameters of KVCR of Crookston’s model
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Table 18 Heat capacity values of Crookston’s model
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Table 19 Heat of vaporization values of Crookston’s model
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Table 20 Viscosity correlation (T: °R)
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Table 21 Density values for Crookston’s model
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Table 22 Liquid compressibility and thermal expansion coefficient for Crookston’s model
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Belgrave’s Model

See Tables 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31.

Table 23 Kinetic parameters for Belgrave’s model
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Table 24 Properties of components of Belgrave’s model
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Table 25 Parameters of k-values for Maltenes of Belgrave’s model
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Table 26 Parameters of KVCR for maltenes of Belgrave’s model
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Table 27 Heat capacity values for Belgrave’s model
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Table 28 HEATVAPS values for Belgrave’s model
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Table 29 Thermal conductivity values for Belgrave’s model
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Table 30 Density values for Belgrave’s model
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Table 31 Liquid compressibility and thermal expansion coefficient for Belgrave’s model
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Jia, N., Law, D.HS., Naccache, P. et al. Applicability of Kinetic Models for In Situ Combustion Processes with Different Oil Types. Nat Resour Res 26, 37–55 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-016-9299-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-016-9299-y

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