ESTUDIO DE LA FACTIBILIDAD DE IMPLEMENTAR INYECCIÓN CÍCLICA DE VAPOR EN UN CAMPO COLOMBIANO

Abstract

best suited to the conditions of the reservoir, and obtain the largest increment in the recovery factor. In Colombia, the fields of heavy oil have been converted in the focus of exploration and exploitation of oil, so we are developing studies for implement process like in situ combustion and steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). However, taking into account that the cyclic steam injection is a cheaper alternative that has shown its effectiveness in heavy oil fields, was sought to establish the technical feasibility of implementing this process in the reservoir of study using numerical simulations and optimization tools. One of the determining factors of the study was the presence of aquifer. To evaluate its effects, the wells were located at different distances for in the aquifer, looking for balance between maintaining of pressure by the push of water to favor the production, and the problems affecting the thermal efficiency of the process such as the formation of canals of high saturation of water. Subsequently, was realized a sensitivity analysis to determine the relevant operational parameters to the process under these conditions of study, such as the rate and injection pressure, the number and duration of cycles, quality and quantity of steam, among others. Finally, were selected the operational variables that had greater impact on the sensitivity analysis to carry out the optimization process and in this way were identified the best scenarios for implementing a process of cyclic steam injection. The results were compared with the case of developing the field in cold, using parameters of evaluation how the recovery factor and steam / oil ratio (SOR), and this allowed us to conclude that the process of cyclic steam injection in the study¿s field is feasible technically.

Keywords

• Aquifer
• optimization
• thermal recovery
• numerical simulation.