Experiments on Steam Injection into Preformed Steam Chambers of Various Shapes for Maximum Condensate Recovery

Abstract

Recently, in a previous study, we experimentally showed the existence of an optimal injected steam mass flow rate, per unit length, ϕopt, which produces the maximal recovery of condensate in a preformed steam chamber with an elliptical cross section of a horizontal semi-major axis. Mutatis mutandis, in this work, we present experimental studies in preformed steam chambers: one elliptical and the other circular. In both cases, we also found the existence of unique optimal values. These configurations try to recreate the steam condensation at a given time-lapse, as it would occur during the growth stage of the steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process: a method used in the recovery of heavy and extra-heavy oil from homogeneous reservoirs. Finding the optimal mass flow rates in the actual recovery process could be useful in the design of optimized SAGD processes.

Keywords

• extra-heavy oil recovery
• SAGD
• heat and mass transfer in porous media
• experiments in porous media