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Advances of Heavy Oil Recovery Technologies with Low Carbon-Intensity

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "H1: Petroleum Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2024 | Viewed by 3813

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yongbin Wu

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Guest Editor

Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, PetroChina, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: heavy oil; foamy oil; EOR; electrical heating
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Dr. Jinze Xu

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
Interests: reservoir simulation; advanced process control; unconventional reservoirs
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Prof. Dr. Pengcheng Liu

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School of Energy Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: enhanced heavy oil recovery; fluid flow in porous media; reservoir simulation
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Dr. Xiaofei Sun

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Guest Editor

School of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Interests: improved heavy oil recovery; additives for steam assisted gravity drainage; foamy oil flow; multiphase flow in porous media
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Dr. Hong He

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Guest Editor

College of Petroleum Engineering, Yangtze University, Wuhan 430100, China
Interests: EOR; heavy oil; thermal recovery

Dr. Min Yang

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Guest Editor

School of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Interests: enhanced oil recovery; thermal recovery of heavy oil/bitumen resources; steam assisted gravity drainage
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Heavy oil, an important unconventional fossil fuel resource, plays a crucial role in the global oil industry. Its high viscosity makes it difficult to recover. Steam-based thermal recovery technologies are widely used for the recovery of heavy oil. However, they are characterized by huge energy consumption and CO₂ emission. The simultaneous reduction of CO₂ emissions and achievement of high technical and economic return is currently a challenging topic in the heavy oil industry.

Emerging technologies with significant potential in the coming years include those aiming at reducing CO₂ emissions and the use of methane during heavy oil production processes; the synthetic use of solar and wind power to generate steam; downhole electrical and electromagnetic heating; low-temperature hot solvent extraction (Nsolv, ESEIEH); the co-injection of flue gas with steam; CO2 and methane capture and hybrid approaches with chemicals and steam; in situ heat generation by chemical reaction, etc.

This Special Issue addresses the important role of these emerging and multidisciplinary technologies to achieve cost-effective heavy oil recovery with low carbon intensity. The Issue covers reviews, experimental and modelling research, and case studies related to heavy oil recovery technologies. All aspects related to new developments and challenges in this research area are welcomed.

Topics include but are not limited to:

Innovative methods in heat management to reduce surface and downhole heat requirement as well as heat loss.
Smart wells and well configurations (e.g., using FCD/ICD) to improve steam conformance.
Hybrid or solvent-based processes to massively reduce steam.
Downhole electrical and electromagnetic heating.
Synthetic use of solar and wind power in steam generation.
Carbon capture, utilization and storage, particularly CO₂ and methane.
Recovery by downhole chemical reactions.
Cold recovery methods.
Other experiments, simulations and field tests related to heavy oil recovery.

Dr. Yongbin Wu
Dr. Jinze Xu
Prof. Dr. Pengcheng Liu
Dr. Xiaofei Sun
Dr. Hong He
Dr. Min Yang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

heavy oil
smart well and well configurations
hybrid/solvent-based recovery
electrical and electromagnetic heating
solar and wind power integration
CCUS
recovery by downhole chemical reactions
cold recovery methods

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 4188 KiB

Open AccessArticle

High-Temperature-Resistant Epoxy Resin Gel Behavior and Profile Control in Heavy Oil Steam Drive

by Ying Shi, Hong He, Yu Li, Fei Ding, Zhuo Zhou and Nuolin Xiong

Energies 2024, 17(1), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17010050 - 21 Dec 2023

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Abstract

In recent years, the prominence of conformance control technology in heavy oil steam flooding has significantly increased in oilfield development. However, the high-temperature demands of heavy oil steam flooding require more resilient plugging agents. Resin-based plugging agents, known for their exceptional temperature resistance and strength, have emerged as a viable solution within this domain. Yet, they face issues like rapid curing at high temperatures and limited sealing reach. Thus, we introduce a novel approach: epoxy resin gel (EHRB), consisting of epoxy resin (ER) as the curing agent, urotropine (HMTA) and pyrocatechol (RO) as cross-linking agents, and n-butyl glycidyl ether (BGE) as a diluent. EHRB gels at 130 °C in 5.4 h, with curing commencing at 160 °C, extending resin curing time and expanding the sealing radius. This study assessed EHRB’s performance and high-temperature stability through displacement experiments, TGA, and DSC analysis. The results indicate that the EHRB has low viscosity, high compressive strength, and minimal mass loss at high temperatures. At 260 °C, the mass loss is less than 15%. The plugging rate exceeds 90%, and it can withstand steam flushing for over 6 PV. Additionally, it demonstrates a 17% improvement in EOR. EHRB demonstrates outstanding capabilities in proficient channel control for heavy oil steam flooding, offering vital technical support for conformance control in this challenging environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Heavy Oil Recovery Technologies with Low Carbon-Intensity)

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19 pages, 14253 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physical and Numerical Simulations of Steam Drive and Gravity Drainage Using the Confined Bottom Oil–Water Transition Zone to Develop Super Heavy Oil

by Qian Xie, Guangyue Liang, Shangqi Liu, Ruifeng Wang, Min Feng and Changlin Liao

Energies 2023, 16(17), 6302; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16176302 - 30 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 528

Abstract

The existence of the bottom oil–water transition zone (BTZ) greatly impairs the performance of the conventional steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process and its mitigation measures are very limited. In order to accelerate oil production and decrease the Steam-to-Oil Ratio (SOR), a promising technology involving a steam drive and gravity drainage (SDGD) process by placing dual-horizontal wells with high permeability in the BTZ was systematically studied. This paper conducted two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) physical simulations as well as 2D numerical simulation of the SDGD process to explore the mechanism, potential, and application conditions. The research findings indicate that the SDGD process in the BTZ with enhanced permeability through dilation stimulation can achieve higher oil production and lower SOR than the SAGD process. This process fully leverages the advantage of the BTZ to quickly establish inter-well thermal and hydraulic connectivity. The steam chamber first forms around the injector and then spreads towards the producer. By exerting the horizontal displacement of drained oil, oil production rapidly ramps up and keeps at a high rate under the synergistic effect of steam drive and gravity drainage. These insights enhance our understanding of the mechanism, potential, and application conditions of the SDGD process in the confined BTZ to develop super heavy oil or oil sands. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Heavy Oil Recovery Technologies with Low Carbon-Intensity)

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Review

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15 pages, 1635 KiB

Open AccessReview

Current Status and Development Direction of Low-Carbon Exploitation Technology for Heavy Oil

by Haifeng Li, Qiang Wang and Yongbin Wu

Energies 2023, 16(5), 2219; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16052219 - 24 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1641

Abstract

With the strategic goal of “carbon peaking and carbon neutral” in China, new requirements are also put forward for the thermal recovery of heavy oil. In view of the problems of excessive greenhouse gas emission, low steam utilization rate, poor economic efficiency, and limited reservoir application of steam stimulation replacement technology in China, the emerging technologies of medium- and low-temperature thermal fluid, solvent-assisted high-temperature steam injection, solvent-based medium- and low-temperature waterless recovery and in situ electric heating-assisted recovery are discussed in terms of technical principles, technical parameters, experimental/field effects, and technical and economic potential. The technical principles, technical parameters, experimental/field results, and techno-economic potential of low-carbon heavy oil recovery technologies are summarized and future development directions and trends are anticipated. The study’s findings indicate that some of the technologies that have been tested in the field, such as HWVP, EMVAPEX, AH-VAPEX, LASER, and ESEIEH, can be developed by relying on the original well groups for production and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as CO₂, by about 80% and improve crude oil recovery by 5% to 10%, while the technologies concerned have outstanding effects on increasing oil production rate and lowering upfront capital investment. Some of the technologies that have been tested significantly increase oil production rate, lower initial capital expenditure, and enable solvent recycling, among other things. Among them, COBEEOR and N-SOLV technologies can also lower the amount of asphaltene in the output crude oil, enhance the API of the recovered crude oil, and provide strong economic advantages. CSP, CHSI, and hot water solvent injection were tested in indoor two-dimensional and three-dimensional experiments to validate their feasibility, while CO₂, propane, and butane solvents were initially screened and some of the technologies’ mechanisms were revealed to lay the groundwork for pilot projects. The executive summary of the research findings will serve as a guide for future low-carbon extraction technology research and development in China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Heavy Oil Recovery Technologies with Low Carbon-Intensity)

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