Recovery Factors in High-Pressure Air Injection Projects Revisited (2007)

Recovery Factors in High-Pressure Air Injection Projects Revisited D. Gutiérrez; D. Gutiérrez Computer Modelling Group Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar A. R. Taylor; A. R. Taylor Continental Resources Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar V. K. Kumar; V. K. Kumar El Paso E&P Company Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar M. G. Ursenbach; M. G. Ursenbach University of Calgary Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar R. G. Moore; R. G. Moore University of Calgary Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar S. A. Mehta S. A. Mehta University of Calgary Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Paper presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Anaheim, California, U.S.A., November 2007. Paper Number: SPE-108429-MS https://doi.org/10.2118/108429-MS Published: November 11 2007 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Get Permissions Search Site Citation Gutiérrez, D., Taylor, A. R., Kumar, V. K., Ursenbach, M. G., Moore, R. G., and S. A. Mehta. "Recovery Factors in High-Pressure Air Injection Projects Revisited." Paper presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Anaheim, California, U.S.A., November 2007. doi: https://doi.org/10.2118/108429-MS Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll ProceedingsSociety of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition Search Advanced Search Abstract High-Pressure Air Injection (HPAI) is an IOR process in which compressed air is injected into a deep, light-oil reservoir, with the expectation that the oxygen in the injected air will react with a fraction of the reservoir oil at an elevated temperature to produce carbon dioxide. The resulting flue gas mixture provides the main mobilizing force to the oil downstream of the reaction region, sweeping it to production wells. The combustion zone itself may provide a critical part of the sweep mechanism.In 1994 Fassihi et al. (SPE 28733) proposed a method for estimating recovery factors of light-oil air-injection projects based on the performance of two successful HPAI projects. Their suggested method relies on the extrapolation of the field gas-oil ratio up to an economic limit. In other words, it treats HPAI as an immiscible gasflood and neglects any potential oil that could be recovered by the combustion front. The truth is that, although early production during a HPAI process is mostly due to re-pressurization and gasflood effects, once a pore volume of air has been injected the combustion front becomes the main driving mechanism. Moreover, one of the unique features of air injection is the self-correcting nature of the combustion zone, which promotes good volumetric sweep of the reservoir.This paper presents laboratory and field evidence of the presence of a thermal front during HPAI operations, and its beneficial impact on oil recovery. An analysis of the three HPAI projects in Buffalo Field, which are the oldest HPAI projects currently in operation, shows that only a small fraction of the reservoir has been burned and, if time allows and the projects are managed appropriately, burning of more reservoir volumes could result in much higher oil recoveries than predicted by the gasflood approach. Keywords: gas injection method, air injection project, Upstream Oil & Gas, Buffalo field, oil saturation, injection, recovery, december 2006, hpai, saturation Subjects: Improved and Enhanced Recovery, Gas-injection methods Copyright 2007, Society of Petroleum Engineers You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.