Cold flow production of crude bitumen at the Burnt Lake Project, northeastern Alberta

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:269562

Yeung, K C ^[1]

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1. Suncor, Inc., Calgary, Alberta (Canada)

The bitumen from the Clearwater Formation of the Cold Lake oil sands deposit in northeastern Alberta, Canada, has been deemed to be too viscous for production without the addition of heat. Since the 1970s, various operators have experimented with cyclic steam stimulation and steamflood. By 1990, cyclic steam injection was the only commercial recovery process in this area. Between 1990 and 1993, Suncor tested the cold flow production of crude bitumen at the Burnt Lake Project. Bitumen and sand were produced together through the use of progressive cavity pumps without the assistance of steam. The initial wells produced at unexpectedly high rates. As the test was expanded to a larger area, the productivity was found to vary significantly. Damage of the shale caprock in some of the initial wells was observed, probably due to sand production and change in in situ stresses. This then caused water influx from the aquifer above the caprock to the oil sands reservoir and prohibited bitumen production. This paper discusses the production performance of the wells, the challenges of cold flow production, and the results of various field research programs undertaken in an attempt to tackle these challenges.

• OSTI ID: 269562
• Report Number(s): CONF-9502114--Vol.1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
ALBERTA
BITUMENS
COLD LAKE DEPOSIT
ENHANCED RECOVERY
PRODUCTION