Thermal recovery guide helps select projects

Journal Article · Sun Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1971 · World Oil; (United States)

OSTI ID:5753715

Crawford, P B

The many forms of thermal recovery operations include forward combustion, combustion with fuel injection, forward wet combustion, reverse combustion, combustion followed by waterflooding, steam drive, steam soaking, and hot waterfloods. The present discussion presents a simple description of these thermal methods, along with useful rules of thumb for operation, general cost considerations, and guidelines for range of application. Oil reservoirs considered for a thermal process should probably contain oils of 12/sup 0/ to 25/sup 0/ API gravity. Gravity outside this range could be satisfactory, but most suitable oils fall within this range. API gravity is not the determining factor, but it does provide one indicator known by all, and serves to indicate fields suitable for possible application of one of the many thermal methods. Rock porosity should be high. Ranges near 30% are about the best that can be hoped for, but porosities less than this also are suitable provided crude price and oil-in-place are higher. Usual oil-in-place estimates are 1,200 to 1,700 bbl per acre ft, but much lower contents can be profitable for $3 per bbl crudes. The chart shows cost of data for steam and combustion projects as a function of API gravity.

• Research Organization: Texas A and M Univ
• OSTI ID: 5753715
• Journal Information: World Oil; (United States), Journal Name: World Oil; (United States) Vol. 173:2; ISSN WOOIA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTION
COST
DENSITY
DIAGRAMS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
IN-SITU COMBUSTION
IN-SITU PROCESSING
MINERAL RESOURCES
OIL FIELDS
OIL WELLS
OXIDATION
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POROSITY
PROCESSING
RECOVERY
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
STEAM INJECTION
STIMULATION
THERMAL RECOVERY
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
WATERFLOODING
WELL STIMULATION
WELLS