The feasibility of recovering medium to heavy oil using geopressured-geothermal fluids

Conference · Thu Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Geobyte; (United States)

OSTI ID:5847202

Nequs-De Wys, J; Plum, M M ^[1]; Kimmell, C E ^[2]; Hart, G F ^[3]

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1. EG and G Idaho, Idaho Falls (United States)
2. Fanion Production Co., San Antonio, TX (United States)
3. Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, LA (United States)

Thermal enhanced oil recovery using geopressured-geothermal (GPGT) fluids is a unique concept for recovering heavy and medium oils that are bypassed during conventional production processes. The successful implementation of this technology would provide an environmentally clean and less expensive method of thermal recovery as opposed to the burning of crude oil or natural gas used widely by industry at the present time. GPGT fluids are under high pressure in their parent reservoir and, when linked to shallow reservoirs by suitable plumbing, will provide a self-propelled method of heat transfer to a target reservoir existing at shallow depth. GPGT fluids will heat the reservoir as in conventional thermal enhanced oil recovery. This will reduce the residual oil saturation and lower the viscosity of the oil so that it can be moved more easily and in greater amounts. The method is similar to hot water flooding, and thus the basic technology already exists. Alworth field of the south Texas Mirando trend is proposed as a pilot site. The temperatures of the upper Wilcox GPGT fluids in this region range form 350 to 500F, and salinities in the range of 3600 to 70,000 mg/L. The pressures are from 800 to 3500 psia flowing well-head pressure. The target reservoirs for injection of the GPGT fluids are the upper Eocene Jackson and Yegua sandstones. These reservoirs contain an estimated four million bbl of heavy oil in place (18 API) of which at least one million bbl could be recovered by thermal enhanced oil recovery. An additional 1.5 billion bbl of oil is recoverable from the 87 fields within the Mirando trend. Run of the economic model on the Alworth field suggests that it will be economic.

• OSTI ID: 5847202
• Report Number(s): CONF-910978--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Geobyte; (United States) Journal Volume: 75:8
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
150904 -- Geothermal Engineering-- Geothermal Reservoir & Well Performance
CENOZOIC ERA
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY TRANSFER
ENGINEERING
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
FEDERAL REGION VI
FLUID INJECTION
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOPRESSURED SYSTEMS
GEOTHERMAL FLUIDS
GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS
GEOTHERMAL WELLS
HEAT TRANSFER
INJECTION WELLS
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
OIL WELLS
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RECOVERY
RESERVOIR ENGINEERING
RESOURCES
TERTIARY PERIOD
TEXAS
THERMAL RECOVERY
USA
WELLS