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Demonstration On The Steam Flooding Method Theory: Thermal Recovery Process

The steam flooding method involves continuously injecting about 80% quality steam into wells to displace crude oil towards producing wells. Steam heats and reduces the viscosity of crude oil, and supplies pressure to drive oil towards wells. For steam flooding to be effective, reservoirs should have oil saturations over 40% of the pore volume in permeable sandstone or sands over 20 feet thick between 300-5000 feet deep, with oil viscosities over 20 centipoise.

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Asad Ul Haq
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91 views5 pages

Demonstration On The Steam Flooding Method Theory: Thermal Recovery Process

The steam flooding method involves continuously injecting about 80% quality steam into wells to displace crude oil towards producing wells. Steam heats and reduces the viscosity of crude oil, and supplies pressure to drive oil towards wells. For steam flooding to be effective, reservoirs should have oil saturations over 40% of the pore volume in permeable sandstone or sands over 20 feet thick between 300-5000 feet deep, with oil viscosities over 20 centipoise.

Uploaded by

Asad Ul Haq
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Demonstration on the steam flooding method

THEORY:
THERMAL RECOVERY PROCESS : Thermal EOR processes provide heat to the reservoir to reduce
oil viscosity (or) to vaporize the oil. In both instances, the oil is made more mobile so that it can be more effectively
driven to producing wells. Besides adding heat, these processes provide a driving force (i.e. pressure) to move oil to
producing wells. There are two principal thermal recovery methods; steam injection and in-situ combustion
STEAM FLOODING:
Description: The steam drive process or steam flooding involves the continuous injection of about 80% quality
steam to displace crude oil towards producing wells. Steam huff-and-puff is also called steam stimulation or
cyclic steam injection. Using this technique, wet saturated steam is first injected into a well under high
temperature and pressure. After enough steam has been injected, the steam is usually left to soak by keeping the
well shut-in for a few days to heat the oil in the reservoir. Then oil is produced by opening the well again (hot oil
puffed). The whole process is conducted in the same well.”.
Mechanism:
Steam recovers crude oil by,

 Heating the crude oil and reducing its viscosity


 Supplying the pressure to drive oil to the producing well
Reservoir` Recommended

Technical issue: Oil Saturation 40% PV

Crude Oil Recommended


Type of Formation Sand or Sandstone with high porosity and
permeability preferred

Gravity 10-25o API Net Thickness >20 ft

Average Permeability >200 md


Viscosity >20 cp(normal range is 100 - 5000 cp)

Transmissibility >100 md ft/cp

Depth 300 - 5000 ft

Composition Not critical but some light ends for steam


distillation will help
Limitations:

1) Oil saturations must be quite high and the pay zone should be more than 20 ft thick to minimize heat losses to adjacent

formations.

2) Lighter, less viscous crude oils can be steam flooded but normally will not be if the reservoir will respond to an

ordinary water flood.

3) Steam flooding is primarily applicable to viscous oils in massive, high permeability sandstones or unconsolidated

sands.

4) Steam flooding is not normally used in carbonate reservoirs.

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