A PROTOCOL TO EVALUATE CAPROCK INTEGRITY FOR THERMAL HEAVY OIL AND BITUMEN RECOVERY OPERATIONS

摘要

Thermal production of heavy oil and bitumen worldwide is on the rise as world demand for energy is constantly growing. The majority of heavy oil and bitumen deposits such as oil sands in Western Canada are fairly shallow. Steam injection processes are a commonly used technology in thermal heavy oil and bitumen production. To assure a successful steam-based project,competent caprock is needed because of environmental and safety issues and potential excessive heat loss if the caprock is breached. These factors severely impact the economics of thermal recovery. The paper describes a detailed laboratory protocol to evaluate the low and high temperature sealing capacity of caprock formations under steam injection conditions. The protocol has been used extensively for thermal heavy oil and bitumen recovery projects in Western Canada.