As development activities in heavy oil and in situ bitumen deposits have accelerated,the challenge of forecasting the performance of in situ recovery processes at field scale has increased exponentially. Delineation drilling results make it apparent that these deposits are highly complex and three-dimensionally heterogeneous. Heterogeneity has a significant impact on the effectiveness and economics of the recovery process. Many experienced operators are recognizing that in addition to the static complexity of the reservoirs it is necessary to consider the dynamic stress state in the regions undergoing production. Geomechanical factors are significant and must be built into any realistic numerical simulation of recovery processes
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