Integrated Fluid and Reservoir Characterization for Enhancing Heavy Oil Recovery via Hybrid Solvent-Steam Injection
Tony Yang, University of Regina
Due to the synergetic contribution of thermal energy and dissolution of solvents (e.g., CH4, C2H6, C3H8, C4H10, C5H12, C6H14, C7H16, CO2, N2, and DME), the hybrid solvent-steam injection has been considered as the most promising technique for enhancing heavy oil/bitumen recovery. The SRK EOS and PR EOS have been modified and improved to accurately quantify the phase behaviour and physical properties of the solvents-water-heavy oil/bitumen systems under reservoir conditions by developing alpha functions for hydrocarbon compounds and water, respectively. Such improved EOSs have been employed to reproduce the experimentally measured multiphase boundaries, density, viscosity, (mutual) solubility, interfacial tension, and preferential mass transfer for the aforementioned mixtures. Due to the existence of water, isenthalpic flash leads to more accurately quantification of multiphase boundaries and physical properties for the hybrid solvent-steam processes. Also, each component of a binary/ternary gas mixture diffuses/disperses preferentially into heavy oil at high pressures and elevated temperatures in the absence and presence of porous media, while each of them is found to exsolve differently from solvent-saturated heavy oil under nonequilibrium conditions. Meanwhile, a pressure-gradient-based (PGB) sand failure criterion has been developed and validated with the laboratory tests and then successfully extended to characterize field-scale wormhole networks in the absence and presence of foamy oil behaviour. Plus, a heat-penetration (HP) criterion has been developed and validated to characterize steam/solvent chamber growth and propagation dynamics for SAGD/SA-SAGD/ES-SAGD/H-VAPEX processes. Finally, integrated algorithms have been developed to optimize the performance of hybrid solvent-steam processes in a heavy oil/bitumen reservoir within a unified, consistent, and efficient framework.
Bio:
Daoyong Tony Yang is a professor of Energy Systems Engineering program in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Regina. Previously, he worked as a petroleum engineer for 3 years in the PetroChina TuHa Oilfield Company with the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and as a reservoir engineer for 4 years in the Software Development and Information Centre of Petroleum Engineering, CNPC. Also, he was a senior visiting research scientist at the Imperial Oil Resources Limited during his sabbatical leave (2021-2022). Yang’s major research areas include reservoir description and dynamics, phase behaviour, mass and heat transfer, transient pressure/rate analysis, assisted history matching, formation evaluation, production optimization, CO2 EOR and storage, reservoir geomechanics, artificial-lift methods, transport phenomena, interfacial interactions in EOR processes, heavy-oil recovery, and unconventional resources exploitation. He has authored and coauthored 217 refereed-journal articles and 151 conference papers and holds three patents. Yang holds BSc and PhD degrees in petroleum engineering from the China University of Petroleum and a PhD degree in petroleum systems engineering from the University of Regina. He is the recipient of the 2011 SPE Canada Region Regional Formation Evaluation Award, 2013 SPE Canada Region Regional Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award, 2018 SPE Canada Region Regional Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty, and 2022 Outstanding Technical Reviewer Award (SPE Journal) as well as the 2024 Research Excellence Award from the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Regina. He was an associate editor for the Journal of Energy Resources Technology (2015-2021) and included in the Stanford's list of the world top 2% scientists since 2020. Yang is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, and a registered professional engineer with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan, Canada.
Venue:
DC - William G. Davis Computer Research Centre
200 University Avenue West
DC 1304
Waterloo, ON, CA N2L 3G1