Abstract
Summary The effects of temporarily shutting in steam injection wells on oil recovery by steamflooding were studied with a steam injection simulator. Both heavy- and light-oil steamflood situations were considered. A one-eighth of a five-spot model representing the two types of reservoirs was used to study the effects of shutting in the injector for up to 8 months on the oil production performance during the shut-in period and following the resumption of steam injection. The simulation results show that temporarily shutting in injectors is not detrimental to overall oil recovery. For each type of reservoir (heavy or light oil), the cumulative oil production at a limiting instantaneous steam/oil ratio (SOR) of 10 was essentially the same regardless of the length of injector shut-in. The cumulative SOR at the end of the project life also remains the same, regardless of the length of shut-in. Shutting in the injector, however, prolongs the project life, increasing it by about the length of shut-in for the heavy oil and by more than the length of shut-in for the light-oil case. This paper compares oil production performances for steamflood projects operating under different shut-in scenarios and recommends strategies to cope with the changing economic environment.
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