Research of Improving Super Heavy Oil Properties Through Flue Gas

Abstract

Flue gas capacity of improving super heavy oil properties was investigated by laboratory experiment, and the experimental results showed that flue gas could play a role of swelling and reducing viscosity after being dissolved in super heavy oil. Within the experiment temperature range, flue gas maintained smaller solubility and volume factor in super heavy oil, and the viscosity of oil and gas mixture appeared a sharp fall after flue gas being dissolved in super heavy oil, meanwhile the viscosity reduction rate fundamentally appeared a linear increase. Flue gas assisting SAGD feasibility was analyzed, and the results showed that flue gas could obviously enlarge the steam chamber extension in the transverse direction and slow down the rate of increase in the longitudinal direction after being injected with steam. As a result, it could play a very good effect of adjusting steam chamber shape and temperature distribution. Therefore flue gas assisting SAGD is feasible, which is also an important means of improving development effect and enhancing oil recovery for super heavy oil reservoir SAGD in the middle and later periods. Key words: Super heavy oil; Flue gas; Solubility; Volume factor; Viscosity