Abstract
The vapor extraction (VAPEX) process warrants the oil industry attention because of its applicability to recover viscous oil in the cases when steam assisted gravity drainage fails due to the presence of bottom water aquifer, low heat conductivity, thin pay zone, and excessive heat losses to the adjacent formations. Dilution of heavy oil and thus lowering the viscosity, density, interfacial tension, and capillary pressure is regarded as the basic mechanism of the VAPEX process. Although researchers have studied many influencing factors on oil recovery in VAPEX, the effect of capillary pressure has never been studied or understood completely. The objective of this study is to explore the effects of capillary pressure in the VAPEX process by combining experimental results with simulation studies. Extensive experimental studies are conducted in a rectangular transparent visual cell. Grain size distribution and model height are kept constant, while the viscosity of the targeted oil is varied. Capillary pressure and relative permeability data are obtained from flooding experiments to utilize in the simulator. Analysis of results reveals that capillary pressure acts in favor of the VAPEX process by shaping up the vapor chamber, reducing free gas production and also increasing drainage rate by increasing the effective contact area for molecular diffusion.
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