Thermal Recovery of Bitumen at Wolf Lake

Abstract

Summary For more than 20 years, BP Resources Canada Ltd. has faced the technical and economic challenges of oil-sands exploitation in the development of the Cold Lake oil sands of east-central Alberta. In 1985, the Wolf Lake 1 project began commercial bitumen production (7,000 to 8,300 B/D [1100 to 1300 m3/d]), with cyclic steam stimulation used to exploit the Clearwater formation. Construction of a 12,600-B/D [2000-m3/d] expansion started in 1987. Also in 1987, production started from a 22-well satellite that exploits the Lower Grand Rapids formation, a channel sand overlying the Clearwater formation. To develop this and other potentially commercial technology, four experimental projects were conducted: two steamfloods, a cyclic steam and combustion pilot in the Clearwater formation, and a single-well test in the Lower Grand Rapids formation. Experimentation to develop combustion as a follow-up process to cyclic steam with air lasted from 1979 to 1984 and with oxygen from 1983 to 1988. One of the Wolf Lake 1 satellites will be converted to combustion to obtain further operating experience. While operating experience has been obtained, numerical models have also been developed and used to improve the cyclic-steam operating strategy. These models, along with the formation properties and project histories, are described. Also, principles of the injection and production operations used in the combustion pilot are covered, and some solutions are offered on how these procedures overcame or avoided problems typically associated with combustion operations.