110510 tracers in heavy oil
DESCRIPTION
Tracers in heavy oil. A presentation by Tor Bjørnstad, Institute for Energy Technology, 2011TRANSCRIPT
Tor Bjørnstad 1
Tor Bjørnstad
Institute for Energy Technology (IFE)Kjeller, Norway
Heavy Oil Reservoirs: Fluid Tracing Challenges
Tor Bjørnstad12.04.23 Tor Bjørnstad 2
Established 1948About 600 employeesTurnover: MNOK 750Main activity areas
Nuclear technology Petroleum research Energy and
environmental technology
Research under contract
Institute for Energy Technology (IFE)
Tor Bjørnstad
Purpose of my visit here:
1. Offer to Pemex services with state-of-the-art technology within reservoir description (tracer technology), corrosion, flow assurance and pipeline transportation developed in our own laboratories.
2. Invite Pemex as an industrial participant along with other major oil companies into our various and ongoing Joint Industry Programs (JIPs) on R&D and technology development.
Tor Bjørnstad
Contents
About tracers Conventional use of tracers in reservoirs Tracer types, sampling, analysis and
modelling Heavy oil recovery methods – tracing
challenges Outlook – new functional tracers
Tor Bjørnstad
Visionary thinking
Tor Bjørnstad
Reservoir characterization
Geological(or static)reservoir
model
Geological(or static)reservoir
model
Well logsWell logs
BiostratigraphyBiostratigraphy
SedimentologySedimentology
GeochemistryGeochemistrySeismicsSeismics
Reservoir modellingReservoir modelling
Tracer dataTracer data
Production dataProduction data
Tor Bjørnstad
Tracer Technology:Definitions
Tracer Technology:Definitions
Tor Bjørnstad
What is Tracer Technology?
Tracer Technology may roughly be defined as a monitoring technology of physical, chemical or biological processes whereby a tracer species, which can be readily analysed on-line (in-stream, in-vivo) or off-line (in vitro), is added to the process in order to follow the process development and describe its mechanisms.
Tor Bjørnstad
Tracer category 1: Passive tracers
Passive or conservative (or also, less precisely, called ideal) tracers:
The requirement is that the tracer shall passively follow the fluid phase or phase fraction into which it is injected without any chemical or physical behaviour different from that of the traced component itself. In addition, the tracer must not perturb the behaviour of the traced phase in any way, -neither must the fluid phase or its components perturb the tracer behaviour.
Tor Bjørnstad
Tracer category 2: Active tracers
Active (also, less precisely, called non-ideal or reacting) tracers:
The tracer is taking active part in the process in qualitatively predictable ways, and is used to measure a property of the system in which it is injected. The degree of the active part-taking is a quantitative measure of the property to be determined.
Tor Bjørnstad
There are various tracer types
It is found to be practical to divide oilfield tracers into three types (not kinds!) based on their principally different production, treatment and analysis:
Molecules with special Stable-Isotope Ratios (D, 13C etc) Non-radioactive chemical species Radioactive atoms or molecules
Tor Bjørnstad
The “IFE Tracer Club”-different phases
Tracer Technologydevelopment sponsored by major oil companies.
Tor Bjørnstad
Tracers in reservoirs:Reservoir description and
flow-field mapping
Tracers in reservoirs:Reservoir description and
flow-field mapping
Tor Bjørnstad
Water expels oil
8 km
2 km
Tor Bjørnstad
Injection wellInjection well
ProductionwellProductionwell
Stratified reservoirStratified reservoir
Tracing of injection fluids
Tracing of injection fluids Preferential flow
directionsHorizontal and vertical communication between wellsPermeability strataSweep volumesLarge-scale hetero-geneities
Tor Bjørnstad
Field tracer production profiles
Production curves for HTO in various production wells also illustrating how break-through has been missed in two casesDesign of experi-ment done with ECLIPSE on existing reservoir model 0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2 2.4
(Thousands)
TIME FROM FIRST INJECTION (DAYS)
2.6
2.4
2.2
2
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
FROM WELLS IN A NORTH SEA RESERVOIR
INJ.
Tor Bjørnstad
North Sea field example
Use of well-to-well TT on the SNORRE-field showed surprising fluid flow directions of water and gas.
This resulted in a partly new stratigraphic model which again changed the reservoir model. Infill wells can be placed with increased reliability.
Injectionwell
Productionwell
Water tracer
Gas tracer
Tor Bjørnstad
North Sea oil reservoir – FAWAG process
Flow pattern from I1, I2 and I3
· Overlap of gas- contacted areas
· Development of gas caps both from I1 and I2
P1
P2
P3
P4 P5
P7
P8
P10
P9
P11
I1
I2
I3
P6
Tor Bjørnstad
Tracer response after WAG
PMCH
P4P4 P5P5
P7P7
P8P8
P9
I2I2
I3
P6P6
PMCH responses from I2
Tor Bjørnstad
Tracer Types, Sampling, Analysis and Modeling
Tracer Types, Sampling, Analysis and Modeling
Tor Bjørnstad
Isotopic ratio tracers
Example: Ratio of 12C and 13C which varies in different fluids and C-containing matter.
The standard is an established reference, such as ocean water.
Tor Bjørnstad
Radioactive tracers for IWTT
Organic molecules:
CH2TOH, 14CH3OH
CH314CHOHCH3, CH3CTOHCH3
Inorganic molecules:
HTO, 22Na+, 125I-, (131I-), (82Br-), 36Cl-, 35SCN-, S14CN-, (35SO4
2-), 56Co(CN)63-,
57Co(CN)63-, 58Co(CN)6
3-, 60Co(CN)63-
Co(CN)5(14CN)3-
Tor Bjørnstad
Non-radioactive polyfluorinated interwell water tracers
H
F
COOHH
HH
H
F
COOHH
H H
F
H
COOHF
H H
H
H
COOHF
F H
H
H
COOHH
F F
H
F
COOHH
H F
H
F
COOHF
F F
H FCOOH
HH H
Tor Bjørnstad
“Water” samples from flow line
Tor Bjørnstad
Non-radioactive gas tracers
Perfluorinated cyclic hydro-carbons with coordinated light hydrocarbon (methyl) groups are excellent gas tracers
PMCP PMCH
CARBON
FLUORINE
1,2,4-PTMCH
PDCB
1,3-PDMCH
Tor Bjørnstad
Gas Tracer sample container
General version, pressurized
General version, pressurized
New, for PFC-New, for PFC-tracers, non-tracers, non-pressurizedpressurized
New, for PFC-New, for PFC-tracers, non-tracers, non-pressurizedpressurized
Tor Bjørnstad
GC-MS/MSGC-MS/MS
Tor Bjørnstad
HPLC spectrometerHPLC spectrometer
Tor Bjørnstad
Gullfakswater
IFE-WTN-1,3
IFE-WTN-1,3,6
Fluorescein
Tap water
Heidrunwater
IFE-WTN-2,7
Emission wavelength (nm)
Exi
tatio
n w
avel
engt
h (r
el)
Nornewater
Fluorescense of Fluorescense of produced produced
waters and waters and tracerstracers
Fluorescense of Fluorescense of produced produced
waters and waters and tracerstracers
Tor Bjørnstad
Isotope mass spectrometerIsotope mass spectrometer
Tor Bjørnstad
LSC scintillation vial
12 mL scintillation cocktail+
8 mL distilled sample
intimately mixed
Tor Bjørnstad
Liquid scintillation counting - analysis of HTO in produced water
HTO spectrum, sample 1: 82 ± 4 Bq/l
HTO spectrum, sample 2: 10 ± 2 Bq/l
Background spectra
Channel number (Energy)
Co
un
tin
g r
ate
Tor Bjørnstad
Heavy Oil Production – Tracing Challenges
Heavy Oil Production – Tracing Challenges
Tor Bjørnstad
Oil Classification
Type API gravityDensity (kg/m3)
Viscosity (cP)
Bitumen << 10 1000 ++ > 10.000
Extra heavy oil < 10 1000 + > 1000
Heavy oil 10 – 22.3 920 - 1000 > 100
Medium oil 22.3 – 31.1 870 - 920 10 - 100
Light oil > 31.1 < 870 < 10
Tor Bjørnstad
Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS)
Steam injection
Steam soaking
Backpro-duction
Backpro-duction
Tor Bjørnstad
Tracers for CSS
Requirement: Tracers stable at temperatures of 200-300 C
For water vapor: HTTO, CH2TTOH
For water cond. phase: Naphtalene-sulphonic acids
For steam/gas phases: Various PFCs
Tor Bjørnstad
Toe-to-Heel Air Injection (THAI)
Cold heavy oilCold heavy oilCold heavy oilCold heavy oil
Combustion zoneCombustion zoneCombustion zoneCombustion zone
Coke zoneCoke zoneCoke zoneCoke zone
Mobil oilMobil oilMobil oilMobil oil
InjectedInjectedair andair andwaterwater
InjectedInjectedair andair andwaterwater
Tor Bjørnstad
Tracers for THAI
Requirement: Tracers stable at oil com-bustion temperatures
For air: 127127XeXe, 133133XeXe, 8585KrKr, 4He For water vapor: HTTO For water cond. phase: 2222NaNa++, Cl-
For CO2: 1414CCO2
Tor Bjørnstad
SAGD principleSAGD = Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage
Steam injection
Oil productionVapor heats up a compartment around the well and mobilizes the oil
The mobilized oil is drained into the lower production well
Tor Bjørnstad
Statement
“During the startup and early operation of horizontal SAGD wells, it is important to understand the flow distribution of bitumen and water along the horizontal reservoir interval.
If this distribution is understood, the distribution of steam, injected either at the heel or toe of the steam injector, can be adjusted to optimize the startup and early operation of the SAGD pair”.
JPT
Tor Bjørnstad
Tracers for SAGD
Requirement: Tracers stable at temperatures of 200-300 C
For water vapor: HTTO, CH2TTOH
For water cond. phase: Naphtalene-sulphonic acids
For steam/gas phases: Various PFCs
Tor Bjørnstad
Low Temp. Solvent (VAPEX)
Production wellProduction wellProduction wellProduction well
Injection wellInjection wellInjection wellInjection wellDraining diluted and deasphalted oilDraining diluted and deasphalted oil
Tor Bjørnstad
Tracers for VAPEXpresently in pilot tests
Requirement: Temperature is not a stability issue for the tracers but they
must be stable against biodegradation
For light injected HC: T- or 14C-labelled propane, isopropane, butane,
isobutane, pentane etc.
For cond. aq-phase: FBA, Naphtalene-sulphonic acids, HTO and several
more
Tor Bjørnstad
SAGD and VAPEX combined-high-temperature recovery – in pilot stage
Production wellProduction wellProduction wellProduction well
Injection wellInjection wellInjection wellInjection well
Mobilized oilMobilized oil
Tor Bjørnstad
Tracers for combined SAGD and VAPEX
Requirement: Tracers for water vapor, water condensed phase and gas phase stable at temperatures of 200-300 C as for SAGD
Additional: Radiolabelled light HC tracers as for VAPEX
Tor Bjørnstad
OutlookOutlook
Tor Bjørnstad
Tracer development line
1945 1955 1975 1985 2008 2015
He-gas
131I-, HTO
•SCN- (?)•Co(CN)6
3- (?)•Radiolabellednatural gases
•Alcohols
Lab studies:•Radioactive
inorg. & org. w & g•Non-radioactive
w & g
•New high-temperature gas and water tracers
•Tracers for heavy oil EOR•Oil-partitioning tracers.•Functional nano-tracers
•PFC gas tracers•FBA water tracers•New gas tracers
•New water tracers
Tor Bjørnstad
Tracer molecules
become constantly
more complex
Are these among the future candi-dates??
Borrowed from Nick D. Kim
Tor Bjørnstad
Fluorescent and radioactive nano-particles
Particle coreemission
Particle core and functional layer
emission
Particle core and multifunctional layer emission
Tor Bjørnstad
Surfactant: Alpha-olefine sulphonatelabelled with radioactive nuclides
OHCH3(CH2)8CHCH2CH2SO3
- Na+
OH14CH3(CH2)8CHCH2CH2SO3
- Na+
OHCH3(CH2)8CTCH2CH2SO3
- Na+
CH3(CH2)8CH = CHCH235SO3- Na+
Tor Bjørnstad
Tor Bjørnstad
Tracer injection pumpTracer injection pumpIFE personnelIFE personnel
Tracer operations in the North Sea 1Tracer operations in the North Sea 1
Tor Bjørnstad
Tor Bjørnstad
Learning to operate the gas tracer sampling kit
Learning to operate the gas tracer sampling kit
Tor Bjørnstad
HybridHybrid
EndEnd