Phase Behavior of Steam with Solvent Coinjection under Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) Process

Abstract

Abstract A detailed investigation of the phase behavior inside the steam chamber is important to understand the drainage mechanism of solvent co-injection under steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process. A 2D simulation study based on typical Athabasca reservoir properties with hexane (C6) as the coinjection solvent shows that a successful solvent co-injection design can take both advantages of solvent and steam. Due to differences in the boiling points of solvent and steam, the phase behavior inside the steam chamber is not uniform and is not the same for different production stages. The gas solvent, liquid solvent, and water accumulated along the oil-steam interface work together to affect the oil viscosity in a complex relationship. Based on results of this study, we suggest some directions of future research to improve solvent coinjection performance.