IPTC 12536

Microwave Assisted Gravity Drainage of Heavy Oils

Berna Hascakir, Middle East Technical University, (now with Stanford University)
Cagdas Acar, Schlumberger, (CAcar@bucharest.oilfield.slb.com)
Birol Demiral, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, (birol_demiral@petronas.com.my)
Serhat Akin, Middle East Technical University (serhat@metu.edu.tr)
ABSTRACT

Conventional steam-injection is usually not cost effective
for deep wells and wells producing from thin pay zones,
due to excessive heat loss to the overburden. For such
wells minimizing heat losses can be achieved by using
microwave heating assisted gravity drainage
(1)
. In this
study, the feasibility of this method was investigated.
Heavy oil samples from Southeast Turkey were used. The
effects of operational parameters like heating and soaking
periods as well as rock and fluid characteristics like
porosity, permeability, wettability, salinity, and initial water
saturation were studied in a novel graphite core holder
packed with crushed limestone premixed with crude oil
and water.
MICROWAVE HEATING

Heat transfer from a microwave source to a porous medium
can be described by the energy equation. Evolution of
temperature as a result of microwave irradiation can then be
obtained by the heat equation with the following
modification
(2)
.
( ) P T T v c
t
T
c
c f pf f p
+ V V = V +
c
c

2
E
2
tan
P

o ec o +
=
The energy efficiency of microwave heating is affected by
the medium dielectric properties and their variations while
heating. Assuming symmetry in radial homogeneous
conducting medium, no heat losses to the adjacent
formations, and strictly radial pressure distribution
electromagnetic radiation propagation will be absorbed as
(3)
:
P is the electromagnetic dissipated
power per unit of volume and,
based in Maxwell's equations, is a
function of the electric field, , and
the effective conductivity,o, of the
medium
(2)
.

E

( )
( ) r
r
1
dx
r d
u o
u
|
.
|

\
|
+ =
|
|
|
.
|

\
|

|
|
.
|

\
|
|
.
|

\
|
+
|
|
.
|

\
|
= 1 1
2
02 . 0
2
1
2
2
ec
o c e
o
EXPERIMENTAL SET-UP
A microwave oven that operates at 2450 Mhz with variable
power and time settings was used during the microwave
tests.








A novel graphite core holder (5 cm diameter and 9 cm
height) with a conical bottom section that houses a
perforated graphite disc to allow drainage of produced oil
was used. Graphite core holder allows penetration of
microwave energy.
Where o is conductivity, is permeability, c is permittivity
and e is angular frequency (2t x frequency). The total power
radiated across the radius r for a cylinder of height h can be
defined as:
( ) ( ) r rh 2 r P u t = ( ) ( )
}
=
r
0
r rh 2 r P u t
Then the temperature of the medium, T(r), by combining the
power radiation with mass balance due to oil moving in and
out of a cylindrical element;
( )
( )
o o o
r r
0
o
S q 18 . 4
e P
T r T
0

o
+ =
Steady
flow to
the
wellbore
case
No
flow
case
( ) ( )
At 2 r r
o o o
r
0
o
2
0
e e
S q 18 . 4
e P
T t , r T
+
+ =
o o
o

( )
( )
) S 18 . 4 ( rh 2
e tP
T t , r T
o o
r r
0
o
0
t
o
o
+ =
Bati Raman Camurlu Garzan
API Gravity (degree) 13 12.2 18.5
Specific Gravity (g/cm
3
) 0.9772 0.985 0.9433
Viscosity @ Res. Temp. (cp) 592 700 33
Formation water salinity (ppm) 75,000 60,000
3,000 -
10,000
FLUID PROPERTIES
CONCLUSIONS
1. High water saturations led to higher oil productions
regardless of the viscosity of crude oil.
2. High salinity water promoted microwave assisted gravity
drainage.
3. In water wet medium with high water saturations, the
steady state temperature reached at the end of the
heating period was higher. Water wet conditions should
be preferred during microwave heating for higher oil
recoveries.
4. In oil wet porous media larger electric field adsorption
coefficients were calculated.
5. Continuous microwave heating gave better recovery
compared to periodic heating and soaking.
RESULTS
Effect of Water Saturation, Wettability, and
Porosity
















Effect of Heating Strategy






52
23
31
27
38
30 30
35
14
11 12
18
26 26
78
68
59
63
56
75
85
0
100
- 1 2 3 1 2 3 - 1 2 3 1 2 3 - 1 2 3 1 2 3
A B C A B C A B C
B. Raman Camurlu Garzan
O
i
l

P
r
o
d
u
c
t
i
o
n

%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
39% 34% 26% 39% 34% 26% 39% 34% 26%
Water Wet Oil Wet Mixed Wet
O
i
l

P
r
o
d
u
c
t
i
o
n
,

%
Sw 20%
Sw 40%
Sw 60%
Bati Raman
|
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
39% 34% 26% 39% 34% 26% 39% 34% 26%
Water Wet Oil Wet Mixed Wet
O
i
l

P
r
o
d
u
c
t
i
o
n
,

%
Sw 20%
Sw 40%
Sw 60%
Garzan
|
0
10
20
30
40
39% 34% 26% 39% 34% 26% 39% 34% 26%
Water Wet Oil Wet Mixed Wet
O
i
l

P
r
o
d
u
c
t
i
o
n
,

%Sw 20%
Sw 40%
Sw 60%
Camurlu
|
Heating
A:180 sec
B: 30 sec
C: 60 sec.
Soaking
1: 180 sec.
2: 240 sec.
3: 360 sec.
(
e
(1/m)
(Mean value and Standard Deviation)
Water Wet Oil Wet Mixed Wet
Bati
Raman
Mean 0.18081 0.22612 0.22289
Standard
Deviation
0.08568 0.05149 0.09622
Camurlu
Mean 0.21419 0.22413 0.21010
Standard
Deviation
0.06275 0.06279 0.09173
Garzan
Mean 0.22845 0.23015 0.20991
Standard
Deviation
0.09674 0.07222 0.09714
ANALYTICAL MODEL RESULTS
Electric field absorpotion factors are modeled using the
least square method to the Aberthney Equation
(3).
MW
ae ae ae
0.155742 0.224649 0.293555
Camurlu38.95%60
Mean 0.99 20.50 39.59 58.29 76.62 94.59 112.23 129.56
Mean+dev 1.29 26.79 51.73 76.16 100.10 123.58 146.63 169.26
Mean -dev 0.68 14.21 27.45 40.42 53.12 65.59 77.83 89.85
Measured 0.00 23.00 20.00 31.00 49.10 49.20 42.80 49.30
Time 1 21 41 61 81 101 121 141
Camurlu38.95%40
Mean 0.99 20.31 38.92 56.87 74.24 91.09 107.44 123.35
Mean+dev 1.29 26.54 50.85 74.30 96.99 118.98 140.34 161.11
Mean -dev 0.68 14.08 26.98 39.44 51.49 63.17 74.51 85.55
Measured 0.00 10.90 29.50 48.20 71.10 76.90 89.70 117.00
Time 1 21 41 61 81 101 121 141
Camurlu38.95%20
Mean 0.99 20.08 38.11 55.23 71.57 87.22 102.27 116.77
IPTC 12536
Microwave Assisted Gravity
Drainage of Heavy Oils
Berna Hascakir, Middle East Technical University,
Cagdas Acar, Schlumberger, (CAcar@bucharest.oilfield.slb.com)
Birol Demiral, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, (birol_demiral@petronas.com.my)
Serhat Akin, Middle East Technical University, (serhat@metu.edu.tr)

REFERENCES

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