Enhanced Recovery of Bitumen by Steam with Chemical Additives

Author:
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Enhanced recovery of bitumen by a combination of steam and caustic chemicals with and without alcohol has been investigated using both static and dynamic techniques. Static experiments were conducted on the basis of information derived from a previous investigation to define the alcoholic caustic formulations potentially effective for bitumen mobilization. The aliphatic alcohol that gave increased bitumen emulsification with a further indication of a more favorable condition for bitumen microemulsion displacement was then selected for the dynamic tests, in which a caustic concentration level up to 0.4 wt% was propagated by a saturated steam at 400 kPa through oil-bearing sand packs. Data obtained from these tests revealed a better bitumen displacement and greater sweep efficiency in steamfloods with caustic and 50% octanolic-caustic additives than in steam drive. In addition, bitumen production began earliest in the alcohol system and was accompanied by increased production rate, leading to more than 10 and 30% increases in the overall bitumen recovery compared with the nonalcoholic alkaline steam and pure steam injection processes, respectively. These results also served to reinforce the findings of the static experiments.