Short-Distance Displacement Pathway for Success for Heavy Oil Recovery and Upgrading

IOR-B011 SHORT-DISTANCE PATHWAY FOR SUCCESS FOR HEAVY OIL RECOVERY AND UPGRADING Abstract AUTHOR(S) M. GREAVES AND T. X. XIA Address Improved Oil Recovery Group Department of Chemical Engineering University of Bath Bath BA2 7AY England One of the most important advances affecting in-situ heavy oil recovery is the advent of horizontal well technology. The integration of reservoir processes and horizontal wells has led to the development of ‘short-distance oil displacement processes’. In effect this creates a short-path for oil displacement since mobilised heavy oil or bitumen ‘drains’ directly into the horizontal producer well. The distance between he ‘active’ front and