The case for air injection into deep, light oil reservoirs

The advantages of air injection for deep, light oil reservoirs are elucidated and discussed, particularly those that accrue in high-pressure applications. Examples of successful field projects are provided and analyzed. Experimental results on light oil oxidation kinetics with air at high pressure are presented, as weIl as results for the stripping of a light oil by flue gas at reservoir pressure. Requirements for highpressure combustion tubes are discussed. The adequacy of three numerical simulators are compared in their ability to model high-pressure air injection into light oil reservoirs. Simulation results on light oil stripping by flue gas and the increase in recovery due to in-situ combustion, by mobilizing the gas drive residual oil, are also presented. Finally, guidance on economic parameters is provided.