Estudo da distância entre poços no processo de injeção contínua de vapor

Abstract

Some of the existing hydrocarbon reserves currently are comprised of heavy oils and due to its high viscosity, conventional methods are not able to move it until the well producer satisfactorily, leaving large volume of trapped oil in reservoir. One method for heavy oil recovery is the thermal method, which has a main characteristic reduce the oil viscosity facilitating its displacement to the well producer. The thermal methods heat back on energy injection in the form of heat in the reservoir, where it causes the oil temperature increase, reducing so his viscosity and therefore improving their mobility. The Brazilian Northeast has many mainly heavy oil reservoirs, where are implemented continuous steam injection method. The continuous steam injection acts both thermally as mechanically in the reservoir, beside the latent heat transmitted to heat the oil in the reservoir, thus providing a reduction in viscosity, it pushes up the production well. The performance of this process can be significantly affected by certain operating and geometric parameters of the reservoir. The main objective of this work was to study different distances between wells in the steam injection process, applying it in a semi-synthetic reservoir with characteristics similar to those found in Brazilian Northeast and to complete was realized an economic analysis of the models studied using of the NPV (Net Present Value). To do the work was used a numerical simulation program reservoirs of CMG (Computer Modeling Group), the STARS (Steam, Thermal and Advanced Process Reservoir Simulator) software. It was found that increasing the steam flow to a certain value there is an increase in oil production. About the distances, how smaller, faster the oil reaches the production well. However it is essential to analyze the economic feasibility of the project, because of according to the results the largest production not necessarily will bring in a better return.