Application of In-situ Upgrading in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs

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dc.contributor.advisorPereira-Almao, Pedro R.
dc.contributor.advisorMaini, B. B.
dc.contributor.authorDuran Armas, Jose Luis
dc.contributor.committeememberAguilera, Roberto F.
dc.contributor.committeememberChen, Zhangxin
dc.contributor.committeememberMehta, Sudarshan A. Raj
dc.contributor.committeememberOldenburg, Thomas B. P.
dc.contributor.committeememberDalaï, Ajaỳ Kumar
dc.date2021-06
dc.date.accessioned2021-02-02T19:14:27Z
dc.date.available2021-02-02T19:14:27Z
dc.date.issued2021-01-22
dc.description.abstractThe persisting low oil price and the need for more environmentally-friendly energy sources have driven the latest development of new technologies for the sector and, in particular, for heavy oil exploitation. Among those technologies, In-Situ Upgrading Technology (ISUT) offers downhole processing, leaving undesired products underground, enhanced oil recovery and reducing the upgrading cost. ISUT is a thermal recovery process that uses hot fluid to transport catalytic nanoparticles, creating a reactor around the wellbore. Supporting the pilot test of ISUT, planned for the Aguacate field at the central Gulf Coast region of Mexico, this thesis focus on reinforcing many technical aspects for that pilot test. A kinetic model was developed for the Aguacate heavy oil and its vacuum residue at reservoir conditions. Ten sets of temperature and residence time, similar to those used for mild hydrocracking processes but in the presence of a carbonate rock core. Moreover, five pseudo components were assigned to model the reaction inside the porous carbonate medium. These results were all utilized to create the kinetic model specific for this pilot test. The products' characterization showed moderate temperatures and longer residence times improve product quality, translating into preferred temperatures below 350 oC with longer residence times. The used set-up for the kinetic analysis replicated the reservoir environment, using a matrix and a fracture where the fluid could flow. This work confirmed the catalytic hydrogenation process in ISUT by measuring molecular markers' conversion into other organic products, indicating limits of catalyst concentration to avoid adverse effects that may result in excess paraffinic compounds, eventually risking their precipitation subsequent operating instabilities in the media. Lastly, the hydrogen consumption in the ISUT process was studied using ten experimental conditions to create a statistical model to predict the hydrogen consumed in the process. The model showed that hydrogen consumption is linear vs. temperature and reaction time.en_US
dc.identifier.citationDuran Armas, J. L. (2021). Application of In-situ Upgrading in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/38617
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/113055
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisher.facultySchulich School of Engineeringen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.en_US
dc.subjectEnhanced oil recoveryen_US
dc.subjectNanocatalysten_US
dc.subjectChemical tracersen_US
dc.subjectChemical kineticsen_US
dc.subjectHydrogen consumptionen_US
dc.subject.classificationEngineering--Chemicalen_US
dc.subject.classificationEngineering--Petroleumen_US
dc.titleApplication of In-situ Upgrading in Naturally Fractured Reservoirsen_US
dc.typedoctoral thesisen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineEngineering – Chemical & Petroleumen_US
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgaryen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrueen_US
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