Summary
The dynamics of a gravity-driven injection process for heavy-oil recovery at the pore scale and the mechanisms leading to the formation of residual oil saturation (ROS) were investigated. The 10 × 15-cm and 5 × 5-cm 2D visual sandpack models (a single layer of sintered microscale glass beads) were prepared and placed into a transparent vacuum chamber to prevent heat loss. The processes were recorded with a high-speed camera to obtain visual data at the pore scale. This process represents the lateral spreading of the steam chamber (half symmetric chamber growth) during steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) for heavy-oil recovery.
Oil-trapping mechanisms yielding to the formation of ROS were described and analyzed because of (1) lateral expansion, (2) simultaneous vertical and lateral expansion, (3) pore and particle size, (4) heterogeneities (pore- and particle-size distribution), and (5) wettability. Attention was also given to the ceiling region of the steam chamber and its interaction with the mobilized region at the lateral boundaries of the chamber.
Description of steam chamber shape in heavy oil recovery using 4D microgravity measurement technology
