Print this pagePossibilities to Increase the Recovery Factor in Petromonagas Area, Orinoco Heavy Oil Belt, Venezuela
The Orinoco Oil Belt, ‘The Faja’, located in the southern part of Eastern Venezuelan Basin, is a gigantic reservoir of 55000 Km2, which contains accumulations of heavy and extra-heavy hydrocarbons of 1200 MMM barrels of oil in place. At the present time, the Orinoco Heavy Oil Belt constitutes the biggest accumulation of heavy oil in the world.
Carabobo, previously named Cerro Negro, is one of four major areas within the Orinoco Belt and is located on its eastern segment, south of Monagas and Anzoátegui states. It covers 112 square miles, with an OOIP estimated in 18.5 x 109 barrels of extra-heavy oil.
The main objective of this study was to detect in Petromonagas area, a Mixed Company between PDVSA and BP in Carabobo, the feasibility of increasing the oil recovery factor, using a thermal numerical simulator with different well configurations with Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) in Morichal Member reservoirs.
Through static model, previously generated, the simulation model with 4 Well configurations and 16 sensibility cases, vertical distances between injectors and production wells and the daily steam injection rate were varied in order to compare the production in a period of 20 years.
At the end of this study it was feasible to implement a methodology using SAGD process in a reservoir with typical properties of Orinoco Belt. Based on simulation thermal processes recover much more than production in cold. SAGD processes represent an efficient technology to improve the Recovery Factor in Heavy Oil Reservoirs. However, multiple variables should be optimized, with the purpose of maximizing the total oil production.
AAPG Search and Discover Article #90100©2009 AAPG International Conference and Exhibition 15-18 November 2009, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil