Heavy oil recovery process: Conceptual engineering of a downhole methanator and preliminary estimate of facilities cost for application to North Slope Alaska

• Main Author: Gondouin, M.
• Other Authors: United States. Department of Energy.
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: S-Cal Research Corp., San Rafael, CA (United States) 1991
• Subjects: Fuels; Alaskan North Slope; Organic Compounds; Petroleum Deposits; Document Types; Gas Injection; Synthesis Gas; Geologic Deposits; Methane; Steam Injection; Fluid Injection; Alaska; Drilling Fluids; Enhanced Recovery; Usa 320303* > Energy Conservation; Consumption; & Utilization > Industrial & Agricultural Processes > Equipment & Processes; Drainage; Fossil Fuels; Hydrocarbons; 02 Petroleum; 020300 > Petroleum > Drilling & Production; Drilling Equipment; Progress Report; 020700 > Petroleum > Economics; Industrial; & Business Aspects; Recovery; Mineral Resources; Federal Region X; Energy Sources; Fluids; Gases; Petroleum; 32 Energy Conservation; And Utilization; Equipment; North America; Resource Assessment; Developed Countries; Alkanes; Resources; Arctic; north slope
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.2172/6231840; https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1108908/

The West Sak (Upper Cretaceous) sands, overlaying the Kuparuk field, would rank among the largest known oil fields in the US, but technical difficulties have so far prevented its commercial exploitation. Steam injection is the most successful and the most commonly-used method of heavy oil recovery, but its application to the West Sak presents major problems. Such difficulties may be overcome by using a novel approach, in which steam is generated downhole in a catalytic Methanator, from Syngas made at the surface from endothermic reactions (Table 1). The Methanator effluent, containing steam and soluble gases resulting from exothermic reactions (Table 1), is cyclically injected into the reservoir by means of a horizontal drainhole while hot produced fluids flow form a second drainhole into a central production tubing. The downhole reactor feed and BFW flow downward to two concentric tubings. The large-diameter casing required to house the downhole reactor assembly is filled above it with Arctic Pack mud, or crude oil, to further reduce heat leaks. A quantitative analysis of this production scheme for the West Sak required a preliminary engineering of the downhole and surface facilities and a tentative forecast of well production rates. The results, based on published information on the West Sak, have been used to estimate the cost of these facilities, per daily barrel of oil produced. A preliminary economic analysis and conclusions are presented together with an outline of future work. Economic and regulatory conditions which would make this approach viable are discussed. 28 figs.