182
The Chemistry and Technology of Petroleum
Finally, there is not a single in situ recovery process that will be applicable to all reservoirs and
no single recovery process will be able to access all the heavy oil in a given reservoir. To achieve
maximum recovery, it will be necessary to apply a combination of different processes. For example,
a steam-based recovery process followed by in situ combustion, in situ upgrading, and bioconversion of the residual hydrocarbons. This type of sequential recovery will require careful planning to
ensure that the optimum sequence and timing is applied.
Then, to achieve partial upgrading during recovery requires a further sequential operation before
a transportable produced. A multistep system is required to achieve the necessary aims of heavy oil
recovery with partial upgrading. What this might be is currently unknown, but there are possibilities.
REFERENCES
Ancheyta, J. and Speight, J.G. 2007. Hydroprocessing of Heavy Oils and Residua. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis
Group, Boca Raton, FL.
Banat, I.M. 1995. Biosurfactant production and possible uses in microbial enhanced oil recovery and oil pollution remediation. Bioresource Technology 51: 1–12.
Bryant, R.S., Donaldson, E.C., Yen, T.F., and Chilingarian, G.V. 1989. Microbial enhanced oil recovery. In
Enhanced Oil Recovery II: Processes and Operations, E.C. Donaldson, G.V. Chilingarian, and T.F. Yen
(Eds.). Elsevier, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, pp. 423–450.
Bryant, R.S. and Lindsey, R.P. 1996. World-wide applications of microbial technology for improving oil recovery. In Proceedings of the SPE Symposium on Improved Oil Recovery. Society of Petroleum Engineers,
Richardson, TX, pp. 27–134.
Butler, R.M. and Jiang, Q. 2000. Improved recovery of heavy oil by VAPEX with widely spaced horizontal
injectors and producers. Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology 39(1): 48–56.
Butler, R.M. and Mokrys, I.J. 1991. A new process (VAPEX) for recovering heavy oils using hot water and
hydrocarbon vapor. Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology 30(1): 97–106.
Butler, R.M. and Mokrys, I.J. 1995. Process and apparatus for the recovery of hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon deposit. United States Patent 5,407,009, April 18.
Butler, R.M. and Mokrys, I.J. 1997. Process and apparatus for the recovery of hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon deposit. United States Patent 5,607,016, March 4.
Chakma, A., Islam, M.R., and Berruti, F. (Eds.). 1991. Enhanced oil recovery. AIChE Symposium Series No.
280, Volume 87. American Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York.
Clark, J.B., Munnecke, D.M., and Jenneman, G.E. 1981. In situ microbial enhancement of oil production.
Developments in Industrial Microbiology 15: 695–701.
Clark, K.A. 1944. Hot-water separation of Alberta bituminous sand. Transactions of the Canadian Institute of
Mining and Metallurgy 47: 257–274.
Coskuner, G. 2009. A new process combining cyclic steam stimulation and steam-assisted gravity drainage:
Hybrid SAGD. Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology 48(1): 8–13.
Cunha, L.B. 2005. Recent in situ oil recovery techniques for heavy and extra heavy oil reserves. SPE 94986.
Das, S.K. and Butler, R.M. 1994. Effect of asphaltene deposition on the Vapex process: A preliminary investigation using a Hele-Shaw Cell. Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology 33: 39–45.
Dickenson, R.L., Biasca, F.E., Schulman, B.L., and Johnson, H.E. 1997. Refiner options for converting and
utilizing heavy fuel oil. Hydrocarbon Processing 76(2): 57–62.
Ditman, J.G. 1973. Hydrocarbon Processing 52(5): 110.
Fan, H. and Liu, Y. 2002. Downhole catalysts upgrades heavy oil. Oil and Gas Journal 100(11): 60–62.
Fear, J.V.D. and Innes, E.D. 1967. Canada’s first commercial tar sand development. Proceedings of the
Seventh World Petroleum Congress, vol. 3. Elsevier, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, pp. 633–650.
Graue, D.J. 2001. Upgrading and recovery of heavy crude oils and natural bitumens by in situ hydrovisbreaking. United States Patent 6,328,104, December 11.
Greaves, M., Turta, A.T., Ayasse, C., and Saghr, A.M. 2001. THAI—New injection for heavy oil recovery and
in situ upgrading. Transactions of the Institute of Chemical Engineers: Part A 40(3): 38–47.
Greaves, M. and Xia, T.X. 2004. Downhole catalytic process for upgrading heavy oil: Produced oil properties
and composition. Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology 43(9): 25–30.
Greaves, M. and Xia, T.X. 2008. Stability of THAI process—Theoretical and experimental observations.
Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology 47: 65.
The Chemistry and Technology of Petroleum
Finally, there is not a single in situ recovery process that will be applicable to all reservoirs and
no single recovery process will be able to access all the heavy oil in a given reservoir. To achieve
maximum recovery, it will be necessary to apply a combination of different processes. For example,
a steam-based recovery process followed by in situ combustion, in situ upgrading, and bioconversion of the residual hydrocarbons. This type of sequential recovery will require careful planning to
ensure that the optimum sequence and timing is applied.
Then, to achieve partial upgrading during recovery requires a further sequential operation before
a transportable produced. A multistep system is required to achieve the necessary aims of heavy oil
recovery with partial upgrading. What this might be is currently unknown, but there are possibilities.
REFERENCES
Ancheyta, J. and Speight, J.G. 2007. Hydroprocessing of Heavy Oils and Residua. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis
Group, Boca Raton, FL.
Banat, I.M. 1995. Biosurfactant production and possible uses in microbial enhanced oil recovery and oil pollution remediation. Bioresource Technology 51: 1–12.
Bryant, R.S., Donaldson, E.C., Yen, T.F., and Chilingarian, G.V. 1989. Microbial enhanced oil recovery. In
Enhanced Oil Recovery II: Processes and Operations, E.C. Donaldson, G.V. Chilingarian, and T.F. Yen
(Eds.). Elsevier, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, pp. 423–450.
Bryant, R.S. and Lindsey, R.P. 1996. World-wide applications of microbial technology for improving oil recovery. In Proceedings of the SPE Symposium on Improved Oil Recovery. Society of Petroleum Engineers,
Richardson, TX, pp. 27–134.
Butler, R.M. and Jiang, Q. 2000. Improved recovery of heavy oil by VAPEX with widely spaced horizontal
injectors and producers. Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology 39(1): 48–56.
Butler, R.M. and Mokrys, I.J. 1991. A new process (VAPEX) for recovering heavy oils using hot water and
hydrocarbon vapor. Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology 30(1): 97–106.
Butler, R.M. and Mokrys, I.J. 1995. Process and apparatus for the recovery of hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon deposit. United States Patent 5,407,009, April 18.
Butler, R.M. and Mokrys, I.J. 1997. Process and apparatus for the recovery of hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon deposit. United States Patent 5,607,016, March 4.
Chakma, A., Islam, M.R., and Berruti, F. (Eds.). 1991. Enhanced oil recovery. AIChE Symposium Series No.
280, Volume 87. American Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York.
Clark, J.B., Munnecke, D.M., and Jenneman, G.E. 1981. In situ microbial enhancement of oil production.
Developments in Industrial Microbiology 15: 695–701.
Clark, K.A. 1944. Hot-water separation of Alberta bituminous sand. Transactions of the Canadian Institute of
Mining and Metallurgy 47: 257–274.
Coskuner, G. 2009. A new process combining cyclic steam stimulation and steam-assisted gravity drainage:
Hybrid SAGD. Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology 48(1): 8–13.
Cunha, L.B. 2005. Recent in situ oil recovery techniques for heavy and extra heavy oil reserves. SPE 94986.
Das, S.K. and Butler, R.M. 1994. Effect of asphaltene deposition on the Vapex process: A preliminary investigation using a Hele-Shaw Cell. Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology 33: 39–45.
Dickenson, R.L., Biasca, F.E., Schulman, B.L., and Johnson, H.E. 1997. Refiner options for converting and
utilizing heavy fuel oil. Hydrocarbon Processing 76(2): 57–62.
Ditman, J.G. 1973. Hydrocarbon Processing 52(5): 110.
Fan, H. and Liu, Y. 2002. Downhole catalysts upgrades heavy oil. Oil and Gas Journal 100(11): 60–62.
Fear, J.V.D. and Innes, E.D. 1967. Canada’s first commercial tar sand development. Proceedings of the
Seventh World Petroleum Congress, vol. 3. Elsevier, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, pp. 633–650.
Graue, D.J. 2001. Upgrading and recovery of heavy crude oils and natural bitumens by in situ hydrovisbreaking. United States Patent 6,328,104, December 11.
Greaves, M., Turta, A.T., Ayasse, C., and Saghr, A.M. 2001. THAI—New injection for heavy oil recovery and
in situ upgrading. Transactions of the Institute of Chemical Engineers: Part A 40(3): 38–47.
Greaves, M. and Xia, T.X. 2004. Downhole catalytic process for upgrading heavy oil: Produced oil properties
and composition. Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology 43(9): 25–30.
Greaves, M. and Xia, T.X. 2008. Stability of THAI process—Theoretical and experimental observations.
Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology 47: 65.