Heavy/Extra-Heavy Oil Research at the University of Alberta: Process Development for Petroleum Production

The steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process, as developed by Professor Roger Butler and reduced to practice at the Underground Test Facility (UTF) in Alberta, is gaining popularity for the exploitation of heavy and extra-heavy oil deposits around the world. Recently, several companies have taken the SAGD process to a commercial stage.

Lately, research on a modification to SAGD whereby the addition of one horizontal well has improved recovery (increased bitumen production and decreased steam-oil ratio) under certain operating conditions was undertaken at the University of Alberta.

The initial work was done using a numerical simulator, combining the processes of SAGD and cyclic steam stimulation (Fast-SAGD; patents issued in Canada and the USA, and pending in Venezuela; co-inventors T. Cyr and R. Coates).More recently, a high pressure/high temperature fully automated experimental facility has been built and commissioned, capable of being used for steam and/or solvent injection into scaled physical models. To date, SAGD and Fast-SAGD experiments have been conducted.

University of Alberta Petroleum Engineering