Heavy Oil Reservoir Seismic Characteristics during Thermal Production:A Case Study

Most production methods of heavy oil involve thermal production.However,it is challenging to delineate the thermal-affected zone due to complex reservoir conditions.With steam injected,the heavy oil viscosity drops;the reservoir density and velocity decrease accordingly,causing changes to seismic impedance.Moreover,the oil-and-water viscosity ratio and permeability show the difference with changing temperature,indicating that the reservoir’s ability to transmit seismic waves would also be temperature-dependent.Therefore,the seismic responses and attenuation characteristics of the steam chamber can be helpful to monitor the steam-affected zone.We introduce an improved viscoelastic model to approximate the heavy oil reservoir during thermal production,and use the frequency-space domain finite difference algorithm to simulate the seismic wave-fields.Numerical results demonstrate that this model is applicable to a wide temperature range,and can effectively reveal the seismic characteristics of the steam chamber.Through analyzing the propagation differences of seismic waves under different temperatures,it is concluded that the attenuation coefficient,root-meansquare amplitude difference and amplitude ratio of PP-wave and PS-wave under different conditions can reveal the temperature variation in the steam chamber,with which it is possible to detect the steam chamber spatial distribution.

Innovations and applications of the thermal recovery techniques for heavy oil

Heavy oil represents a vital petroleum resource worldwide.As one of the major producers,China is facing great challenges in effective and economic production of heavy oil due to reservoir complexity.Plenty of efforts have been made to promote innovative advances in thermal recovery modes,methods,and processes for heavy oil in the country.The thermal recovery mode has been shifted from simple steam injection to a more comprehensive“thermal+"strategy,such as a novel N2-steam hybrid process and CO_(2)-enhanced thermal recovery techniques.These advanced techniques break through the challenges of heavy oil extraction from less accessible reservoirs with thinner oil layers and greater burial depths.Regarding thermal recovery methods,China has developed the steam-assisted gravity drainage method integrating flooding and drainage(also referred to as the hybrid flooding-drainage SAGD technology)for highly heterogeneous ultra-heavy oil reservoirs and the fire flooding method for nearly depleted heavy oil reservoirs,substantially improving oil recovery.Furthermore,a range of processes have been developed for heavy oil production,including the open hole completion process using sand control screens for horizontal wells,the process of integrated injection-recovery with horizontal pump for horizontal wells,the steam dryness maintenance,measurement,and control process,efficient and environment-friendly circulating fluidized bed(CFB)boilers with high steam dryness,the recycling process of produced water,and the thermal recovery process for offshore heavy oil.Based on the advances in methodology,technology,and philosophy,a series of supporting technologies for heavy oil production have been developed,leading to the breakthrough of existing technical limit of heavy oil recovery and the expansion into new exploitation targets.For the future heavy oil production in China,it is necessary to embrace a green,low-carbon,and energy-efficient development strategy,and to expand heavy oil extraction in reservoirs with larger burial depth,more viscous oil,thinner oil layers,and lower permeability.Moreover,it is highly recommended to collaboratively maximize oil recovery and oil-to-steam ratio through technological innovations,and boost intelligentization of heavy oil production.

Evaluation on Solar Radiation Resource and Photosynthetic and Thermal Potential Productivity in Shandong Province

To evaluate scientifically the change of photosynthetic and thermal potential productivity caused by climate variation,based on comparison with mean of previous 30 years(1971-2000),the change of total solar radiation,sunshine hours,photosynthetic active radiation,photosynthetic and thermal potential productivity since 2001 were analyzed through data of radiation,sunshine and temperature in Shandong Province from 1971 to 2007,and the change trend was also tested by Mann-Kendall non-parametric statistical met...

Microstructural Characteristic of Montmorillonite and Its Thermal Treatment Products

The montmorillonite was studied by differen t methods, such as chemical analysis, DAT, TG, X RD, IR, AFM and MAS NMR. The experimental results show that the hydroxyl in octa hedra sheets begins dehydrating when the thermal treatment temperature reaches 659℃, but th e layer structure remains the same,and the corresponding Al(Ⅵ) is turned into Al(Ⅳ) in octahedra sheets. When the temperature reaches 900℃, the layer struct ure of montmorillontite is destroyed, and the new mineral phase μ-cordierite i s found. When the temperature reaches 1200℃, the μ-cordierite phase loses its stability, and decomposes into cristobalite phase and mullite phase.Meanwhile, the recrystallization phenomenon in thermal treatment products is obvious. There is a small quantity of Al Ⅵ signal in MAS NMR spectrum, corresponding to Al of mullite. When the temperature reaches 1350℃, the cristobalite and mullite phases reduce slightly, and more Fe-cordierite phase appears, corresponding to Fe-cordierite spectrum in XRD and MAS NMR.

Establishment and evaluation of a co-effect structure with thermal concentration-rotation function in transient regime

The advanced heat flux manipulating structures inspired by TO-based spatial mapping have aroused wide interests owing to huge potential in high-efficient thermal energy utilization.However,most researches are limited to the realization of single function in one specific structure and appropriate evaluation of the energy transfer process is relatively lacking.In this work,based on time-dependent two-dimensional heat conduction equation,a co-effect structure capable of accomplishing concentration and rotation functions simultaneously is established and validated by finite element simulations compared with the conventional single concentrator and singe rotator.In addition,from the perspective of thermodynamics,the transformed local entropy production rate and total entropy production are theoretically derived and applied to evaluate the quality of energy transfer processes.The proposed co-effect structure can help to explore other potential mass/flux manipulating devices and the evaluation method is valuable for the further manufacturing as well as optimization of these devices in engineering applications.

Thermal Product of Type-E Fast Response Temperature Sensors

This paper provides practical data for thermal product values of different scratched temperature sensors that can be used for accurate transient heat transfer measurements under hypersonic flow conditions.The effect of using different scratch techniques(abrasive papers and scalpel blades)to form the sensor's junction is investigated.It was observed that the thermal product of a particular sensor depends on the Mach number,junction scratch technique, junction location and enthalpy conditions.It was demonstrated that using different scratched technique would produce different thermal product values.

Investigation of low-molecular weight organic acids and their spatiotemporal variation characteristics in Hongfeng Lake,China

The identities and concentrations of low-molecular-weight organic acids （LMWOAs） were determined by ion chromatography throughout a 20-m water column in Hongfeng Lake, China. The spatiotemporal variations of LMWOAs and their contributions to dissolved organic matter （DOM） in a research period of 24 hr were also investigated. The results demonstrated that five LMWOAs （lactic, acetic, pyruvic, sorbic, oxalic acid） were detected, and their total concentration and proportion in DOC were 6.55 μmol/L and 7.47%. Their average levels were 2.50, 0.65, 2.35, 0.96 and 0.09 μmol/L, respectively. LMWOAs were higher during daytime （10：00-18：00 on Jun 13, 2008） than nighttime （21：00-6：00 the next morning）, in particular 4.99 μmol/L high in the epilimnion （ 1 m water depth）, reflecting the fact that direct import from terrigenous sources and photochemical production from humic materials were dominant during LMWOAs＇ origin and accumulation. The same factors caused LMWOAs to be 0.63 μmol/L in the epilimnion higher than in the hypolimnion. The rapid decrease of total organic acid （TOA） up until 18：00 mainly resulted from bio-uptake and mineralization in the hypolimnion （〉1 m water depth）. Pyruvic acid increased with time in the epilimnion and decreased in the hypolimnion, largely related to the two contrary processes of continuous degradation and synthesis of macromolecular organic matter during life materials＇ cycle mediated by organisms. Simultaneously, plankton behavior and thermal stratification played a pivotal role in LMWOAs＇ behavior in the water column, causing decreasing and increasing profiles. The distribution of LMWOAs represents an interesting resource for biogeochemical research of DOM in aquatic ecosystems.