Three-dimensional scaled physical modelling of solvent vapour extraction of Cold Lake bitumen

Light hydrocarbon solvent was used to produce bitumen from Cold Lake oil-sand in three dimensional scaled physical modelling experiments. Injection of the gas was carried out through a horizontal well until the bottom hole pressure was slightly above the saturation pressure at model temperature. Production of diluted bitumen followed the injection cycle through the same horizontal well until pressure in the reservoir was depleted slightly below the saturation pressure at model temperature. At that pressure liquid production rates were very low. In some of the experiments with ethane gas, pressure in the model varied between 3.2 and 4.0 MPa, which is near the Cold Lake reservoir pressure. This favourable physical property of ethane was offset by a smaller improvement in product quality as compared to that from tests with propane. The results of these experiments show that the production rate of bitumen assuming a gravity drainage drive mechanism with a single horizontal well cyclic process was significantly higher than what could be expected from the molecular diffusion rate of solvent into the bitumen, indicating that other mechanisms, probably solvent dispersion or fingering, are important in the mass transfer of solvent into the bitumen. Reasonable efficiency and effectiveness of ethane as solvent were achieved, resulting in a small loss of solvent and low solvent to bitumen replacement ratio in the experiments. Based on the measurement of the residual oil saturation along the wellbore, full utilization of the horizontal well was not achieved in the model tests. Production enhancements would be expected if this technical deficiency could be overcome.