Session: 11-10-02 Development of Unconventional Reservoirs-2

Paper Number: 79250

79250 - Challenges in the Implementation of the Air Injection EOR Method: The Venezuelan Experience 

Air Injection, or In-Situ Combustion, is one of the oldest thermal EOR methods that has been applied in Venezuela to increase the production of highly viscous crude oils, with a first field application in 1959 in the Tia Juana Field-Lake Maracaibo Basin. This method, which is characterized by a high energy efficiency, consists of injecting air into the reservoir where exothermic oxidation reactions are initiated to increase the mobility of the oil by reducing its viscosity and increasing the API gravity. Compared to other thermal EOR methods such as steam injection, the air injection method has a lower environmental impact in terms of water and fuel consumption, and emission of gases, as the produced gases can be reinjected or stored.

According to the literature, several air injections projects have been carried out in Venezuela in Tia Juana, Morichal, Miga and Melones fields. Although the technical results were satisfactory in terms of viscosity reduction and improvement of the crude oil properties (°API), other important aspects of project evaluations have not been convincing due to the following factors: operational problems, high temperatures in producing wells, corrosion, high CAPEX and OPEX costs in low oil price environment, among others. Nevertheless, recent literature reports have shown that optimizations research works have been conducted using solid and liquid catalysts to better address the other factors mentioned.

Due to the great need to increase hydrocarbon production in Venezuela, and to the advantages of air injection as an upgrading technique where low-carbon fuels and hydrogen as by-products are generated, this paper presents a review of the air injection projects in Venezuela from research aspects and field applications. This paper seeks to identify the main insights on success and failure of projects and give substantiated recommendations for future applications of air injection.

Presenting Author: Fernancelys Rodriguez Independent

Authors:

Fernancelys Rodriguez Independent