Cold Production, Primary Production

A primary process used to produce heavy oil from unconsolidated sandstone reservoirs.  Often this involves the continuous production of sand resulting in the creation of wormholes or zones of high permeability within the reservoirs.

The STEPS program aims to optimize cold production and to extend reservoir life by developing post-cold production techniques. 

Secondary Recovery, Water-Alternating-Gas (WAG)

A method of secondary recovery in which water is injected into the reservoir formation to displace residual oil.  The water from injection wells physically sweeps the displaced oil to adjacent production wells.  Waterflood techniques can be enhanced by injecting chemicals to improve performance or alternating solvent with water injection to improve recovery.

Waterflooding of heavy oils has been deployed extensively in western Canada.    Some of the potential problems associated with waterflood techniques include inefficient recovery due to variable permeability, reservoir heterogeneity or poor sweep efficiency for high viscosity or heavy oil.  Managing the high volumes of water in mature waterfloods is a challenge for processing equipment. 

One of the goals of the STEPS program is to gain a far better understanding of the effectiveness of waterflooding in different reservoirs.  A waterflood database that has been developed over the past decade has characterized waterflooded reservoirs to allow more accurate predictions of performance for future, analogous implementations.  There is also a focus on continuing to advance waterflooding into higher viscosity reservoirs and to enhance recovery on mature waterfloods.

Solvent Vapour Extraction (SVX), Vapour Extraction (VAPEX), Gas Flood

A heavy oil production method where solvent vapour is used to reduce the viscosity of the heavy oil. The injected solvent vapour expands and contacts the heavy oil reducing the viscosity to allow it to be produced more easily. Typical solvents are combinations of methane with propane or butane. In addition to reducing viscosity, the injected solvents increase reservoir pressure providing energy to the reservoir to allow the oil to flow to the wellbore. Solvent injection has proven effective in thinner-pay-zone heavy oil reservoirs and is expected to be a potential EOR solution following thermal processes such as SAGD.

The solvent injection process generally consumes less energy, produces fewer emissions and generally requires lower capital costs to implement than thermal options. However, this is offset by the cost of solvent, an ongoing operational cost. Optimizing solvent recovery is a major challenge for solvent programs.

Solvent injection has been successfully piloted in the field by PTRC during the JIVE Project, but additional research is required to improve solvent efficiency and recovery, which are areas of focus in the STEPS program.

Miscible CO2 Flood, Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS)

An enhanced oil recovery method in which carbon dioxide (CO2) is injected into a reservoir to increase production by reducing oil viscosity and providing miscible or partially miscible displacement of the oil. Recycling CO2 from industrial facilities improves oil recovery and has a positive environmental impact.

STEPS continues to advance EOR solutions using CO2 injection. Although logistics and supply can be issues, finding a beneficial use for CO2 is an outcome where everyone benefits. Field pilots have shown promising oil recovery.

Chemical Injection, Polymer Flood, Alkaline Flood, Surfactant Flood

A general term for injection processes that use specialized chemical solutions. Micellar, alkaline and soap-like substances are used to reduce surface tension between oil and water in the reservoir, whereas polymers such as polyacrylamide or polysaccharide are employed to improve sweep efficiency. The chemical solutions are pumped into injection wells to mobilize oil left behind after primary or secondary recovery.

The STEPS program seeks to optimize these flooding options by studying different chemical combinations and sequences, and to identify characteristics around what might work best in a given reservoir. Areas of focus for STEPS have combined chemical flooding in waterflooded reservoirs to enhance recovery.

Continuous Steam Injection, Steam Drive, Thermal Assisted Gravity Drainage

A method of thermal recovery typically used to recover bitumen in which parallel horizontal well pairs are drilled. Steam is injected into the reservoir through the upper well heating the crude oil and reducing its viscosity. The heated oil and associated condensed hot water drains (as a result of gravity) into the lower well and is produced.

Managing produced water is a significant cost to SAGD processes. STEPS is actively pursuing technologies to improve water handling capabilities.

Air Injection, Fire Flood

A method of thermal recovery in which fire is generated inside the reservoir by injecting air. As the fire moves, the burning front pushes ahead a mixture of hot combustion gases, steam and hot water, which in turn reduces oil viscosity and displaces oil toward production wells.

Current STEPS research in this area is focused on identifying a set of reservoir parameters that would be best suited to utilize the In-situ Combustion recovery process.

Electrical Stimulation, Electromagnetic Heating, Resistive Heating, Induction Heating, Microwave Heating

A method of thermal recovery where electrical energy is converted to heat directly in the wellbore. There are three conversion processes of electrical heating: ohmic or resistive, microwave, and induction heating.

STEPS is investigating many of the uncertainties regarding this technology, and hopes to uncover more efficient electoral heating technology and more cost effective solutions by better understanding the current issues.

Micro-Organism, Bacteria

A biological based technology consisting in manipulating function or structure, or both, of microbial environments existing in oil reservoirs. MEOR can improve recovery by modifying the interfacial properties of the system oil-water-minerals, with the aim of facilitating oil movement through porous media. In such a system, microbial activity affects fluidity (viscosity reduction, miscible flooding); displacement efficiency (decrease of interfacial tension, increase of permeability); sweep efficiency (mobility control, selective plugging) and driving force (reservoir pressure).

Microbial EOR processes are relatively new procedures in oil recovery. STEPS is continuing to explore Microbial EOR options as highly efficient, low cost, environmentally friendly recovery options.

A method of recovering oil from relatively impermeable reservoir rock. Hydrocarbon production from tight reservoirs can be difficult without stimulation operations. Stimulation of tight formations can result in increased production from formations that previously might have been abandoned.

The increase in demand for oil makes it imperative to uncover new ways to recover oil that was previously thought to be inaccessible. Oil recovery from tight oil formations continues to be an area of interest to the STEPS program.

STEPS is not only interested in technically advancing EOR, but also in advancing the policies surrounding EOR. STEPS supports the development of policies that are beneficial to oil and gas producers while also ensuring a sustainable economic environment and sound environmental stewardship.

The STEPS program is aimed at furthering EOR processes to improve oil recovery, but it is also interested in any other emerging technique or enabling technology that would support the economic development of oil and gas. These can include tools to better understand reservoir geometry, improved processing capabilities, and the application of beneficial technologies from other industries to oil and gas.

STEPS is presently conducting research programs that would explore the use of micro-sensor technology in oil reservoirs.