In-Situ Combustion
In-Situ Combustion is a relatively new technology which uses air injection to ignite the reservoir in order to reduce the viscosity of the oil. The air is injected into a vertical well to initiate the combustion chamber; the oil is then produced from a horizontal producer well.
In-Situ Combustion technology, sometimes referred to as Toe to Heal Air Injection or THAI, offers many potential advantages over SAGD, including higher resource recovery of the original oil in place, lower production and capital costs, minimal usage of natural gas and fresh water, a partially upgraded crude oil product, reduced diluent requirements for transportation and significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions. The In-Situ Combustion process also has potential to operate in reservoirs that are lower in pressure, containing more shale, lower in quality, thinner and deeper than SAGD. This type of technology could be utilized in deep heavy oil resources both onshore and offshore.
Potential Advantages of In-Situ Combustion:
- Lower initial capital costs
- Higher resource recovery
- In-situ Upgraded crude oil
- Reduced environmental impact
Regent's Value
- Tremendous sand control knowledge
- Reservoir Analysis
- Continuous Innovation
Images courtesy of Petro-Bank Energy