Quantification of the concentration dependent diffusivity and dispersivity of light hydrocarbons in heavy oil

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The oil sands in western Canada account for 180 of the 185 billion barrels of recoverable oil but contain heavy oil and bitumen whose viscosity ranges from 1,000 to over one million centipoises (water is 1 cP). The recovery of the in-situ heavy oil relies on our ability to reduce the oil's viscosity and mobilize it in the pore space of tightly packed sand grains or consolidated carbonate rocks. Commercially, energy and water intensive thermal methods are used where steam is injected into one well, viscosity is reduced by heat transfer, the oil is mobilized to the production well and brought to the surface. A less energy intensive and more sustainable method uses light hydrocarbon solvents instead of steam to reduce the bitumen's viscosity via mass transfer.