Flow Hydraulics in Wells with Inflow and Outflow Control Devices by using Computational Fluid Dynamics

在油砂开采过程中，将高压高温蒸汽注入储层中以调动油砂。 沥青在原始储层条件下，沥青的粘度通常为数十万至数十万。 数百万cP，而在蒸汽温度下，油的粘度下降到小于10 cP， 在重力作用下排至生产井。该过程的关键特征是，如果蒸汽不 当油与油接触并将其热量传递给油时，油的粘度仍然很高，并且油不会从储层中产出。 因此，储层内的蒸汽一致性对于开采过程的性能至关重要。的 蒸汽一致性越差，蒸汽-油比（这测量成本-收益比）越差。 几乎所有的油田作业都面临蒸汽一致性挑战，其中蒸汽注入不均匀 沿着蒸汽辅助重力泄油（SAGD）井对。有一种方法已经证明 实现更均匀的蒸汽一致性的希望是使用流量控制装置。这些设备 基本上限制流入或流出储层的流体，从而在井内产生更均匀的压力。流出 控制装置通过促进蒸汽沿着蒸汽喷射器更均匀地喷射 从储层沿生产井沿着生产井生产流体。因此，这些装置促进更均匀的蒸汽 沿着井对的一致性产生改进的蒸汽-油比， 发射强度拟议中的项目是盖茨研究小组和Ansys之间的新合作伙伴关系 加拿大有限公司，将研究和开发新的改进设计的流动控制装置的油砂 应用.

In oil sands recovery processes, high pressure, high temperature steam is injected into the reservoir to mobilize bitumen. Bitumen, at original reservoir conditions, has viscosity typically in the hundreds of thousands to millions of cP whereas at steam temperature, the viscosity of the oil drops to less than 10 cP enabling its drainage under gravity to the production well. The critical feature of the processes is that if steam does not contact the oil and transfer its heat to it, the oil viscosity remains high and it is not produced from the reservoir. Thus, steam conformance within the reservoir is essential to the performance of the recovery process. The poorer the steam conformance, the worst the steam-to-oil ratio (this measures the cost-to-revenue ratio). Nearly all field operations are having steam conformance challenges where steam is not uniformly injected along the Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) well pairs. One method that has shown substantial promise at achieving more uniform steam conformance is the use of flow control devices. These devices essentially restrict flow into or from the reservoir yielding a more uniform pressure within the well. Outflow control devices do so by promoting more uniform injection of steam along steam injectors and more uniform production of fluids from the reservoir along producers. Thus, these devices promote more uniform steam conformance along the well pair yielding improved steam-to-oil ratios and consequently economic and emission intensities. The proposed project, a new partnership between the Gates Research Group and Ansys Canada Ltd., will research and develop new improved designs for flow control devices for oil sands applications.