Geoscience of Heavy Oil Reservoirs

17:00 Hours
This course presents the major concepts of petroleum and sedimentary geology as applied in heavy oil fields, focusing on the value of geoscience data and interpretations, and the direct impact of geology on reservoir heterogeneity, recovery method, and hydrocarbon production. Multiple examples and case studies are drawn from the instructor’s direct experience with a major oil sands operator focused on SAGD thermal recovery of heavy oil, McMurray Formation, Athabasca region, Alberta, Canada.

Topics include: Definitions and occurrences of heavy oil; Recovery methods used for heavy oil; Geoscience datasets used to evaluate and understand heavy oil fields; Sedimentary rocks and their environments of deposition, linking sedimentary environments with reservoir heterogeneity; and Examples of heavy oil geoscience techniques applied to SAGD exploration, development, and production.

This course is designed for junior to senior engineers and geoscientists looking to gain familiarity with heavy oil reservoirs. Benefits of the course will be 1) improved communication between integrated team members, and 2) a greater appreciation that a better understanding of the geology of the heavy oil projects is positively correlated with better business decisions.

01-01 – Course Introduction (30 min.)

02-01 – Definition and Origin of Heavy Oil (14 min.)
02-02 – Origins of Heavy Oil (17 min.)
02-03 – Unconsolidated Nature of the Oil Sands (11 min.)

03-01 – Mining and Cold-Flow Methods (14 min.)
03-02 – Cold Flow Field Examples (17 min.)
03-03 – Heavy Oil Production Technologies – CHOPS (9 min.)
03-04 – Heavy Oil Production Technologies – Solvents (25 min.)
03-05 – Thermal Recovery Methods (Non-SAGD) (20 min.)
03-06 – Heavy Oil Production Technologies – Steam Flood (9 min.)
03-07 – Heavy Oil Production Technologies – CSS (26 min.)
03-08 – SAGD Thermal Recovery Method (25 min.)
03-09 – SAGD Thermal Recovery Method – continued (15 min.)
03-10 – Variations of SAGD (23 min.)

04-01 – Global Occurrences of Heavy Oil and Projects (12 min.)
04-02 – Heavy Oil Regions of China (13 min.)
04-03 – Heavy Oil Regions of Venezuela (12 min.)
04-04 – Heavy Oil Regions of North America (13 min.)
04-05 – Heavy Oil Regions of Alberta – Overview (13 min.)
04-06 – Heavy Oil Regions of Alberta – Peace River (20 min.)
04-07 – Heavy Oil Regions of Alberta -Cold Lake (16 min.)
04-08 – Heavy Oil Regions of Alberta -Athabasca (20 min.)
04-09 – Production Trends in Heavy Oil (12 min.)

05-01 – Shoreface and Deltaic Reservoirs (22 min.)
05-02 – Fluvial and other Channelized Reservoirs (17 min.)
05-03 – Shoreface Reservoir Implications (10 min.)
05-04 – Deltaic Deposits (8 min.)
05-05 – Deltaic Deposits In Core & Outcrop (15 min.)
05-06 – Deltaic Sandstones – Reservoir Implications (10 min.)
05-07 – Fluvial and other Channelized Reservoirs (15 min.)
05-08 – Braided Rivers (9 min.)
05-09 – Meandering Rivers (30 min.)
05-10 – Incised Valleys (12 min.)
05-11 – Fluvial Sandstones In Core and Outcrop (19 min.)
05-12 – Fluvial Sandstones : Reservior Implications (24 min.)
05-13 – Matching Recovery Process to Reservoir Type (25 min.)

06-01 – Petroleum System Elements and Exploration Data Collection (25 min.)
06-02 – Exploration with focus on Reservoir Elements (12 min.)
06-03 – Exploration With Focus On Caprock Elements (28 min.)
06-04 – Exploration With Focus on Water Source and Disposal Elements (25 min.)

07-01 – Data Collection for Field Development (15 min.)
07-02 – Caprock Integrity Studies (24 min.)
07-03 – Reservoir Heterogeneity (27 min.)
07-04 – Reservoir Fluid Impairments (22 min.)
07-05 – Fluid Impairments (8 min.)
07-06 – Reservoir Characterization and Forecasting (23 min.)
07-07 – Pad and Horizontal Well Planning (28 min.)

08-01 – Sand Control (18 min.)
08-02 – Caprock Monitoring (9 min.)
08-03 – Production Monitoring – Wells and Post-steam Cores (20 min.)
08-04 – Production Monitoring – Seismic (13 min.)
08-05 – SAGD Optimization (FCDs, Infills, NCG Co-injection) (24 min.)
08-06 – SAGD Production – NCG-CO Injection (17 min.)

09-01 – Course Conclusion (18 min.)

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