Cellar oil recovery techniques for in situ operations

摘要

Techniques for recovering hydrocarbons, such as heavy hydrocarbons or bitumen, from a cellar region below a horizontal production well can include providing a cellar well section that extends from the horizontal production well into the cellar region. The horizontal production well can be part of a Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) in situ recovery system, which forms a hydrocarbon depleted region and a hydrocarbon bearing cellar region. The cellar region includes hydrocarbons that have been pre-heated by SAGD operations. One or more cellar well sections are provided from the SAGD production well to extend into the cellar region, in order to form a branched production well. A pressurizing gas can be injected into the hydrocarbon depleted region from a SAGD injection well, in order to provide sufficient pressure to promote production of pre-heated hydrocarbons from the cellar region through the cellar well section. A branch well section can also be provided from a horizontal production well into a pre-heated adjacent region.

主权项

1. A process for recovering hydrocarbons, comprising:
operating a Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) in situ recovery system comprising a well pair that includes a generally horizontal SAGD injection well overlying a generally horizontal SAGD production well, thereby forming a hydrocarbon depleted region above the well pair and a hydrocarbon bearing cellar region below the well pair, the cellar region comprising hydrocarbons that have been pre-heated by the SAGD in situ recovery system; providing at least one cellar well section extending from the SAGD production well into the cellar region, in order to form a branched production well; and injecting a pressurizing gas into the hydrocarbon depleted region from the SAGD injection well, in order to provide sufficient pressure to promote production of pre-heated hydrocarbons from the cellar region through the at least one cellar well section.