Thermally assisted gravity drainage (TAGD)

摘要

A system and method for producing bitumen or heavy oil from a clastic or carbonate reservoir. The mobility of the bitumen or heavy oil is increased by conductive heating to reduce the viscosity. The bitumen or heavy oil is heated to temperatures below the thermal cracking temperature of the bitumen or heavy oil. As the bitumen or heavy oil is produced, evolved gases or evaporated connate water or both form a gas chamber which acts to replace the volume of the produced fluid required for the gravity drainage process.

主权项

1. A method of producing bitumen or heavy oil from a reservoir comprising:
a) providing a horizontal producer well adjacent to a lower boundary of a cross-sectional area of the reservoir and substantially centered between two vertical no-flow boundaries within a cross-sectional area of the reservoir; b) providing a plurality of vertically distributed rows of horizontal heater wells in the reservoir above the producer well, the plurality of rows including a first row with a single aligned heater well substantially vertically aligned and parallel with the producer well and a second row above the first row including at least two offset heater wells laterally offset and substantially equidistant from the producer well; c) activating the heater wells to conductively heat the reservoir and reduce the viscosity of the bitumen or heavy oil; d) allowing the bitumen or heavy oil to drain by gravity into the producer well; and e) producing the bitumen or heavy oil with the producer well.