Steam Injection For Enhanced Oil Recovery

Steam Injection for Enhanced
Oil Recovery
Georgy Zerkalov
December 7, 2015
Submitted as coursework for PH240, Stanford
University, Fall 2015
Introduction
The world relies heavily on oil
for primary energy. In 2014, the
global demand for oil increased
by 0.8% to reach 101 million Fig. 1: Cyclic steam stimulation.
b/d. [1] With constantly rising Topo: Steam injection. Bottom:
demand for oil, the question is Production. (Source: G. Zerkalov)
posed, how will oil producers
meet the demand? Oil production is separated into three phases:
primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary recovery involves
extracting hydrocarbons that naturally rise to the surface. During the
second phase water and gas are injected into the well to push oil to
the surface. [2] After the first two phases there can be still 60-80% of
oil left in the well. [3] The implementation of enhanced oil recovery
(EOR), during the tertiary phase, can help extract up to 30% of
original oil in place (OOIP). EOR involves injecting materials that are
not normally present in the reservoir to increase production.
Thermal EOR and Steam Injection

During the thermal recovery the reservoir is heated to reduce oil
viscosity. Thermal EOR is the most popular method accounting for
more than 50% of the overall EOR market. Steam injection is the
most common method used in thermal EOR. Other methods include
in-situ combustion, where the reservoir is heated and an injected
high-oxygen gas mixture burns to create a combustion front. [4]
Steam injection is mostly used in shallow reservoirs that contain high
viscosity (usually heavy) crude oil. These include reservoirs in the
San Joaquin Valley of California or those that comprise the oil sands
of Alberta, Canada. Steam injection is a very well understood EOR
method, used commercially since the 1960s. The injection of steam
lets heat the crude oil in the formation thus lowering its viscosity and
vaporizing some of the oil to increase its mobility. [4] The decreased
viscosity helps reduce the surface tension, increase the permeability
of oil and improve the reservoir seepage conditions. Oil vaporization
allows oil to flow more freely through the reservoir and to form
better oil once it has condensed.
Steam injection EOR contains two distinct categories: cyclic steam

stimulation and steam flooding. In cyclic steam stimulation the same
well is used for steam injection and oil production. At first, steam is
injected for a period from couple of weeks to a couple of months. The
introduced steam allows to heat up the oil immediately surrounding
the injection well through convective heating thus lowering its
viscosity (Fig. 1).
After the target viscosity is reached, steam injection stops to allow

heat to redistribute evenly in the formation. This helps maximize the
amount of oil recovered after this stage. The well can then be
produced until the temperature in the well drops and the viscosity of
oil increases again (Fig. 1). After that, a new cycle of steam injection
starts to heat up the reservoir. [5]
In steam flooding, injection and

production wells differ from
Fig. 2: Steam flooding. (Source: G. each other. Steam is introduced
Zerkalov) through the injection wells and
is driven toward oil to
physically displace it while heating it to reduce viscosity. Steam
floods require continuity in the formation to allow steam to drive oil
toward the production well (Fig. 2). Steam flooding is more costly
that cyclic steaming, since it requires more steam to be used during
the process. Nonetheless, this method usually helps recover a larger
portion of the oil. In some fields, where connectivity is favored, both
methods can be implemented: cyclic stimulation followed by steam
flooding. [5]
Steam injection is usually more environmentally friendly than other

EOR methods, therefore, fewer complications arise when it is used.
The steam itself does not pose a great threat since it just condenses to
water, which causes no pollution.
Challenges
Just as all other EOR methods steam injection has a number of
drawbacks and challenges:
When steam cools in the well it turns into water which

mixes with oil. This adds extra operational costs since larger
volumes of liquids must be handled. Furthermore, an extra
dehydration facility is needed nearby to allow for adequate
separation of oil and water before oil shipment.
Steam injection can sometimes severely damage the

underground well structure. This happens in reservoirs
which are prone to geologic rearrangements. This
phenomenon can endanger lives of the workers and damage
the equipment. Therefore, steam injection cannot be used in
these types of reservoirs, unless extra caution is taken.
Economic challenge is one of the determining factors in

using steam flooding. When steam injection begins for the
first time, one barrel of steam injected can recover up to
thirty barrels of incremental oil. After some time, the
efficiency of the process drops and one barrel of steam is
only able to recover 0.2 barrel of incremental oil. A this
point the process becomes uneconomical, since steam price
rises up to $20-$30 per barrel of incremental oil recovered,
if natural gas is used for steam generation. [5] At these
conditions producers usually shut the well until oil prices
rise or an another technology is implemented.
Conclusion
Thermal Oil Recovery is by far the most popular method used in the
world during the tertiary stage of oil recovery. Steam injection is the
most common method used in thermal EOR. It helps produce up to
30% of original oil in place. Steam injection does not poses as many
environmental risks as other EOR methods might have. This helps
implement this technology in different countries, even with strict
regulations. Economy is the main factor that determines if this
technology should be implemented in one field or the other.
© Georgy Zerkalov. The author grants permission to copy, distribute

and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the
author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including
commercial rights, are reserved to the author.
References
[1] "BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2015," British Petroleum,
June 2015.
[2] G. Glatz, "A Primer On Enhanced Oil Recovery." Physics 240,

Stanford University, Fall 2013.
[3] A. Z. Abidin, T. Puspasari, and W.A. Nugroho, "Polymers For

Enhanced Oil Recovery Technology," Procedia Chem. 4, 11 (2012).
[4] "An Introduction To Enhanced Oil Recovery Techniques," Sino

Australia Oil and Gas Pty. Ltd., 6 Jun 13.
[5] G. V. Chilingar, J. O Robertson, and S Kumar, Eds., Surface
Operations In Petroleum Production, II (Elsevier, 1989), pp. 238-244.

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Steam Injection for Enhanced

Thermal EOR and Steam Injection

Steam injection EOR contains two distinct categories: cyclic steam

After the target viscosity is reached, steam injection stops to allow

In steam ﬂooding, injection and

Steam injection is usually more environmentally friendly than other

When steam cools in the well it turns into water which

Steam injection can sometimes severely damage the

Economic challenge is one of the determining factors in

© Georgy Zerkalov. The author grants permission to copy, distribute

[2] G. Glatz, "A Primer On Enhanced Oil Recovery." Physics 240,

[3] A. Z. Abidin, T. Puspasari, and W.A. Nugroho, "Polymers For

[4] "An Introduction To Enhanced Oil Recovery Techniques," Sino

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