Numerical Simulation Results for the Electrical Heating of Athabasca Oil-Sand Formations

Abstract

Summary Electrical preheating has been proposed as a method of overcoming many of the problems inherent in using a steamdrive in very viscous oil reservoirs—such as the Athabasca oil sands of Alberta, Canada. A numerical simulator was developed to study the process of electrically heating oil reservoirs consisting of several layers with different electrical resistivities. This simulator was used to study the effects of electrode placement on the final temperature contours resulting from electrically heating realistic reservoirs. Three cases illustrating the development of a hot-oil communication path low in the formation are described.