ABSTRACT

The huge reserves of heavy oil in Alberta are found in a variety of complex reservoirs. Recovery, excluding mining, will require application of some form of in situ recovery method, primarily in the better reservoirs. The proper selection of an in situ method, applicable to the various reservoir types, requires a basic understanding of reservoir description and the engineering aspect of the reservoirs. In Part 1 of this paper, reservoir description in the Cold Lake heavy-oil deposits is discussed under three headings: (1) Rock Properties; (2) Fluid Saturation; (3) Reservoir Geometry. On the basis of these parameters, five selected reservoir types are discussed and compared.

Part 2 considers the application of the reservoir description in evaluating in situ methods. The significance of the reservoir parameters is discussed in general terms and related to the four most important in situ recovery mechanisms: steam stimulation, steam drive, combustion and solvent. The reservoir description is then used as the basis of comparison of the recovery mechanisms for each of the five Cold Lake reservoir types described in Part 1.