Abstract

A 5-acre pilot steamflood incorporating one horizontal, one radial and three vertical injectors was drilled in 1990 on Unocal’s Bremer Fee. The horizontal I-49 and radial RI-53 wells were drilled to evaluate the potential for those techniques to optimize steamflood performance. The pilot area is in a mature portion of the field with limited new producer locations, but a significant number of remaining reserves and flood expansion potential. Injector I-49 was drilled as a medium radius well with 400′ of horizontal section that substitutes for two vertical injectors. Well RI-53, funded in part by the DOE as a new technology test, consists of a vertical well bore with four completed radials. Production comes from the unconsolidated heavy oil bearing Upper Miocene Potter Sands. Both wells inject into the basal portion of the Potter Sand thereby allowing a comparison of injector performance. Unocal is currently in the initial phases of evaluating this pilot.