Short Course

Summer Short Course: Thermal Recovery

Instructors: Anthony R. Kovscek & Louis M. Castanier

Steam injection, and thermal recovery in general, remains the most popular enhanced oil recovery method. This course is intended to cover thermal recovery principles and practice from analytical models for vertical wells to the latest information on horizontal wells. Both steam injection and in-situ combustion methods are examined. The course consists of lectures and examples worked in class.

Topics

* Heavy-oil overview: physical properties, solution gas drive, waterflooding, and thermal recovery processes/potential
* Fundamentals of thermal recovery: viscosity versus temperature functions, thermal expansivity of oil and rock, and oil recovery mechanisms.
* Analytical and semi-analytical models for evaluation of recovery efficiency.
* Recovery from low permeability porous media.
* Recovery with horizontal wells.
* In-situ combustion fundamentals and applications.
* Formation evaluation of thermal recovery projects.
* Screening and planning of thermal recovery field projects
* Economics of thermal recovery.

Who should attend

This course is intended for engineers and geologists who wish to expand their knowledge of thermal recovery methods and heavy oil. Primarily a reservoir engineering viewpoint is taken. Prior experience with steam injection, in-situ combustion, and heat and mass transfer in porous media is not assumed.

Instructors

Tony Kovscek is an Associate Professor of Energy Resources Engineering. He holds Ph.D. and B. S. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Washington, respectively.

Louis Castanier is Technical Manager of SUPRI-A. He holds Ph.D., M.E., and B.S degrees from Toulouse University. Collectively, the SUPRI-A group has contributed over 250 reports and papers on thermal oil recovery to the literature.

General Information

Course dates: September 8 - 11, 2009
Course fee: $2000
Course administrator: Yolanda Williams (650) 725-2721
Sponsoring Project: SUPRI-A

Register here