Environnemental and Technological Issues Associated with
Non-Conventional Oil
Recent Technological Advancement
Claude MANDIL
Chairman and CEO
Institut Français du Petrole
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002
Non-Conventional Oil
Specific properties of heavy and extra-heavy oils
Heavy oil Light oil
Gravity (°API) 10 000 cp
> 10 000 cp
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002
Non-Conventional Oil
Recent Technological Advancement
Production methods
- industrial primary production
- industrial and pilot enhanced recovery
- laboratory enhanced production
Transportation methods
- traditionnal technologies
- technologies to be developed
Upgrading methods
- recent advancement
- in the futur
CO2 issues
Conclusion
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002
Production Methods
High viscosity Low ability to flow through the
porous media
Primary production Enhanced recovery methods
Industrial solutions
Industrials solutions
- Foamy oils
- Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS)
- Wormholes
- Steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD)
Pilot solutions
- Polymer injection
- Solvent injection (VAPEX)
Laboratory solution
- In-situ combustion (THAI process)
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002
Industrial primary production methods
Foamy oil
Gas bubbles are trapped by the viscous oil Numerical modeling of
the phenomena?
Wormholes
Unconsolidated sand reservoirs
Sand production enhances oil recovery How to control
After wormhole formation?
Before production
production
Development
of a cavity
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002
Industrial and pilot solutions for enhanced production
SAGD: Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage
Overbunden
How to monitor the
Steam chamber steam chamber?
Mobile oil
Underbunden
Legend : Injector
Producer
Vapex and NAGD (Naphtha Assisted Gravity Drainage)
- Steam replaced by propane or naphtha Solvents are
- No use of water, less environmental problem expensive products.
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002
Laboratory solutions: in-situ combustion
- THAI process (Toe-to-Heel Air injection)
(U. of Bath, PRI) Will it work at the
field scale?
Injector Combustion front Producer
Overbunden
Mobile cold heavy oil
Air and water oil zone
Underbunden
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002
Transportation Methods
High viscosity important frictions high pressure
drop
Reduction of the viscosity Reduction of frictions
Traditional solution
- Dilution To be developed
- Heating and isolation - Core Annular Flow
- Emulsion for combustion - Friction Reducing Agents
- Partial on-site upgrading
To be developed
- Emulsion for transportation
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002
Transportation: Traditional technologies (1)
Dilution
- Blending the heavy oil with a light one Diluent disponibility
and/or recycling
- Easy to realize and efficient
Heating and isolation
High temperature
induces greater
- Crude is heated (50°C) and pipes isolated corrosion
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002
Transportation: Traditional technologies (2)
Partial on-site upgrading
Conversion at the
- Production of transportable synthetic crude well-site?
Emulsion for combustion
- oil in water emulsion as combustible for High emissions of flue
electric power plant gas and CO2
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002
Transportation: technologies to be developed
Emulsion for transportation
Oil
Breaking the
emulsion?
Water
Core annular flow
Pipe
Oil adherence while
stopping the flow
Water layer
Viscous oil
Friction Reducing Agents
Optimized proportion
- optimization of the dilution and the heating between FRA and
processes dilution
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002
Comparison of transportation methods efficiency
*
*
* : V% oil/water
source: Intevep
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002
Comparison of the transportation methods
Heating Dilution Upgrading Emulsion Annular flow
Required pipe Normal Larger Normal Larger Normal
diameter
Corrosion Potential None None Potential Potential
Additional Normal High High (field Normal/high Normal/high
investments (heaters) (parallel refinery) (supply (supply
diluant system) system)
system)
Environmental Electricity No specifity No specifity Water Water
problems source separation / treatment
treatment
Traditional solutions Solutions to be developed
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002
Upgrading heavy oils
Products:
Atmospheric Gas
Classic conversion
distillation & LPG
hydrotreatment
Gasoline
Vacuum
distillation Kerosene
Atmospheric gasoil
residue Deep fuel-oil
Vacuum conversion
Coke
residue
Yield °API S (W%) Ni ppm V ppm
Conventional 20% 5.9 4.2 47 144
Non-conventional 40% 1.9 4.8 153 590
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002
Upgrading heavy oils
- High gravity
- Few light products
- Lots of impurities
- Lots of heavy residues
- Low H content
Upgrading the residues: deep conversion process
Traditional solutions
- Visbreaking
- Delayed coking
- Solvent Deasphalting
Current R&D pathways
- Hydrotreating
- Association of processes
- Gasification
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002
Upgrading heavy oils
improved catalyst process
1st generation 2nd generation
catalyst catalyst
Residue conversion, V % 45-75 45-80
Hydrodesulfurisation 55-80 75-90
Denitrogenation 23-35 30-50
Metals removal 65-90 65-90
source: IFP
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002
Upgrading heavy oils
Combination of hydrotreating and solvant deasphalting
Combination of H-Oil and Solvahl IFP process
Heavy Crude Syncrude
Yield V% 100 85 - 95
Gravity °API 10.8 23
Sulfur W% 4.39 1.74
CCR W% 13.2 0.5 - 1.8
Ni+V Wppm 205 5-6
Viscosity cSt 1447 2.7 - 3.2
source: IFP/WPC
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002
Upgrading heavy oils
Global interest for Gasification
Partial
oxidation
Heavy oil Synthesis gas (mainly H2 and CO)
Global interest:
- Integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC)
- Combination with GTL
But!
- Investment still quite high, especially for oxygen production
- High CO2 emissions
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002
CO2 issues
Energetic yield “From well to syncrude”
%
100
Conventional
90 Orinoco
Steam
85
injection HW
80 oil sand
75 Steam
injection VW
2.5 10 15 25
CO2 emissions
HW: horizontal wells g/MJ
VW: vertical wells
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002 source: IFP
Conclusion
Lots of technical innovations for
non-conventional oil exploitation
3 main issues for R&D focus
- energetic yield to improve,
- environmental impact to reduce
- CO2 emissions to reduce
IEA Conference on non-conventional oil/ Calgary November 25-26, 2002