Requesting information about VAPEX

[silver]

Hey guys,

Anyone know anything about the process VAPEX. I would like information along the lines of :
Description of the process
Selection of the solvents
Statistical information of usage around the world
Criteria for implementation
Comparison to other IOR/EOR methods for heavy oil/ tar sand bitumen

After the compilation i would email the research to the ppl that help with respective references

[iqbal7200]

I have a full chapter on it, let me know your e-mail address, I will send you as attachment
The VAPEX (vapor extraction) process, as envisioned by Butler and Mokrys in 1991, is a nonthermal process using a vaporized solvent at dewpoint to produce heavy oil and bitumen instead of using thermal methods. Thermal methods such as cyclic steam injection and steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) require large capital outlays for facilities and have large heat losses.

The solvent, usually a hydrocarbon gas, such as ethane, propane or butane, dissolves in the oil, reducing its viscosity, and in some cases, precipitating asphaltenes. The well configuration, as described by the two authors, consists of an upper horizontal well injector and a lower horizontal producer well which runs parallel to the upper well as in the SAGD well pair. This is shown in Fig. VAP-1. These wells are spaced a few metres apart depending on the reservoir permeability and oil viscosity. It is the drilling and completion costs of this well pair that entails the largest portion of the capital expenditure. The solvent can often be recovered from the reservoir in the produced fluids and is used repeatedly. At the end of the project, the solvent can be recovered by blowdown of the reservoir or by injecting a gas such as methane or CO2. (This is analogous to a dry cleaning solvent such as perc (perchloroethylene) which is used to remove oil and grease on clothes. The clothes are mixed in a basket with perc and the perc spun out while the rest of the perc is recovered using hot air and condensing the solvent).

The deasphalting of the oil can upgrade and reduce the viscosity and thus may require less diluent or condensate to transport it down the pipeline.

The production rate will be dependent on the diffusion of the solvent into the oil. This molecular diffusion is much lower than thermal diffusion in steam processes. Thus it is expected that VAPEX production rates will be much lower

Regards
Muhammad Iqbal