Applicability of Kinetic Models for In Situ Combustion Processes with Different Oil Types

The in situ combustion (ISC) process is of interest as an enhanced oil recovery method because it is an alternative to traditional steam-based processes for heavy oil and bitumen recovery. ISC is a technique applicable outside the window of reservoir conditions deemed appropriate for steam injection (such as deeper and thinner reservoirs). The process involves complex chemical reactions and physical recovery mechanisms, and predicting the likelihood of successful ISC in field applications remains challenging. This paper describes a numerical investigation of the capability of different ISC kinetic models to predict the combustion behaviors of different types of oils (light oil, heavy oil, and bitumen). Three kinetic models (of Coats, Crookston, and Belgrave) were selected from literature and compared using data from four published combustion-tube experiments. The comparison procedure is as follows: (1) validate the numerical modeling of each kinetic model by matching the selected experimental results or duplicating the numerical results found in published literature; (2) adjust fluid viscosities and densities to match the fluid properties of each experiment;and (3) use each validated kinetic model to predict the performance of the other experiments without further tuning the kinetic parameters. The knowledge derived from the experiments provides guidance for choosing the appropriate kinetic model when no other data are available and for the preliminary design and screening study of a potential ISC project.     

Inputs of iron,manganese and aluminium to surface waters of the Northeast Atlantic Ocean and the European continental shelf

Dissolved Fe, Mn and Al concentrations (dFe, dMn and dAl hereafter) in surface waters and the water column of the Northeast Atlantic and the European continental shelf are reported. Following an episode of enhanced Saharan dust inputs over the Northeast Atlantic Ocean prior and during the cruise in March 1998, surface concentrations were enhanced up to 4 nmol L^− 1 dFe, 3 nmol L^− 1 dMn and 40 nmol L^− 1 dAl and returned to 0.6 nmol L^− 1 dFe, 0.5 nmol L^− 1 dMn and 10 nmol L^− 1 dAl towards the end of the cruise three weeks later. A simple steady state model (MADCOW, [Measures, C.I., Brown, E.T., 1996. Estimating dust input to the Atlantic Ocean using surface water aluminium concentrations. In: Guerzoni. S. and Chester. R. (Eds.), The impact of desert dust across the Mediterranean, Kluwer Academic Publishers, The Netherlands, pp. 301–311.]) was used which relies on surface ocean dAl as a proxy for atmospheric deposition of mineral dust. We estimated dust input at 1.8 g m^− 2 yr^− 1 (range 1.0–2.9 g m^− 2 yr^− 1) and fluxes of dFe, dMn and dAl were inferred. Mixed layer steady state residence times for dissolved metals were estimated at 1.3 yr for dFe (range 0.3–2.9 yr) and 1.9 yr for dMn (range 1.0–3.8 yr). The dFe residence time may have been overestimated and it is shown that 0.2–0.4 yr is probably more realistic. Using vertical dFe versus Apparent Oxygen Utilization (AOU) relationships as well as a biogeochemical two end member mixing model, regenerative Fe:C ratios were estimated respectively to be 20 ± 6 and 22 ± 5 μmol Fe:mol C. Combining the atmospheric flux of dFe to the upper water column with the latter Fe:C ratio, a ‘new iron’ supported primary productivity of only 15% (range 7%–56%) was deduced. This would imply that 85% (range 44–93%) of primary productivity could be supported by regenerated dFe. The open ocean surface data suggest that the continental shelf is probably not a major source of dissolved metals to the surface of the adjacent open ocean. Continental shelf concentrations of dMn, dFe, and to a lesser extent dAl, were well correlated with salinity and express mixing of a fresher continental end member with Atlantic Ocean water flowing onto the shelf. This means probably that diffusive benthic fluxes did not play a major role at the time of the cruise.     

Fluid–rock interactions associated with regional tectonics and basin evolution

An integrated approach consisting of fracture analysis, petrography, carbon, oxygen and strontium‐isotope analyses, as well as fluid‐inclusion micro‐thermometry, led to a better understanding of the evolution of fluid–rock interactions and diagenesis of the Upper Permian to Upper Triassic carbonates of the United Arab Emirates. The deposited carbonates were first marked by extensive early dolomitization. During progressive burial, the carbonates were affected by dolomite recrystallization as well as precipitation of vug and fracture‐filling dolomite, quartz and calcite cements. After considerable burial during the Middle Cretaceous, sub‐vertical north–south oriented fractures (F1) were cemented by dolomite derived from mesosaline to hypersaline fluids. Upon the Late Cretaceous maximum burial and ophiolite obduction, sub‐vertical east–west fractures (F2) were cemented by dolomite (Dc2) and saddle dolomite (Ds) derived from hot, highly saline fluids. Then, minor quartz cement has precipitated in fractures from hydrothermal brines. Fluid‐inclusion analyses of the various diagenetic phases imply the involvement of increasingly hot (200°C) saline brines (20 to 23% NaCl eq.). Through one‐dimensional burial history numerical modelling, the maximum temperatures reached by the studied rocks are estimated to be in the range of 160 to 200°C. Tectonically‐driven flux of hot fluids and associated diagenetic products are interpreted to have initiated during the Late Cretaceous maximum burial and lasted until the Oligocene–Miocene compressional tectonics and related uplift. The circulation of such hydrothermal brines led to partial dissolution of dolomites (Dc2 and Ds) and to precipitation of hydrothermal calcite C1 in new (mainly oriented north–south; F3) and pre‐existing, reactivated fractures. The integration of the obtained data confirms that the diagenetic evolution was controlled primarily by the interplay of the burial thermal evolution of the basin and the regional tectonic history. Hence, this contribution highlights the impacts of regional tectonics and basin history on diagenetic processes, which may subsequently affect reservoir properties.