Toe-to-Heel Air Injection: Investigation of the Effect of Fractures Geometrical Properties on Process Performance

Abstract

Toe to heel air injection has been studied on non-fractured sandstone models and is found to be a promising enhanced oil recovery method for certain heavy oil reservoirs, such as those in Canada, but its applicability on fractured reservoirs, such as those in the Middle East, is not investigated yet. The objective of this article is to evaluate the effect of fractures geometrical parameters, such as fracture density, orientation, and location, on the performance of the process in laboratory scale. Simulation results showed that toe-to-heel air injection is more applicable on highly networked fractured reservoirs, such as those that occur in Persian Gulf coast compared to lower density fractured reservoirs.

Keywords:

• carbonate fractured reservoirs
• heavy oil recovery
• in situ combustion
• toe-to-heel air injection