%0 Journal Article
%T Electromagnetic Heating of Heavy Oil and Bitumen: A Review of Experimental Studies and Field Applications
%A Albina Mukhametshina
%A Elena Martynova
%J Journal of Petroleum Engineering
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/476519
%X Viscosity is a major obstacle in the recovery of low API gravity oil resources from heavy oil and bitumen reservoirs. While thermal recovery is usually considered the most effective method for lowering viscosity, for some reservoirs introducing heat with commonly implemented thermal methods is not recommended. For these types of reservoirs, electromagnetic heating is the recommended solution. Electromagnetic heating targets part of the reservoir instead of heating the bulk of the reservoir, which means that the targeted area can be heated up more effectively and with lower heat losses than with other thermal methods. Electromagnetic heating is still relatively new and is not widely used as an alternate or addition to traditional thermal recovery methods. However, studies are being conducted and new technologies proposed that could help increase its use. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the recovery of heavy oil and bitumen reservoirs by electromagnetic heating through the review of existing laboratory studies and field trials. 1. Introduction High-frequency electromagnetic radiation is a relatively new technique for use in enhanced oil recovery methods. It has been tested by theoretic, laboratories and field trial research in Russia [1¨C10], the United States [11¨C17], Canada [18¨C21], and other countries [22¨C34]. Traditional thermal recovery and well stimulation techniques using hot steam or fluid are not effective in some cases [7, 35] due to prohibitive heat losses from injection wells and reservoirs, low reservoir injectivity (especially for bitumen deposits), steam leakage, large overburden heat loss at thin pay zones, permafrost conditions, and so forth. Furthermore, commonly used thermal recovery methods are not considered environmentally friendly, damaging the hydrogeologic environment and contributing to the greenhouse effect. The most important thing in electromagnetic heating is that the heat is developed within the material rather than being brought from outside, which means the material is heated more uniformly throughout the medium [27]. Therefore, instead of heating the bulk reservoir volume, part of the reservoir can be targeted and heated more effectively with lower heat loss than other thermal methods. Unlike traditional thermal recovery methods, microwave heating causes friction by vibration of molecules, which results in dielectric heating of the reservoir. Heat and mass transfer in different environments under microwave influence was studied by a number of scientists around the globe, but its application as an
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jpe/2013/476519/