LAUSR

In situ combustion (ISC) has been recently evaluated as a follow-up process to steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) with the expectation to combine the advantages of SAGD and ISC. Before the design of such a hybrid process, it is important to understand the chemical reactions between air (or oxygen) and residual oil within a SAGD chamber in the presence of water and steam in order to simulate the process with a reasonable degree of confidence. In this study, an improved reaction kinetics scheme, in terms of Saturates, Aromatics, Resins, and Asphaltenes (SARA) fractions, is proposed to represent the complex chemical reactions during ramped temperature experiments. From the results of a set of laboratory ramped temperature oxidation (RTO) tests, the oxidation behavior at different temperatures has been carefully analyzed. On the basis of the analysis, a reaction kinetics model consisting of low temperature oxidation, thermal cracking, and high temperature oxidation reactions has been developed. This model...