A Simulation of Steam-Propane Injection Using a Smart Horizontal Well

A 3D 8-component thermal compositional simulation study has been performed to evaluate the merits of steam-propane injection and a novel vertical-smart horizontal well system. The novel well system consists of a vertical steam injector and a horizontal producer, whose horizontal section is fully open initially, and after steam breakthrough, only one-third (heel-end) is kept open. A 16x16x20 Cartesian model was used that represented a quarter of a typical 10-acre 9-spot inverted steamflood pattern in the field. The prediction cases studied assume prior natural depletion to reservoir pressure of about 415 psia. Under steam injection at 1200 BPDCWE, oil recovery after eight years is significantly higher with the smart steamflood pattern (61% OOIP) compared to that with the conventional pattern (51% OOIP). When steamflooding follows cyclic steam injection, the smart pattern recovers 53% OOIP in eight years compared to 46% OOIP with the conventional. The Steam-Propane injection accelerates the first oil production peak by 10% and the second by 24% when compared with pure steam injection using the smart steamflood pattern.