A NEW ANALYTICAL CYCLIC STEAM STIMULATION MODEL INCLUDING FORMATION FRACTURING

Cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) is the commercial oil recovery process of choice for the Cold Lake oil sands. Much of CSS is performed under fracture pressures, and as a result, performance predictions are diffi cult. This paper presents a new mathematical model, involving analytic al techniques, for CSS performance prediction. The model is based upon a fracture heating computation, coupled with fluid flow--both during steam injection and oil and water production. Thus two-phase flow is a ccounted for. Two situations, involving different flow geometries, bra cketing actual now in the field are considered. These consist of fract ure flow, and flow in an elliptical geometry with a circular well in t he centre. The model is used to simulate previously reported results. The model can serve as a valuable adjunct to numerical simulation or p hysical modelling.