Project Design and Evaluationr 245

Table 8-1 . Scrcening Criteria for Successful Steamfloods

HEAVY OIL LIGHT OIL

Oil Saturation, Fraction > 0.40

Oil Saturation x Porosity (Fr.) > 0.065 > 0.1

Oil Content, B/acre-ft > 500 >790

Reservoir Depth, ft <5000

Reservoir Pressure, psi <500
Net Pay Thickness, ft >20 >20
Steam Injectivity, B/D/acre-ft > 1.5
Permeability (md) x > 100 >5
Thickness (ft)/Viscosity (cp)

^a
these parameters in prolEl development, the following describe the effects of
some of these parameters on steamflood performance.
Reseryoir Depth
Depth to the target reservoir must be known because there is a limit on steam
deliverability. Steam loses heat as it travels down the wellbore. At some point,
it gives up all of the latent heat and becomes hot water, which is a less efficient
heat carrier than steam. Typically, steamflooding is applied to reservoirs with
depth less than 1,500 ft for heavy-oil targets and 5,000 ft for light-oil targets.
Depths greater than 1,500-2,000 ft require use of insulated tubing, which can
adversely affect the project economics.
For designing a steamflood project, as well as managing it, one must know
how much heat is actually delivered to the reservoir. This can be calculated if the
depth, well configuration (for heat loss calculation), and steam injection condi-
tions are known.
Thickness and Oil Content
Pay zone thickness and oil content together define target oil volume, and
hence they indicate the economic viability of the project at hand. The minimum
requirements are: a pay zone thickness of 20 ft and an oil content of 500 B/acre-
ft for heavy oil (780 B/acre-ft for light oil). Reservoirs not meeting these criteria
should not be considered for steamflooding, even if other characteristics look
favorable.
In addition to the initial oil content, one must know the residual oil saturation
to steamflood, because not all of the oil in place is recovered by steamflooding,
Recoverable oil is the difference between the initial and final oil saturations.
Residual oil saturations are determined in the laboratory using core samples,
which will be discussed later.