A Systematic Workflow Process for Heavy Oil Characterization: Experimental Techniques and Challenges

Abstract Heavy crude oil reserves are steadily gaining attention as the world's energy demand increases. The fluid characterization of heavy oil and bitumen is critical in deciding best extraction, production, and processing methods of a heavy oil asset. High viscosity, low API, low saturation pressure, and low GOR impose challenges in measuring fluid properties of heavy oil. Such challenges include fluid sampling, sample handling, cleaning and de-emulsification of heavy samples and slow evolution of gas from oil phase during pressure-volume-temperature (PVT) testing— e.g., constant composition expansion (CCE) experiment. Due to these challenges, the accurate and reliable fluid characterization of heavy oil becomes more difficult. Currently, no industry standards exist for heavy oil property measurements. More often, heavy oil property measurements are performed in the same way as black oil fluid property measurements. This poses a big risk in obtaining erroneous fluid properties measurement for heavy oils. This paper summarizes the heavy oil fluid characterization technique that includes fluid sample handling, PVT analysis, fluid viscosity, emulsion and rheology, slow kinetics of gas evolution during CCE experiment, solvent solubility study, steam stripping study, and high temperature vapor-liquid equilibrium of oil-solvent-steam systems. The experimental methodologies, including the merits and experimental limitations for these measurements are discussed in detail. Example results of heavy oil property measurements for each technique are presented. Finally, a systematic heavy oil characterization workflow is proposed for various types of production processes such as cold depletion, steam flood and heavy oil flow assurance characterization.