Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

Traditionally, hot-water and solvent are injected alternately at low temperatures and at atmospheric pressure in order to recover heavy matrix oil and cold solvents are injected into wells to recover bitumen from Grosmont carbonates. The cost of steam injection is high and so far no other method has proven effective for recovery of heavy oil bitumen in carbonate reservoirs. This project proposes a new technique based on injecting solvent at elevated temperatures and pressure to recover heavy-oil bitumen. We are proposing experiments utilizing high pressure, equivalent to the vapor pressure of the proposed solvents, to improve the efficiency of solvent utilization. The new approach is expected to increase the efficiency of the steam-injection process by increasing oil production and reducing the project cost, while also producing favorable environmental impacts and reduced CO2 emissions.