Electromagnetic Techniques in the In-Situ Recovery of Heavy Oils

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Abstract
The majority of the Alberta oil sands are deeply buried and, at formation temperature, the oil in the formation has a viscous and tar-like consistency. Electromagnetic in-situ heating of the oil to make it more fluid and mobile is suggested as an integral part of in-situ recovery operations. Thermal and electrical properties of the Athabasca deposit of the Alberta oil sands have been measured for a wide range of conditions and some fundamental constraints on electromagnetic in-situ heating of these deposits are identified. Several in-situ electromagnetic heating schemes are suggested and general criteria for physical scale modelling of heating configurations in the laboratory are developed. Results of scale model experiments are presented and viable electrode configurations are identified. An estimate is made of the cost of electrical energy per barrel of oil recovered by electromagnetic in-situ heating.

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