The Semi-Analytical Modeling and Simulation of the VAPEX Process of "Kuh-e-Mond" Heavy Oil Reservoir

The vapor extraction process (or VAPEX) uses vaporized solvents injected into a horizontal well to form a vapor chamber within the reservoir. Vapor dissolves in the oil and enhances the oil production by decreasing the oil viscosity in heavy oil reservoirs. To evaluate the process we conduct a simulation study on an Iranian heavy oil reservoir called Kuh-e-Mond. In addition, a semi-analytical investigation of the VAPEX process has been performed. The idea is to perform VAPEX simulation for a laboratory model and find a methodology to compare the results of the simulator with the semi-analytical Butler's model. In particular, a semi-analytical dimensionless correlation for production rate that incorporates all involved physical parameters in the VAPEX process is developed. Also, we performed a sensitivity analysis on the proposed correlation to obtain its adjustable parameters and optimize using available experimental data.