Startup delays.From the update on Whitesands, and it seems the process of getting flow from the area of steam injection to the horizontal recovery well is starting to work. They are producing 600 barrels of “fluids” per day from the recovery well, comprised of bitumen and condensed steam. They did not report what the relative percentage of bitumen to water was, so it’s hard to know how effective the steaming is. They are steaming both the vertical and horizontal wells, so there will be water condensed into the horizontal well regardless of the effect of the vertical well. They do say they feel they have increased motility. They now speak of starting air injection in the “next few weeks”. I think that represents a significant delay, as they previously scheduled air injection, and thus ignition, for the end of June. I’m assuming they want to be sure that there is flow from the injection well to the recovery horizontal before the start to add the compressed air. If there is no relief for the pressure generated in the well, by flows to the recovery horizontal, the combination of the air pressure supplied and the expansion of the gas products of combustion will raise the pressure in the injection well to the point where it is not possible to pump further air into the combustion zone. With out newly available oxygen, the combustion will diminish and possibly extinguish. I suppose they could insert a tube into the vertical well bore to carry the compressed air down to the area of the initial combustion face and relieve some exhaust pressure from the vertical bore if pressure becomes a problem, but I would think the flow of all products from the project would best be vented through the recovery well, to encourage the greatest possible flow of bitumen and any hydrocarbon fractions to the recovery well. There might also be some risk of combustion of incompletely combusted fluids in the vertical well bore resulting from the backup of those fluids mixing with the air delivered to the base of the injection well.
I would like to have more information about the rate of flow between the two wells. It would depend on many factors, including the relative pressure differential between the two wells. The engineers will want to keep higher pressures in both wells so less heat will be lost to expansion and more heat can be transferred to the bitumen sands. Likely they will use high pressure in both wells in the initial heating, and then reduce pressure in the recovery well somewhat to encourage flow through the structure, rather than relying exclusively on gravity. I guess it’s better and safer to be confident of the flow between the wells prior to air injection, but the delay is a little frustrating.
Let's hope for a successful ignition and production soon.
M.