RE: The NewsNo, just like any other steam job, just much more simple and more effective and controlable.
The increase in downhole pressure is a result of increase of velocity. The steam does not push the fluids up the well, but it allows the thick fluids to dilute out and migrate better through the pores, thus creating a higher reservoir pressure.
In the first DHT position, they possibly just heated oil, so no steam was generated to dilute a larger area, but nevertheless they got back a dead well (0 psi) back to flow (45 psi).
They moved the DHT (another great advantage - you can move it in the well) to the water zones.
This position achieved higher temperatures and a bigger effect on the pressure, but dried out the water that was in there faster than it could flow back.
Thats why they want to test the other well which has more water content.
Again, the DHT does not produce steam to increase pressure directly, but by disolving the heavy oil in the formation to allow overall pressure to increase by permeability.
Not a niche, but a better (cheaper, controllable, effective) way of doing steam jobs, especially in combination with VRS technology.