Horizontal Well Technology for the Recovery of Heavy Oil Reserves

by
Carlos Alberto Prato Zuluaga, MSE

University of Texas at Austin, 1996
Supervisor: Augusto L. Podio

Horizontal well technology is expected to continue to expand in the future as it has in the last decade. New and improved technology plus increased experience in the application of horizontal wells will produce more economical and technical successes worldwide. Studies indicate that the potential applications of horizontal wells are growing. However, horizontal well technology is not a panacea. In this report, we describe topics of interest in horizontal well technology in the areas of drilling, completion, and well logging, in order to set a background and a better understanding of the advantages of using horizontal wells as well as the difficulties of operation and limitations of this technology.

One of the more promising applications of horizontal well technology worldwide is enhanced recovery of heavy oil. There is a new interest in heavy oil reservoirs due to the improvements on refining and exploitation, the existing vast reserves, and a prediction of an increased demand for oil which cannot be met by the production from conventional oil reservoirs alone. In the exploitation of heavy oil reservoirs, horizontal wells play a primary role. Horizontal wells provide new methods to overcome the main limiting factor for the recovery of heavy oils; high viscosity. This study includes a bibliographic review of the most successful applications of horizontal wells in the recovery of heavy oil. Of all the applications, thermal recovery obtained the best results. Additionally, we include a brief description of the applications of horizontal wells in the two countries with the greatest heavy oil reservoirs in the world, Canada and Venezuela.

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