Assessment of Protentional Underground Carbon Dioxide Storage in Post Heavy Oil Eor Phase Through Steam, Solvent, or Hybrid Injection: A Field Case Study

Abstract The Paris Agreement aims to limit global warming to well below 2°C and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. In response to the Paris Agreement, carbon dioxide storage, also known as carbon capture and storage (CCS), is a critical part of efforts to mitigate climate change in response to the Paris Agreement. Canada has abundant heavy oil resources, but to recover this immobile liquid, hot water or solvents are often injected underground as a heat carrier (SAGD) or dilution (VAPEX) or hybrid (ES-SAGD) to mobilize the heavy oil. However, these processes often result in energy losses and CO2 emissions. Thus, how to effectively treat the produced carbon dioxide seems to be an economic and environmental problem especially under the context of the Paris Agreement and the increasing carbon tax in Canada. To address the urgent problem, this study first establishes the SAGD, warm VAPEX, and solvent-based ES-SAGD process through numerical simulation. Then carbon dioxide is injected underground in the post EOR phase. In steam-based technology (SAGD or ES-SAGD), water is used as an excellent heat carrier to inject underground to displace heavy oil, The left water underground forms an excellent dissolution trapping barrier for carbon sequestration. In solvent-based technology (ES-SAGD or VAPEX), carbon dioxide produced by heating can not only be injected for underground storage in reducing the environmental impact, but also can recover the underground solvent from gas, oil and even water phases further reducing the cost of solvent-based technology. The outcome of this research not only provides potential for carbon sequestration from post-EOR activities, but also supports the transformation of Canada's heavy oil industry towards more solvent-based methods, resulting in economic and environmental benefits.