Correlations between Geomechanical Effects, SAGD Performance, and Reservoir Conditions in SAGD Operations in Alberta, Canada

The SAGD process is one of the most popular in-situ recovery methods used to produce oil from oil sands in Alberta, Canada. This process reduces the viscosity of bitumen by injecting high-temperature steam to produce oil. The geomechanical effects of unconsolidated sandstone reservoirs due to high injection pressures may threaten the caprock integrity and cause surface heave. However, the geomechanical effect increases oil productivity owing to the enhanced permeability in the reservoir. This study examined the correlation between reservoir conditions, operating conditions, SAGD performance, and annual surface heave rate of six SAGD projects in Alberta, Canada. The correlation study indicates that SAGD operations with high productivity can cause severe problems in caprock integrity for thin caprocks, shallow reservoir depth, low safety factor, and HP-SAGD.