Overview

Heavy Oil Evaluation and Development (HOED)

 About the Course

 The primary audience for this course is geoscientists or engineers who want to deepen their knowledge of heavy oil and in-situ oil sands resources. A broad audience seeking an introduction to the industry of heavy oil/in-situ oil sands, including non-technical, administrative, and business groups, will find the basic topics presented and broadly focused enough to be appealing. However, more complex technical subjects are also taught, and for these, students are typically required to have a solid technical understanding. The world's oil reserves have a high potential supply because to heavy oil and in-situ oil sands. The world's oil output is significantly influenced by cold production, oil sands mining, and in-situ thermal production techniques. These technologies have only recently been used commercially, and the degree of output in the future is uncertain due to hotly contested technical and environmental issues.

The course approaches the applications objectively and practically, outlining advantages and constraints. The course gives an overview of the geology, assessment, development, and commercial viability of heavy oil/in-situ oil sands resources as well as specifics on individual occurrences. Each participant should leave with a solid fundamental understanding of the industry of assessing and developing heavy oil deposits. Examples from actual producing fields are included in the course to reinforce the presentation.

 Target Audience

 Anyone from any discipline who needs a better understanding of heavy oil/oil sands resources will benefit from this course, but geoscientists and engineers in particular will benefit from it since they need to grasp the difficulties involved in evaluating and exploiting heavy oil/oil sands resources.

 Course Objectives

Participants will pick up skills in:

• Analyze and expand the heavy oil and oil sands resources.
• Recognize the significance of heavy oil and oil sands resources in the current global energy economy.
• Compare the characteristics of locating, developing, and producing heavy oil and oil sands resources in comparison to conventional and other unconventional resources.
• Recognize the geology, essential characteristics, and commercial viability of Canadian heavy oil and oil sands. Gather the necessary information and assess the important geology and reservoir characteristics of the various heavy oil/oil sands resource types.
• Understand and assess the environmental obstacles that must be overcome in order to develop and produce heavy oil and oil sands resources.
• Recognize the steps and procedures involved in selecting, planning, designing, and implementing a heavy oil/oil sands recovery project.
• Learn about the locations of the major significant heavy oil occurrences in the world, including Venezuela, and their geologic settings.

Course Outlines

• Introduction and definitions of bitumen and heavy oil Traditional and unusual reservoirs are compared.
• Worldwide resources and occurrences of heavy oil and oil sands
• Overview of the geology and heavy oil potential in Trinidad and Venezuela Introduction of heavy oil discoveries in the United States (Utah, California, and Texas) Geology, development, and history of Canada's heavy oil and oil sands
• Characteristics of heavy oil and oil sands and development methods Details of oil sands mining and reclamation
• Oil sands resource challenges due to the environment Review of heavy oil and in-situ oil without the recovery method
• Other commercial thermal in-situ techniques include an introduction to Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD)
• In Canada, Cold Heavy Oil Production with Sand (CHOPS) and other non-thermal heavy oil recovery techniques are used commercially.
• Examples of heavy oil and in-situ oil sands recovery projects in the field and their development plans Overview of the production facilities and thermal well completions
• Economics and reserves