Heavy oil recovery by in-situ combustion

Heavy-oil fields contain considerable reserves which have hardly been exploited to date. One of the techniques well suited for the recovery of these resources is in situ combustion. The research done is illustrated by the laboratory and field results obtained for the Romanian fields of Suplacu de Barcau and Balaria. Production by in situ combustion is in the industrial stage at Suplacu de Barcau, and the combustion project at Balaria is being expanded. The performances of these tests are given in the form of the amounts of air injected and oil produced as well as their ratio (AOR), the amount of gas produced and the composition of this gas. These production data coupled with various measurements (temperature in the production wells, thickness burned, etc.) can be used to follow the process and to control it. Their interpretation also is useful for evaluating sweep efficiency and recovery. 14 references.