Modelling of Electromagnetic Heating Process and Its Applications in Oil Sands Reservoirs
Dongqi Ji
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Abstract
A fully implicit numerical model involving simultaneous modelling thermal oil reservoirs and EM wave propagation has been developed and validated in this study. A simple and high accuracy method has been proposed for the implementation of PML at the model boundary for electromagnetic waves. A simple and high accuracy method has been proposed for the estimation of EM wave distributions in inhomogeneous media, such as oil sands reservoirs in which saturations and temperature are dynamic parameters under a heating process. Simulation results showed that a desiccated zone, which is regarded crucial to a successful EM heating process, can be established under EM heating in the reservoir and heated oil will be produced to the surface. Heating by development of desiccated zone and heat conduction needs to be evaluated for better production performance. A moderate level of EM wave frequency and an oil production rate constraint are beneficial to a desiccated zone development.