Enhanced Recovery of Heavy Oil in the Niger Delta: Nelson and Mcneil Model a Key Option for In-Situ Combustion Application

Abstract

In-situ heavy oil recovery involves several field tested enhanced oil recovery methods/techniques with applicable models. Such field tested techniques include non-thermal oil recovery, hybrid oil recovery and solvent-base oil recovery. The viabilities and field successes recorded by these in-situ heavy oil recovery techniques/methods cannot be overemphasized. But, the main focus of this study is on heavy oil recovery using in-situ combustion with attention on the application of Nelson and McNeil model as documented in the in-situ combustion handbook (Partha, 1999). We subjected data(s) obtained from five (5) heavy oil reservoirs located within the same field in the Niger Delta to the correlations, equations, assumptions and calculations proposed by our study model. This enabled the research team to carry out performance evaluations while considering in-situ combustion implementation using our proposed model. Our result outcomes were further validated with a foreign heavy oil reservoir having similar reservoir properties. Our study results show how viable and profitable (with possible commercial production) heavy oil production from unconventional reservoirs in the Niger Delta would be. Currently, most of the internally generated oil revenue by the Nigeria government is from cheap/light oil obtained from conventional reservoirs (which is fast declining globally).