The Yaregskoye field of high-viscosity oil is discovered in 1932. Formation is located at depth of 200 m, porosity is 25-26%, permeability – 2000-3000 мкм2, the average formation thickness – 26 m. Under reservoir conditions oil viscosity is 16000 mPa·s, density – 933 kg/m3. Well development from the surface did not yield positive results. In 1937 the oil mine 1 was opened. The first oil from mine has been received in 1939. The deposit was developed by depletion (dissolved gas drive). On the fulfilled areas of oil recovery factor was 0.04 – 0.06. In 1968 pilot works using thermal methods for oil production under mine conditions (thermal mining) began. Since 1972, for the first time in the world, the thermal mining development has started being applied in industrial scale on the Yaregskoye field. Oil recovery has increased by 10 times, at the average to 51%, at the oil steam ratio of 2,6 - 2,7 t/t. In 1996 - 1998 the new underground and surface system which includes steam injection by surface wells, and oil production through underground wells has been developed. Oil recovery factor has increased twice, thus passing of mine workings and volume drilling of underground wells was reduced more than by 8 times, and oil recovery of 60% is reached in 12 years at the same oil steam ratio. Now the underground and surface system is the main at thermal mining development of the Yaregskoye field.
References
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