A study of the hot water oil expulsion technique for geothermal resources

Abstract：With the rapid development of China's resource energy industry, the scheme of burning crude oil to produce steam and achieve the heavy oil thermal process needs modification. Meanwhile, the utilization of folium or edge water to drive heavy oil reservoir disagrees with the thermal process, the electric heating leads to considerable electrical consumption, and the low injection water temperature causes the decrease of oil layer temperature and the increase of crude oil viscidity. The prolonged temperature difference leads to the breaking up of reservoir pore throat cement and framework minerals. To improve the high-capacity channel communication, the authors put forward some suggestions concerning geothermal oil recovery. The broad-sense abundant geothermal resources and existing injection water technique equipment are used, the deep-seated high temperature liquid （oil-gas-water mixture）draws geothermal warming flowing layer to transit heat upward, decrease viscidity and increase fluidity. Layers different in temperature offer geothermal fountain. Practicability of the process is analyzed. Based on statistics and analysis of the temperature field variation characteristics of the Gudong oilfield, the authors have designed the flow-chart concept for geothermal oil recovery, suggested drilling the multi-branch well of the heavy oil reservoir as the injection-well at the same position of the geothermal fountain well, using free-pressure pump to inject hot liquid directly to the aimed oil layer, and making oil recovery in the surrounding wells. It is proposed that the geothermal oil recovery forerunner test should be first conducted in favorable blocks.