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LAPSE:2023.20175

Numerical Analysis of In Situ Conversion Process of Oil Shale Formation Based on Thermo-Hydro-Chemical Coupled Modelling

Juan Jin, Weidong Jiang, Jiandong Liu, Junfeng Shi, Xiaowen Zhang, Wei Cheng, Ziniu Yu, Weixi Chen, Tingfu Ye

March 17, 2023

Abstract
The in situ conversion process (ICP) is a retorting method pyrolyzing the kerogen in shale into oil and gas products, which shows great potential to promote the recovery of oil shale resources. In this work, a thermo-hydro-chemical-coupled model for the in situ conversion process is established, considering the temperature dependence of key properties and the transverse isotropy caused by the layered characteristics of oil shale. Based on the proposed model, a series of simulations is conducted to evaluate the production performance of the in situ conversion process of oil shale reservoirs. The results indicate that energy efficiency reaches a maximum of 2.7 around the fifth year of the heating process, indicating the feasibility of in situ conversion technology. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis shows that the heating temperature should be higher than 300 °C to avoid the energy output being less than the energy input, and the oil/gas ratio decreases with increasing heating temperature. Moreover, thermal conductivity is positively with production while heat capacity is negatively correlated, and the energy efficiency decreases with increasing thermal conductivity and matrix heat capacity. Finally, the heating period should be no longer than 4 years to maximize the heating efficiency.

Record ID

LAPSE:2023.20175

Keywords

in situ conversion process, multi-physics field, numerical analysis, oil shale, production evaluation, thermo-hydro-chemical coupled model

Subject

Energy Systems

Suggested Citation

Jin J, Jiang W, Liu J, Shi J, Zhang X, Cheng W, Yu Z, Chen W, Ye T. Numerical Analysis of In Situ Conversion Process of Oil Shale Formation Based on Thermo-Hydro-Chemical Coupled Modelling. (2023). LAPSE:2023.20175

Author Affiliations

Jin J: Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, PetroChina, Beijing 100083, China; Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Production, CNPC, Beijing 100083, China
Jiang W: Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, PetroChina, Beijing 100083, China; Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Production, CNPC, Beijing 100083, China
Liu J: Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, PetroChina, Beijing 100083, China; Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Production, CNPC, Beijing 100083, China
Shi J: Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, PetroChina, Beijing 100083, China; Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Production, CNPC, Beijing 100083, China
Zhang X: Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, PetroChina, Beijing 100083, China; Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Production, CNPC, Beijing 100083, China
Cheng W: Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, PetroChina, Beijing 100083, China; Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Production, CNPC, Beijing 100083, China
Yu Z: Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, PetroChina, Beijing 100083, China; Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Production, CNPC, Beijing 100083, China
Chen W: Engineering and Technology Department, Qinghai Oilfield, PetroChina, Dunhuang 736202, China
Ye T: Drilling and Production Technology Research Institute of Qinghai Oilfield PetroChina, Dunhuang 736202, China

Journal Name

Energies

Volume

Issue

First Page

2103

Year

2023

Publication Date

2023-02-21

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3390/en16052103