Industry Article: The Impact of Steam Placement Control on SAGD Performance: A Numerical Study from the Orinoco Heavy Oil Belt

The impact of pressure and heat transfer losses along the horizontal section of a steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) well can significantly impair the distribution and efficiency of its steam chamber from heel to toe. Inflow/injection control devices (ICDs), such as nozzles or labyrinth channels, can be incorporated in the horizontal well completion as restrictive elements to modify the pressure distribution along the entire length of the wellbore. Properly sized and distributed ICDs can create a more uniform inflow or injection profile along the horizontal section of the well regardless of permeability, formation damage, and wellbore location. A numerical study was conducted to design a SAGD pilot for the Bare field, located in the Orinoco heavy oil belt. This paper describes the analysis implemented to design the SAGD pilot for this area and evaluates the impact of incorporating ICDs for steam placement control in the SAGD process for this particular case.