The Influence of Interlayer on the Expansion of Steam Chamber of Oil Sand SAGD Development

Abstract The steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) technology is currently a more effective frontier technology for the exploitation of heavy oil, and it has a better development effect than other exploitation methods. The formation and expansion of the steam chamber is the key to SAGD technology, and the interlayer is an important influencing factor. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the influence of the interlayer on the expansion of the steam chamber and the effect of SAGD development during the oil sand SAGD development process. In order to study the influence of the interlayer on the expansion of the steam chamber during the oil sand SAGD development process, a double-horizontal well SAGD physical experiment simulation experiment was carried out using the experimental device of the thermal recovery physical simulation system. The influence of interlayer on the expansion law of the steam chamber during the SAGD development of dual horizontal wells is studied. Studies have shown that the interlayer inhibits the longitudinal development of the steam chamber, and the steam chamber is forced to expand laterally along the interlayer to form a steam chamber similar to an inverted triangle. The steam chamber is fully developed in the area below the interlayer, but the steam chamber cannot break through the interlayer.