Fluids in hydrocarbon bearing formations may be accessed via wellbores that extend down into the ground toward the targeted subterranean zones. In some cases, fluids in the hydrocarbon formations may have a low enough viscosity that the fluids readily flow from the zone to the ground surface. Some hydrocarbon formations have fluids with a higher viscosity, that may not freely flow from the formation. These higher viscosity fluids are occasionally referred to as “heavy oil.” In the past, the high viscosity fluids, i.e. heavy oil, remained untapped due to an inability to economically recover them. More recently, as the demand for oil has increased, commercial operations have expanded to the recovery of such heavy oil deposits.
In some circumstances, the application of heated treatment fluids (e.g., steam) to the formation may reduce the viscosity of the heavy oil, so as to facilitate economically and practically viable extraction. The systems to deliver the steam to the subterranean zones and the systems that recover the heavy oil to the surface must be able to withstand the temperatures and temperature variations encountered in using heated treatment fluids.