Canadian researchers use synchrotron to image a heavy oil system
Canadian researchers have used a synchrotron to image a heavy oil system to find ways to make extracting oil cheaper and more efficient. University of Calgary scientists teamed up with Canadian Light Source in Saskatoon to examine foamy oil formation, which is crucial to heavy oil recovery. Both Saskatchewan and Alberta have low recovery rates from cold heavy oil production with sand wells. By modelling how heavy oil flows from sandy reservoirs, scientists could find ways to boost the amount of oil recovered and double the life of wells.
Researchers from the University of Calgary are teaming up with the Canadian Light Source in Saskatoon to find ways to make oil extraction cheaper and more efficient.

The project is the first time a synchrotron is being used to image a heavy oil system.

“This is a potential game-changer,” Ken From, the CEO of the Regina-based Petroleum Technology Research Centre, said in a media release.

“Both Saskatchewan and Alberta have low recovery rates from CHOPS (cold heavy oil production with sand) wells. Being able to model in real time how heavy oil flows from these sandy reservoirs has never been achieved.”

The synchrotron will allow researchers to see detail in foamy oil formation, which is key in heavy oil recovery.

Reservoirs currently only produce about five to 10 per cent of oil, but by using the synchrotron, researchers hope to understand why production is limited and to find ways to double the life of wells as well as the amount of oil being recovered.