How is Heavy Oil Produced?

Recovery
Some heavy oil production can be accomplished via conventional methods, such as vertical
wells, pumps, and pressure maintenance, but these methods are considered highly inefficient.
Other technologies being used to recover heavy oil include, but are not limited to: cold heavy oil
production with sand (CHOPS), vapor extraction (VAPEX), and thermal in situ methods. The
main oil-related challenges involved in production are gravity and the viscosity of heavy oil.
The CHOPS method allows sand into the wellbore with the oil to improve well productivity. Wells
that formerly produced only 20 barrels/day have been observed to produce more than 200
barrels/day, according to Canada's Centre for Energy, with free movement of sand into the
wellbore. This technology was pioneered in Canada.
A non-thermal recovery method that involves injecting vaporized solvents into heavy oil, VAPEX
creates a vapor-chamber that oil flows through due to gravity drainage. It has the potential to
lower greenhouse gas emissions and significantly reduce water consumption, compared to
other technologies currently in use, and can be used to recover bitumen from zones too thin for
traditional thermal recovery.
Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is a thermal in situ recovery method that involves
drilling two horizontal wells, one above the other. Steam is continuously injected through the
upper wellbore, softening bitumen so that it drains into the lower wellbore and is pumped to the
surface. Pairs of parallel horizontal wells, one for steam and one for production, make it possible
to recover bitumen continuously from oil sands.
Cyclic steam stimulation, also a thermal in situ recovery method, is a three-stage process
involving several weeks of steam injection, followed by several weeks of "soaking," followed by
a production phase where the oil is produced by the same wells in which the steam was
injected. As production declines, the injection phase is restarted. The high-pressure steam not
only makes the oil more mobile, but also creates cracks and channels through which the oil can
flow to the wellbore.
Processing
Heavy oil and bitumen consist of large hydrocarbon molecules, which contain proportionately
more carbon atoms than hydrogen atoms. Upgrading processes add hydrogen atoms and/or
remove carbon atoms to convert bitumen into a product similar to conventional light crude oil.
Upgrading is usually a two-part process, as explained by Canada's Centre for Energy. In the first
stage, bitumen is heated and hydrogen added under high pressure to break the large
hydrocarbon molecules into simpler, smaller compounds. This process is known as
"hydrocracking." Some upgraders also use a "coking" process to remove carbon from the
bitumen to produce lighter hydrocarbons and coke (a carbon material that resembles finely
ground asphalt). During the second stage, hydrogen is added to the hydrocarbon compounds to
stabilize them and remove impurities such as sulfur. This process is called "hydrotreating."
Upgrading results in three main products: naphtha, kerosene, and gas oil (a fuel oil somewhat
heavier than kerosene). These can be sold separately or blended to produce synthetic crude oil
for sale to refineries.

Sally Cole Johnson is a freelance writer based in Windham, NH. She earned a B.A. in geology from the University of New Mexico
and specializes in earth science and semiconductors.