Estimation of effect of diffusion and dispersion parameters on VAPEX process

• A method is presented to study the effect of mass transfer coefficients on production rate.
• It can simulate VAPEX with different diffusion and dispersion coefficients.
• It is validated against the experimental data.
• Simulation results show a challenge between mass transfer and drainage process.
• If drainage is the dominant step, a high diffusion coefficient has a reverse impact on production rate.

Recent developments in heavy oil extraction have heightened the need for a promising vapor extraction process in problematic reservoirs. Due to the high energy efficiency and suitability for the latter reservoirs, it is believed that VAPEX has had a great deal of interest compared to the thermal methods in recent years. The present study aims to develop a method based on a compositional simulation in the VAPEX process to study the effect of mass transfer coefficients on production rate. This model can simulate VAPEX with different diffusion and dispersion coefficients and is validated against the experimental data. Simulation results show a challenge between mass transfer and gravity drainage process; hence, if drainage is the dominant step, a high diffusion coefficient has a reverse impact on production rate. Instead, a high dispersion coefficient almost has a positive effect on oil production.