Insight into heavy oil recovery of cyclic solvent injection (CSI) utilizing C3H8/CH4 and C3H8/CH4/CO2

According to the results of this experimental study, it seems that there is an optimum fraction of C3H8 in CH4 stream injection in heavy oil systems (with viscosity in the vicinity of 6430 mPa s); the concentration beyond which ultimate oil recovery factor does not increase significantly (near 50 mol%). It is speculated that last cycles do not appreciably respond to heavy oil production mainly due to asphaltene getting precipitated within the model.