An integrated first principle modeling to steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD)

In this work, we present the development of a mathematical model and simulation algorithm for the three key constituents of the steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process, namely the steam generator, the steam injector, and the steam chamber. The modeling equations are derived by applying the conservation principle and adopting several empirical/algebraic correlations that support state estimation. In order to avoid the excessive design complexity and the computational load involved in existing models in the current literature, we attempt to develop the reduced-complexity models so that they can be compatible with the state estimation schemes and useful for control related applications. The developed models for the steam injector and the steam chamber are validated through either the simulation results of Petroleum Expert as a reservoir simulator or the similar models in the literature.