Experimental Studies on Solvent Screening and Performance Analysis for Bitumen Recovery Using ES-SAGD

The recovery of highly viscous bitumen from oil sands reservoirs requires energy-intensive in-situ thermal methods, notably Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD). While SAGD is commercially proven, it is limited by a high Steam-to-Oil Ratio (SOR) and substantial environmental impact. The Expanding Solvent Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (ES-SAGD) process is a hybrid approach that enhances bitumen mobilization and improves thermal efficiency by co-injecting solvent with steam. This thesis presents a comprehensive experimental investigation of four solvent candidates — Dimethyl Ether (DME), Natural Gas Condensate, Urea, and Pyrrolidine —to identify optimal concentrations that maximize recovery, minimize SOR, and reduce energy consumption. A series of ES-SAGD experiments was conducted using a fast-screening apparatus under controlled reservoir conditions (220 °C and 336.4 psia), along with a conventional SAGD experiment that served as the baseline. Results show that all tested solvents significantly improve bitumen recovery over the baseline. Among non-hydrocarbon solvents, Urea at 3.0 wt% achieved the highest recovery (∼93%), followed by Pyrrolidine at 2.0 wt% (∼91%). For hydrocarbon/ether solvents, DME at 1.31 mol% and Condensate at 10 vol% yielded 83% and 82% recovery, respectively. Importantly, the optimal solvent cases reduced average SOR by 30-35% compared to baseline SAGD, corresponding to an overall energy saving of 10.8-11.7 GJ/m³. This work provides validated quantitative performance metrics and optimized operational parameters for four strategically important solvents, offering guidance for cost-effective, environmentally responsible field implementation of ES-SAGD.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MSc)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Engineering – Chemical & Petroleum

Grantor

Schulich School of Engineering

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Bukhari, Syed Sana Ullah Shah

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Hassanzadeh, Hassan

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Aguilera, Roberto
• Sarma, Hemanta

• ES SAGD

Statement dc:rights

• Unless otherwise indicated, this material is protected by copyright and has been made available with authorization from the copyright owner. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/51282

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:1880/124542