Hot alkaline treatment to stimulate and consolidate the heavy oil Bachaquero-01 sand

An experimental study was conducted to verify experimentally whether sand consolidation by high-temperature alkaline treatment was possible in the heavy oil Bachaquero-01 reservoir. The experiments were conducted using sand samples from a core taken from well LL-231 from Bachaquero-01 reservoir. The sample was placed in a vertical 18 in. long aluminum cylindrical cell with an ID of 1.5 in. The top half of the cell was thermally insulated and the bottom half was cooled. The alkaline treatment (pH 11 -12) at 230?C - 250?C and 900 ? 1000 psig was injected at 20 ml/min for 3 to 6 hours at the top of the cell and liquid produced at the bottom of the cell. After each experiment, the cell contents were removed and analyzed to determine if consolidation occurred. An electron microprobe was used to analyze both loose and polished epoxy-mounted sand grains to determine any change in texture and composition of the sand pack and precipitation and growth of secondary phases. Results showed that under the experimental conditions reached in the laboratory; the consolidation of Bachaquero-01 sand did not occur. However some secondary materials were produced in the runs where sand samples were cleaned of oil. It was noticed that the amount of these secondary phases was not sufficient to bridge the sand grains. These results indicate that further research is needed to better understand and optimize the parameters affecting the consolidation of Bachaquero-01 sands.