Heavy and Conventional Oil Analysis

The defining characteristic of heavy and super heavy oilfields is large spatial variation in fluid properties such as oil viscosity. Traditional exploration and production strategies for HOOS rely on characterization of key reservoir heterogeneities and assessments of fluid saturations. While it is important to understand how these properties vary, it is the spatial distribution of fluid properties, especially viscosity, that often dominates production behavior. Surprisingly however, it is this very characteristic that is most frequently ignored. As a result, of the over 6 trillion barrels of heavy oil and tar reserves found globally, recovery remains tantalizingly low (5 to 15% for cold heavy oil production, and 40 to 85% for the best SAGD operations).

Until now, the quantification of saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons in heavy oil and bitumen presented a number of challenges. Heavy oil and bitumen are notoriously difficult to handle in the laboratory due to their high resin and asphaltene content.

In our experience, we have found that methods developed previously for the recovery of hydrocarbons from conventional crude oils are not readily amenable for the recovery of hydrocarbons from heavy oils and bitumen. At Gushor, we have served a multi-client base employing our unique methods that achieve rapid and reproducible quantitative analysis of hydrocarbons from heavy oil and oil sands. The protocols are regularly optimised towards achieving highly reproducible qualitative and quantitative data by carefully monitoring the behaviour of internal standards and molecular parameters which also indicate the recovery of hydrocarbons is at an optimum as well as validating instrument response.

Some of our analytical services we provide for Heavy and Conventional Oil are as follows:

• Mechanical and Centrifugation Fluid Extraction: Clastics, Carbonates, and Cuttings
• GVisc™ Measurement of Oil Physical Properties on Cuttings and Low Oil Saturation Cores
• Viscosity (Low Temperature & High Temperature)
• API/Density
• Water Content
• Electrical Conductivity
• Clay, Sediment, Fines
• Sulfur Content
• Bitumen Content
• Quantitative Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry
  • Hydrocarbons
  • Non-Hydrocarbons (Nitrogen Compounds, Phenols, Carbooxylic Acids)
• Isotopes - Carbon, Sulfur, Hydrogen
• Data Interpretation and Reporting

If you have any questions regarding the services we provide, please contact us at info@gushor.com.