Feasibility study of thermal enhanced oil recovery methods for extraction of heavy crude oil in Kuh-e-Mond oilfield

Heavy oil is one of the oil resource types, which due to its high density and viscosity, can only be economically produced using complex technologies. In Iran, there are significant quantities of heavy oil resources. Kuh-e-Mond is one of the largest heavy oil fields in the country. In this paper, using a stepwise algorithm and combining techno-economical modeling with the help of Eclipse simulator and MATLAB programming language, the most optimal scenario of production was determined. The step-by-step algorithm includes screening, model validation, and finally, production optimization. The objective function is the net present value, which is achieved by changing the optimization parameters during different stages of try and error with the help of simulated annealing optimizer. The output of the screening stage for the Kuh-e-Mond field is the periodic injection process, which is also economically the lowest cost among other thermal methods and uses only one well for production and injection. In the validation phase of the model, an Argentinian (Yakimento) oilfield dataset similar to Kuh-e-Mond oilfield were used and a valid model was obtained. In the final phase, optimization, which is in fact the main bottleneck of production projects, was implemented and showed a significant impact on increasing the profit from the periodic injection model in Kuh-e-Mond field. A 2.5 times increase in the operating parameters of the single well model compared to the initial try is claimed. Also, upgrading single-well to multi-well model, 1.3-fold of increase in the profitability of multi-well model was observed.