Lattice Boltzmann investigation of thermal effect on convective mixing at the edge of solvent chamber in CO₂-VAPEX process

The high viscosity of heavy oil is a serious problem for the recovery efficiency of this resource by conventional methods. Since a few past years, the vapour extraction process (VAPEX) has emerged as a promising technology for the recovery of heavy oils and bitumen in reservoirs where thermal methods, such as steam-assisted gravity drainage cannot be applied. Recently, the use of CO₂ as a solvent is believed to make the VAPEX process more economical and environmentally and technically attractive. Convective mixing at the edge of the solvent chamber enhances mass and heat transfer rates which increases oil mobility and production rate. The objective of this study is to analysis the influence of the main controlling parameters, such as buoyancy ratio and Prandtl number on the flow patterns and mass transfer mechanism, in order to understand the thermal effect on the dissolution of carbon dioxide through natural convection at the boundary layer of solvent chamber of CO₂-VAPEX process. The numerical results obtained by lattice Boltzmann method show that the flow structure and the mass transfer mechanism are strongly depend on the buoyancy ratio and Prandtl number. So, the performances of CO₂-VAPEX process are strongly influenced by thermal effect; and we found that it has negative consequences on this process.