Why is thermal oil recovery of heavy oil deposits via the combustion method not universally employed?
A. The combustion method is being used in India, Romania and Indonesia. The combustion injection method was first proposed in the early 1960s with experimental work and field studies being carried out from then until the mid-1980s. But combustion enhancement should always be the last stimulation method to be considered. Firstly, the act of combustion destroys the reservoir and, therefore, you only get one “hit” at extraction. Secondly, it is very difficult to control the flame front once the process has started: you can alter it by increasing or reducing the quantity (and quality) of the air you are injecting, but this is very much a hit-and-miss affair. This application can only be effective with the use of observation wells to monitor the behavior and location of the flame front. In addition, you need to ensure that greenhouse gases created by the combustion are not allowed to escape from the reservoir. Indeed, the same is true of any heavy metals which may have been altered and vapo
