In situ combustion (ISC) has been evaluated as a follow up process in the steam injection process for heavy oil and bitumen recovery. Except for providing energy or heat to reduce bitumen viscosity, in situ upgrading of bitumen is another advantage of ISC process. In situ upgrading of bitumen through co-injection of steam and oxygen is evaluated in this work. Three different types of laboratory experiments, including one static thermal cracking experiment, one ramped temperature oxidation (RTO) experiment, and one combustion tube test, were performed to examine the produced oil properties and the potential of bitumen in situ upgrading. A comprehensive analysis of produced oil properties and gas composition was performed. Bitumen was significantly upgraded in the thermal cracking experiment at a temperature of 430 °C, in which Saturates fraction increased to 56%, while Resin and Asphaltene fractions reduced to 6.7% and 6.8%, respectively. The thermal cracking of Resin and Asphaltene contribute to the production of the light oil and gases, leading to the upgrading of the bitumen. Dynamic properties of produced oil were measured in the RTO and combustion tube test in terms of produced oil viscosity, density, boiling point temperature distribution, and produced oil compositions, etc. In the RTO test, the extent of bitumen upgrading is greater with the increase of temperature, further proving that the high temperature generated by the combustion front is able to effectively crack the bitumen. Furthermore, the lack of light hydrocarbon in the produced oil indicates light hydrocarbon participates in the high temperature oxidation reactions. Different from thermal cracking experiment and RTO test results, combustion tube test results indicated that the bitumen was slightly upgraded in late stage of the combustion tube test and most produced bitumen are similar with original bitumen. By examining the temperature distribution along the combustion tube, it is found that upgraded bitumen cannot be effectively displaced to the producer. This implies the limitation of in situ upgrading in the conventional in situ combustion process. Proper well configuration was recommended for the future field application of the hybrid steam and combustion process to achieve the high oil recovery factor and partial in situ upgrading of bitumen.

原位燃烧 (ISC) 已被评估为用于重油和沥青回收的蒸汽注入过程中的后续过程。除了提供能量或热量来降低沥青粘度外，沥青的原位改质是 ISC 工艺的另一个优势。在这项工作中，通过蒸汽和氧气的共同注入对沥青进行了原位升级。进行了三种不同类型的实验室实验，包括一种静态热裂解实验、一种升温氧化 (RTO) 实验和一种燃烧管测试，以检查所生产的油性质和沥青原位改质的潜力。对采出油性质和气体组成进行了综合分析。沥青在 430 °C 温度下的热裂解实验中显着升级，其中，Saturates 分数增加到 56%，而 Resin 和 Asphaltene 分数分别降低到 6.7% 和 6.8%。树脂和沥青质的热裂解有助于生产轻质石油和天然气，从而提高沥青质量。在RTO和燃烧管试验中，从采出油粘度、密度、沸点温度分布、采出油成分等方面测量采出油的动态特性。温度的变化，进一步证明燃烧前缘产生的高温能够有效地裂解沥青。此外，产出油中缺乏轻烃表明轻烃参与了高温氧化反应。与热裂解试验和RTO试验结果不同，燃烧管试验结果表明，沥青在燃烧管试验后期略有升级，大部分生产的沥青与原沥青相似。通过检查沿燃烧管的温度分布，发现升级后的沥青不能有效地转移到生产者。这意味着传统原位燃烧过程中原位升级的局限性。建议为未来蒸汽和燃烧混合工艺的现场应用提供适当的井配置，以实现沥青的高采收率和部分原位改质。燃烧管试验结果表明，沥青在燃烧管试验后期略有升级，大部分生产的沥青与原始沥青相似。通过检查沿燃烧管的温度分布，发现升级后的沥青不能有效地转移到生产者。这意味着传统原位燃烧过程中原位升级的局限性。建议为未来蒸汽和燃烧混合工艺的现场应用提供适当的井配置，以实现沥青的高采收率和部分原位改质。燃烧管试验结果表明，沥青在燃烧管试验后期略有升级，大部分生产的沥青与原始沥青相似。通过检查沿燃烧管的温度分布，发现升级后的沥青不能有效地转移到生产者。这意味着传统原位燃烧过程中原位升级的局限性。建议为未来蒸汽和燃烧混合工艺的现场应用提供适当的井配置，以实现沥青的高采收率和部分原位改质。这意味着传统原位燃烧过程中原位升级的局限性。建议为未来蒸汽和燃烧混合工艺的现场应用提供适当的井配置，以实现沥青的高采收率和部分原位改质。这意味着传统原位燃烧过程中原位升级的局限性。建议为未来蒸汽和燃烧混合工艺的现场应用提供适当的井配置，以实现沥青的高采收率和部分原位改质。