Microfluidic Analysis of Pore-Scale Petroleum Recovery in Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage

Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) is an in-situ method of extracting bitumen and involves the injection of steam into the oil sands reservoir through a horizontal well pair. The formation of a steam chamber and heat transfer to the bitumen allows gravity drainage and production. There is presently a lack of understanding concerning the specific mechanisms of bitumen mobilization and drainage at the pore-scale within the SAGD process. This thesis focuses on developing and utilizing microfluidic platforms to allow the experimental observation and characterization of the interface morphology at the edge of the steam chamber.