Use of electrical heating elements for sagd start-up

Abstract

A SAGD operation is provided, comprising: drilling a SAGD well pair in a bitumen bearing formation, the well pair comprising an injector well and a producer well; introducing an electro-thermal heating element comprising at least one individually controllable heating section in or near either the injector well, the producer well, or both; positioning the at least one individually controllable heating section at or near a sector of either the injector well, the producer well, or both, which sector may require greater thermal heat to establish thermal communication between the injector well and the producer well; and operating the at least one individually controllable heating section at a desired temperature for a period of time sufficient to establish thermal communication between the injector well and the producer well. The electro-thermal heating element having the at least one electrical heating section may remain in the injection well beyond start-up to assist in effectively recovering the hydrocarbons.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A method for pre-heating a SAGD operation, comprising:
 drilling a SAGD well pair in a bitumen bearing formation, the well pair comprising an injector well and a producer well;   introducing an electro-thermal heating element comprising at least one individually controllable heating section in or near either the injector well, the producer well, or both;   positioning the at least one individually controllable heating section at or near a sector of either the injector well, the producer well, or both, which sector may require greater thermal heat to establish thermal communication between the injector well and the producer well; and   operating the at least one individually controllable heating section at a desired temperature for a period of time sufficient to establish thermal communication between the injector well and the producer well.   
     
     
         2 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the at least one individually controllable heating section is positioned at the toe of the injector well, the producer well, or both. 
     
     
         3 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the at least one individually controllable heating section is positioned at or near the middle of the injector well, the producer well, or both. 
     
     
         4 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the at least one individually controllable heating section is positioned based on reservoir characteristics. 
     
     
         5 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein steam is also circulated through the injector well, the producer well, or both. 
     
     
         6 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein following the establishment of thermal communication between the injector well and the producer well, the electro-thermal heating element that is placed in or near the injector well is left down hole. 
     
     
         7 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the electro-thermal heating element comprises an electrical cable having a plurality of individually controllable heating sections spaced along the electrical cable. 
     
     
         8 . The method as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein each individually controllable heating section can be separately controlled by controlling or adjusting the current passing through the electrical cable and to the individual controllable heating sections. 
     
     
         9 . The method as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein each individually controllable heating section of the electro-thermal heating element has its own thermal couple or distributed temperature sensing (DTS) device or similar for measuring the temperature and then adjusting the temperature of each section accordingly. 
     
     
         10 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the electro-thermal heating element can be controlled from surface of the SAGD operation. 
     
     
         11 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a solvent, a surfactant or other additive which changes the wettability or reduces the viscosity of bitumen is added to either the injector well, the producer well, or both, either prior to or during pre-heating. 
     
     
         12 . A method for pre-heating a SAGD operation, comprising:
 drilling two SAGD well pairs in a bitumen bearing formation, each well pair comprising an injector well and a producer well;   drilling an infill well between the two SAGD well pairs in the bitumen bearing formation, introducing an electro-thermal heating element in or near the infill well, the electro-thermal having at least one individually controllable heating section.   
     
     
         13 . The method as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the electro-thermal heating element comprises an electrical cable having a plurality of individually controllable heating sections spaced along the electrical cable. 
     
     
         14 . The method as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein each individually controllable heating section can be separately controlled by controlling or adjusting the current passing through the electrical cable and to the individual controllable heating sections. 
     
     
         15 . The method as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein each individually controllable heating section of the electro-thermal heating element has its own thermal couple or distributed temperature sensing (DTS) device or similar for measuring the temperature and then adjusting the temperature of each section accordingly. 
     
     
         16 . The method as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the electro-thermal heating element can be controlled from surface of the SAGD operation.