Status and prospect of SAGD quick start technology

SAGD quick start technology is a kind of technology which makes use of rock mechanical dilation principle to enhance SAGD start performance, and it is an important means to realize efficient start in the stage of preheating during the SAGD development of super heavy oil/oil sand reservoir. The technological mechanisms of SAGD quick start were analyzed and illustrated from three aspects, including mechanisms of oil sand dilation, stimulation mechanism of oil sand dilation and difference between dilation and hydraulic fracturing, and development histories of domestic and foreign SAGD quick start technologies were reviewed. Then, the support achievements of SAGD quick start technology in terms of “geology-engineering integrated design, construction flow standardization and construction process visualization” were summarized based on field practice. Finally, the technological challenges and development directions of SAGD quick start were put forward by analyzing the influences of reservoir physical property and heterogeneity, geomechanical parameters and in-situ stress on the dilation start process. As for SAGD quick start technology, it is necessary to continue the researches on SAGD derivative technologies in the future, such as solvent assisted dilation, edge well assisted dilation, multi-stage differentiated dilation and pulse enhanced dilation, so as to improve its adaptability and promote its in-depth development.