Principles of heavy oil fields’ infrastructure development

Authors: N.U. Maganov, N.G. Ibragimov, V.G. Fadeev (Tatneft OAO, RF, Almetyevsk), R.Z. Sakhabutdinov, F.R. Gubaidulin (TatNIPIneft, RF, Bugulma)

Key words: strategy, heavy oil, infrastructure development, oil treatment.

The paper discusses the strategy of heavy oil fields’ infrastructure development to provide for efficient heavy oil production through optimization of process flow schemes of oil gathering, treatment, transportation, delivery, water supply and steam generation, and produced water disposal with due account for heavy oil accumulations’ characteristics formation fluids’ properties, as well as requirements imposed by accounting procedures and tax policy.