MEG: Christina Lake output surged in July

Aug. 6, 2018
MEG Energy Corp., Calgary, says bitumen production surged last month at its Christina Lake thermal project south of Fort McMurray, Alta., after a 33-day turnaround in the year’s second quarter and application of new technology in the latest development phase.

MEG Energy Corp., Calgary, says bitumen production surged last month at its Christina Lake thermal project south of Fort McMurray, Alta., after a 33-day turnaround in the year’s second quarter and application of new technology in the latest development phase.

Because of the planned maintenance, average production in the second quarter was 71,325 b/d, about the same as in the same quarter a year earlier but down 23% from the first quarter this year.

In July, average output jumped to 98,000 b/d because of the maintenance and the start of new wells in Christina Lake Phase 2B using technology the company calls enhanced modified steam and gas push (EMSAGP).

With EMSAGP, the company drills an infill horizontal well between two well pairs producing via steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) and injects a noncondensable gas into injector wells to maintain reservoir pressure.

The injected gas reduces steam injection by scavenging heat from reservoir rocks while sustaining production in the original SAGD wells. Warmed bitumen moves to the infill well via pressure difference and gravity. Freed-up steam is diverted to new SAGD well pairs (OGJ Online, Apr. 24, 2013).

For Christina Lake Phase 1, which started in 2008 with initial design capacity of 3,000 b/d, and Phase 2, which started in 2009 with initial design capacity of 22,000 b/d, the technology has increased recovery to date to 35% from 28% from the initial SAGD phase and lowered average steam-oil ratio (SOR) to 1.6 from 2.6.

Initial design capacity of Phase 2B, which started production in 2013, was 35,000 b/d. Overall Christina Lake capacity has increased through debottlenecking and technology improvement.

MEG has regulatory approval to increase Christina Lake production to 210,000 b/d.

In its second-quarter financial report, the company said output reached 100,000 b/d at times during July. It expects stable production at that rate by yearend.

In a pilot project, the company is testing a modification of EMSAGP in which it injects a condensable gas to maintain reservoir pressure, reduce steam injection to nearly zero, dilute warm bitumen to further improve viscosity, and partly de-asphalt the bitumen in situ.