A thorough understanding of the effects of lean zones and the improvement of steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) operations with such heterogeneities is critically important for reducing the disadvantages of lean zones. The numerical model shows: (1) SAGD is most influenced by the single-layer lean zone with the above-injector (AI) location; with the decrease of interval distance and increase of thickness and water saturation in lean zones, the detrimental effect of single-layer lean zones on SAGD performance increases; (2) with the increase of period and decrease of connate and initial water saturations in lean zones, the detrimental effect of multiple-layer lean zones on SAGD performance increases; (3) reducing the injection pressure properly improves SAGD performance in leaky oil sands. The field-scale study indicates: (1) well pair 1 is most affected by lean zones in the studied pad due to the widest distribution of lean zones above its injector, and a hybrid cyclic steam stimulation (CSS)/SAGD method is proposed to overcome the practical problem of a low injection pressure in this area; (2) simulation results prove that the hybrid CSS/SAGD method is better than the conventional SAGD method in leaky oil sands.

In this paper, a series of experiments, including atomic force microscope (AFM), environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), and core displacement tests were conducted to investigate the effect of polymer solution structure on solution properties and oil displacement efficiency. The results show that in the HPAM solution polymer coils were formed and then aggregated into a loose structure, while the HAP2010 solution formed a strong network structure, which would significantly improve the solution viscosity and flow resistance so as to upgrade the capacity of piston-like oil displacement in highly permeable porous media. Meanwhile, the retention of the HAP2010 solution at pore throats were also enhanced, which could reduce water production during subsequent water flooding and enlarge the swept volume during polymer flooding. Therefore, enhancing the interaction among polymer molecules is an effective way to improve the displacement efficiency of polymer solutions in heavy oil reservoirs with high permeability.