Review on the effective recovery of SAGD production for extra and super heavy oil reservoirs

Industrial development of extra and super heavy oil as an important energy resource substitute has been achieved worldwide. Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is one of the most important recovery methods for extra and super heavy oil reservoirs. In this review paper, the following points of SAGD have been discussed: (1) mechanism, influencing factors and application criteria; (2) field application and experimental study; (3) analytical and reservoir simulation models; and (4) current research progress and future application of multi-medium-assisted SAGD. This study gives an overview of the current status and challenges of and solutions for the SAGD technology and provides reference for the effective recovery of extra and super heavy oil reservoirs.