Research on THAI fire flooding regulation method based on thermal management

作者：Shibao Yuan, Fan Tian, Haiyan Jiang, Jian Sun, Maobin Deng, Adilai Kuerban, Zhibing Shen, Jianbin Liu · 发表于：Petroleum Science and Technology · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1080/10916466.2026.2642145 · 研究领域：Fire dynamics and safety research、Safety and Risk Management、Physical Activity and Education Research

The development of heavy oil reservoirs generally faces two challenges: thermal efficiency attenuation and low recovery efficiency. Heat loss caused by suboptimal injection and production parameters during fire flooding further reduces development effectiveness. To evaluate heat utilization during fire flooding, this study introduces two novel metrics: Thermal Utilization Efficiency (TUE) and the Fire Flooding Effect Evaluation Index, along with their corresponding calculation formulas. The thermodynamic characteristics of linkage wells at different positions were compared, revealing a positive correlation between the Fire Flooding Effect Evaluation Index and oil recovery. By integrating conventional THAI (Toe-to-Heel Air Injection) thermal efficiency data with the response characteristics during each stage of Injection–Production Linkage (IPL) fire flooding, it was verified that reducing the gas injection rate can simultaneously improve oil recovery and thermal efficiency, whereas limiting pressure in horizontal wells increases TUE but significantly reduces oil recovery. To balance these effects, an optimized IPL strategy was implemented, achieving a TUE above 65% and increasing the recovery rate by 10%. Diagnostic map for fire flooding development was constructed. This study, based on THAI fire flooding, adjusted injection and production parameters during the gas injection/exhaust production linkage stage, providing theoretical support for enhancing heavy oil thermal recove...