CROW{trademark} process modeling. Final report

The Western Research Institute (WRI) has patented a technology (CROW{trademark}) for the recovery of oily contaminants from water-saturated formations. The CROW process uses either hot water or low-pressure steam to flush contaminants to the surface by means of production wells. CROW is typically applied to highly permeable aquifers that have been invaded by organics such as coal tars or chemical solvents. In conceptualizing a model of the CROW process, we draw an analogy between flushing organics from an organic-contaminated aquifer and producing oil from a petroleum reservoir. The organic-contaminated aquifer can be represented as a petroleum reservoir. The injection of water or steam and production of water/organic admixtures can be described by standard reservoir well equations. Finally, the movement of organic and water within the aquifer can be represented by Darcy flow of the individual phases. Thus, in modeling the CROW process, it is reasonable to assume that a petroleum reservoir simulator would accurately portray the recovery of organics from a contaminated aquifer. Of course, the reservoir simulator would need to incorporate thermal aspects of Darcy flow to accurately represent recovery during CROW processing