Orion

Project Overview

The Orion oil project is an in-situ oil sands operation located approximately 40 km northwest of Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada. It is managed by Osum Production Corp..

Location and Geography

The project is situated in the 13-16-064-03 W4M area. The site includes a central processing facility and five commercial well pads.

Operational Methodology

The Orion project employs Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) technology. This method involves injecting steam into the oil sands to reduce the viscosity of the bitumen, allowing it to be extracted more easily. The typical well pad configuration includes four SAGD well pairs, consisting of four injector wells and four producer wells.

Well and Reservoir Details

• The project area includes fifty-six vertical or deviated wells, with forty-four of these wells having a full suite of logs, including eight with Formation Micro-Imager (FMI) logs. Twenty-eight of the wells were cored.
• There are fourteen observation wells in the project area, including eleven existing wells and three new wells for Phase 2BC.
• Phase 2A of the project involved the drilling of specific SAGD well pairs, and Phase 2BC included additional observation and SAGD wells.

Geology

The reservoir is part of the Clearwater formation, characterized by angular, very fine- to medium-grained feldspathic litharenite with a clay content of less than 2%. The clay composition includes kaolinite, illite, chlorite, and smectite. The reservoir has a gross thickness that includes minor concretions, and there is a gas cap and basal water isopach associated with the Clearwater reservoir.

History and Development

• The project has undergone several phases of development, including pilot projects (Hilda Pilot 1 and 3) and commercial development. Shell initially acquired the project from Black Rock Ventures Inc., and later Osum Production Corp. acquired it from Shell. The project has seen expansions, including the completion of Phase 2A and the initiation of Phase 2BC drilling in late 2017.

Production

The project's daily average production is tracked and reported annually. For example, the 2017 Annual Performance Report details the production metrics and other operational aspects of the project.

Conclusion

The Orion oil project is a significant in-situ oil sands operation utilizing SAGD technology, with a detailed history of development, specific geological characteristics, and ongoing production activities. It is managed by Osum Production Corp. and is located in the Cold Lake area of Alberta, Canada.