I am doing some labor work on a rig and am confused about something. I heard from my superiors that we are injecting steam at 180°C with the wellbore pressure being 2 MPa. If I look at these conditions on a steam table, shouldn't the steam be compressed water?
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2 Answers
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You are correct, that water at 180°C and 2 MPa will be a liquid.
Perhaps the steam is not being injected at the "wellbore pressure", or its temperature rises during the injection process?
answered Dec 5, 2017 at 15:49
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Most SAGD facilities inject steam at much higher temperatures and pressures (often over 300°C). Downhole temperatures may be 180°C at 2 MPa.
