Mastering Heavy Oil Production

The Mastering Heavy Oil Production Course gives reservoir, production, and facilities engineering professionals a comprehensive, technically rigorous understanding of heavy oil — covering reservoir characterisation, primary and enhanced recovery techniques, production optimisation, operational challenges, and the emerging technologies shaping the future of heavy oil development.

Heavy oil represents a significant and growing share of global hydrocarbon reserves — and its production presents unique technical, operational, and environmental challenges that conventional oil production knowledge alone cannot address. From managing high-viscosity fluid flow and emulsion formation, through CHOPS, SAGD, VAPEX, and in-situ combustion, to integrated asset management and regulatory compliance, professionals working in heavy oil need a depth of specialised knowledge that this course delivers directly.

Across five focused days, delegates move from heavy oil geology and reservoir fundamentals through extraction technologies, production optimisation, operational risk management, and emerging breakthroughs — building the complete technical and strategic capability needed to manage heavy oil assets effectively throughout their production lifecycle.

The Mastering Heavy Oil Production Course is built for professionals who want the technical depth, operational insight, and forward-looking awareness to contribute meaningfully to heavy oil field performance and strategy.

The Mastering Heavy Oil Production Course is designed to develop comprehensive heavy oil production capability from reservoir characterisation and extraction technology selection through production optimisation, operational challenge management, and future technology evaluation.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the characteristics, classifications, and global reserve distribution of heavy oil and describe the geological formation mechanisms and depositional environments of heavy oil reservoirs
• Apply reservoir engineering fundamentals including porosity, permeability, and fluid flow principles to heavy oil reservoir characterisation
• Evaluate primary recovery methods including CHOPS, steam flooding, and cyclic steam stimulation and their application criteria
• Compare secondary and tertiary EOR techniques including SAGD, VAPEX, and in-situ combustion and assess their applicability to specific reservoir conditions
• Evaluate advances in drilling and well completion technologies specific to heavy oil extraction
• Apply production optimisation strategies covering reservoir management, well spacing, and artificial lift system selection for heavy oil wells
• Evaluate wellbore and surface facility considerations and integrated asset management approaches for heavy oil production efficiency
• Manage the specific operational challenges of heavy oil including viscosity, emulsion, water cut, and transportation and handling requirements
• Apply environmental and regulatory compliance frameworks and operational risk mitigation strategies to heavy oil operations
• Evaluate emerging technologies, R&D initiatives, and market trends to develop competitive strategies for heavy oil asset management

The Mastering Heavy Oil Production Course is designed for reservoir, production, and facilities engineering professionals who work with or are responsible for heavy oil assets — and who need the specialised technical knowledge and operational insight to manage heavy oil production effectively.

This course is suitable for:

• Reservoir engineers characterising heavy oil reservoirs and developing recovery strategies
• Production engineers managing heavy oil well performance, artificial lift, and surface facility operations
• Facilities and process engineers designing and operating heavy oil treating, handling, and transportation systems
• EOR specialists evaluating thermal, chemical, and solvent recovery strategies for heavy oil reservoirs
• Drilling and completions engineers applying specialised well design and completion technologies for heavy oil extraction
• Asset managers developing integrated production strategies and investment plans for heavy oil fields
• HSE and environmental professionals managing the regulatory, environmental, and safety challenges specific to heavy oil operations
• Graduate petroleum engineers entering technical roles in heavy oil production and reservoir management

The Mastering Heavy Oil Production Course is delivered through a technically structured, progressively building learning approach that moves from heavy oil reservoir fundamentals through extraction technologies, production optimisation, operational challenge management, and future technology evaluation. Each day addresses a distinct dimension of heavy oil production  building a complete, integrated understanding of the full heavy oil development lifecycle.

Case studies and best practices from global heavy oil operations are integrated throughout ensuring delegates connect technical frameworks to the real-world production challenges and commercial realities of heavy oil asset management.

Delivery methods include:

• Instructor-led sessions covering heavy oil geology, reservoir characterisation, extraction technologies, and operational management frameworks
• Reservoir characterisation workshops applying porosity, permeability, and fluid flow principles to heavy oil reservoir evaluation
• Extraction technology comparison sessions evaluating CHOPS, CSS, steam flooding, SAGD, VAPEX, and in-situ combustion against specific reservoir criteria
• EOR strategy evaluation sessions examining thermal, chemical, and solvent EOR applicability to different heavy oil reservoir types
• Emerging technology and market outlook sessions evaluating R&D initiatives, technology breakthroughs, and competitive strategy for heavy oil assets

• AZTech Certificate of Completion for delegates who attend and complete the training course