High carbon emissions and low efficiency in thermal utilization are pivotal challenges in heavy oil development. Addressing the urgent need to enhance heavy oil production, this paper introduces an innovative approach in which aerogel and flue gas serve as supplementary additives in steam thermal recovery. To investigate the mechanisms behind the improved heat transfer and oil recovery facilitated by the combination of aerogel and flue gas, condensation heat transfer experiments and 2-D visual oil displacement experiments were carried out. The condensation heat transfer coefficient, oil displacement performance, and heat utilization efficiency were analyzed and compared. The results showed the porous structure of the aerogel enhances its thermal insulation properties by adsorbing flue gas, thereby reducing the steam-to-cold object condensation heat transfer coefficient by 60.6%. The cementation between aerogel nanoparticles (NPs) retained in the formation and rock particles formed an insulating layer that impedes the upward propagation of steam heat. Combined with efficacy of flue gas foam in improving fluid flow, this promoted the horizontal expansion of the steam chamber, resulting in an 8.2% and 3.4% increase in the steam chamber’s extent compared to using steam and a combination of steam with aerogels, respectively. Moreover, the profile control and thermal insulation impacted following the NPs, lowering the water cut in the produced fluid and enhancing the oil recovery by 7.9%. Upon the application of flue gas, this enhancement in recovery extended to 9.3%.

中文翻译：

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提高稠油采收率的新策略：冷凝传热计算和二维可视化物理模拟

高碳排放和低热利用效率是稠油开发的关键挑战。针对提高稠油产量的迫切需要，本文介绍了一种创新方法，其中气凝胶和烟气作为蒸汽热采的补充添加剂。为了研究气凝胶和烟气结合促进传热和采油改善的机制，进行了冷凝传热实验和二维可视化驱油实验。对冷凝传热系数、驱油性能和热利用效率进行了分析比较。结果表明，气凝胶的多孔结构通过吸附烟气增强了其隔热性能，从而使蒸汽与冷物体的冷凝传热系数降低了60.6%。保留在地层中的气凝胶纳米颗粒（NP）与岩石颗粒之间的胶结形成了阻碍蒸汽热量向上传播的绝缘层。结合烟气泡沫改善流体流动的功效，这促进了蒸汽室的水平扩展，与使用蒸汽和蒸汽与气凝胶组合相比，蒸汽室的范围分别增加了 8.2% 和 3.4%。此外，调剖隔热效果随纳米颗粒的作用，降低了采出液含水率，提高了采收率7.9%。应用烟气后，回收率提高至 9.3%。