Mexico’s Heavy Oil Challenge

Mexico holds significant heavy-oil resources, but having oil in place does not always mean it can be produced easily.

In fields such as Samaria-Luna, very high oil viscosity can restrict mobility and make it harder for crude to flow efficiently to surface.

The resource is there. The challenge is making it move.

Bringing the Heat Closer to the Oil

THOR is Cavitas Energy’s downhole thermal technology for heavy-oil production.

Heavy crude becomes easier to move as its temperature increases and viscosity falls. Rather than generating heat at surface and trying to carry that energy down the well, THOR is designed to generate heat downhole, closer to the oil itself.

This allows the technology to target the production bottleneck more directly.

How THOR Works

THOR converts electrical energy into mechanical motion, which then generates heat through viscous friction downhole.

The process is straightforward:

Electrical energy → mechanical motion → viscous friction → heat → lower viscosity → improved flow

A permanent magnet motor drives the rotor. The resulting mechanical motion generates heat, which transfers into the surrounding oil. As viscosity decreases, the crude becomes easier to move and flow resistance is reduced.

The aim is not simply to create heat, it is to improve the conditions that are limiting production.

Field Results

THOR has demonstrated strong results in heavy-oil applications.

In the field results shown:

• Oil production increased from 22 to 122 STB/d
• Surface viscosity reduced from 6,380 to 538 cP
• 365+ days of continuous operation
• Demonstrated in oil with viscosity above 1,000,000 cP

These results show how reducing viscosity can have a direct impact on flow and production performance.

Different Reservoirs. Different Bottlenecks.

Not every underperforming reservoir has the same problem.

At Samaria-Luna, the key challenge is high oil viscosity and limited mobility.

At Chicontepec, the challenge is different, with low permeability and reservoir heterogeneity affecting formation connectivity.

That distinction matters because the technology should always match the production bottleneck.

THOR is designed for situations where heavy-oil viscosity is one of the main factors restricting production.

The Resource May Already Be There

Improving production does not always require a new discovery.

In many mature fields, the resource already exists, but difficult fluid properties can prevent it from flowing efficiently.

By generating heat downhole and reducing viscosity close to the source, THOR is designed to help operators unlock more value from existing heavy-oil resources.

The resource may already be there. The engineering challenge is making it move.

 

 

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