Low-permeability heavy-oil reservoirs are considered to be poor prospects for in-situ-combustion recovery methods. The low-permeability, high-viscosity heavy oils, combined, make air injection through the formation insufficient to support combustion in the formation. The objective of this research is to show results obtained through burn tests on whole cores and fractured cores relating these results to heavy-oil reservoirs. These tests were performed to determine the technical feasibility of recovering heavy oil by the in-situ-combustion process from reservoirs which are shallow and contain no reservoir energy. These tests were conducted on cores obtained from a heavy-oil reservoir near Bartlett, Kansas. The tests were performed in a thin-walled core holder with a built-in heater to start combustion. Air was measured and injected through the heater and into the core. The produced fluids (oil and water) were obtained and measured and the resulting effluent gas was measured and analyzed on a chromatograph to determine the constituents of the produced gas. The injected air pressure was determined and temperature logs were plotted during the entire test. It was determined from the results of the tests on competent cores that 78 percent of the oil was removed from the cores as a result of the in-situ-combustion process on competent cores while 16 percent was used as fuel for combustion. The results from the tests on fractured cores show that 33 percent of the oil was removed from the cores as a result of the in-situ-combustion process while 45 percent was used as fuel for combustion. The results from the tests on fractured cores held apart by propping agents show that 16 percent of the oil was removed from the cores as a result of the in-situ-combustion process, while 38 percent was used as fuel to support combustion. 46 figures, 56 tables.