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Tertiary Enhanced Oil Recovery
Tertiary Enhanced Oil Recovery
Author
MOKDAD Belkhir
AKUANYIONWU Obinna
CORVATTA Luigi
Title
Abstract
Keywords
Contents
26
13
6
11
Pages
Figures
Tables
References
TABLES OF CONTENTS
Contents
Page No
Introduction................................................................................................................. 5
II
III
IV
VI
VII
VIII
Conclusion................................................................................................................. 12
Figures
Reference
Figure
(Ref. 1, 2)
Figure
(Ref. 5)
Figure
(Ref. 8)
Figure
(Ref. 3)
Figure
(Ref. 11)
Figure
(Ref. 7)
Figure
(Ref. 9)
Figure
Thermal recovery
(Ref. 11)
Figure
Miscible recovery
(Ref. 11)
Chemical recovery
(Ref. 11)
Figure 11
(Ref. 11)
Figure 12
(Ref. 11)
Figure 13
Prevision of the percentage of EOR over the United States and the world
Figure 10
Tables
Table 1
(Ref. 9)
Table 2
(Ref. 8)
Table 3
(Ref. 10)
Table 4
US EOR Production
(Ref. 9)
Table 5
(Ref. 10)
Table 6
Actual and Projected oil recovery by processes for the US and the world
(Ref. 7)
I Introduction
Nowadays, the increasing request of energy required to industry developments in one hand, and
the fall in reserve in the other hand, lead to find new sources of hydrocarbons or enhance
productivity of mature fields. Nevertheless, the recovery depends on the proper technologies,
economic viability and effective reservoir management strategies. The interest in Enhanced Oil
Recovery (EOR) and its application were fluctuating with oil price.
Interest of companies for enhanced recovery factor such as tertiary recovery, infills, horizontals,
and optimal placement of the new wells are the elements of reservoir development.
We will be concerned here mainly with the Enhanced (Tertiary) Oil Recovery.
An outline of the main aspects of the tertiary (EOR) is given in this report with an emphasis on
the review and critical analysis of tertiary recovery techniques including the theoretical, practical
and economical aspects.
Until the early 1940s, economic dictated when a well was to be plugged and abandoned usually
after a recovery of 12 to 15% of original oil in place (OOIP) for primary recovery. Extensive
waterflooding which began in the 1940s, within a few decades became the established method
for secondary oil recovery, usually recovering about another 15 to 20% of OOIP.
For the purpose of this paper, we will use the following definitions and Terminology used in the
SPE Literature:
Enhanced Oil recovery (EOR) refers to reservoir processes that recover oil not
produced by secondary processes. Primary recovery uses the natural energy of the
reservoir to produce oil or gas. Secondary recovery use injectants to re-pressurize the
reservoir and to displace oil to producers. Enhanced Oil Recovery processes target
whats left. They focus on the rock / oil / Injectant system and on the interplay and
viscous forces
(Ref. 6)
The following chapters will introduce the main factors which induce to the process selection of
EOR. Every six month period for each year, the Oil and Gas Journal publish a survey article on
EOR activity. According to the figure 2 established by Oil and Gas Journal revue, the high oil
prices from 1980 to 1985 led to the larger number of EOR Projects, till the fall off in the oil
prices which led to less number of EOR projects. The number of project in EOR is much related
to the oil prices. Table 1 confirms the behaviour of active US EOR Project with oil price. The year
2005 was the theatre of marked increase in oil price, which might explain the rise tendency with
9 more projects comparing with the previous year. The rise or decrease of EOR Projects is then
linked to the oil price. How then can we select the appropriate EOR in accordance with oil price,
and what are the main factors which may rise for the implementation of EOR?
To be done, the characteristic of the reservoir and the fluid reservoir is required, ie core
analyses, fluid properties measurement, detailed production history and pressure
information have to be collected.
Once a target volume has been identified, and the relevant reservoir and fluid
information collected, screening of EOR processes for application takes place. The main
criteria for candidate processes is not wholly technical question, but mostly related to the
economic viability of the matching process.
Table 2 point up on the relevant questions for choice to the different processes. The
answers to these questions can not be done without being in combination with
geological, laboratory investigations, project economic analysis and project design. A
good understanding of the reservoir geology, especially its heterogeneity and pore scale
structures, is critical to the success of an EOR project.
III 2 Modelling
The modelling of EOR projects is basically a five-step procedure:
- Select the appropriate reservoir simulator for conducting the project design
study,
- Collect valid input data,
- History match past production-pressure performance of the reservoir,
- predict future EOR project performance,
- determine the optimum EOR project design, by conducting sensitivity studies.
The modelling of EOR projects requires much more fluid and rock properties data than
waterflood secondary recovery project design studies, and the additional data required
depends upon the EOR process to be simulated.
Models for EOR are inherently different than those for conventional studies - by virtue of
the need to capture the fine scale structures and heterogeneity in a more representative
fashion will entrain a finer grid. Thus the end user need to think carefully of the gridding
strategy - it is not necessary to build a fine grid for the whole study (history matching
etc), but the ability to supplant finer scale refinements within areas of interest, or work
on extracted sectors and refine the grid properties is critical to the robustness of an EOR
study. Thus, gridding for a primary/secondary process should bear in mind the possible
desire to later screen for EOR.
The above section shows the importance of the EOR selection processes, and incrementing the
modeling through the geological, laboratory investigations with the project economic analysis
and project design. All the processes can not be done separately considering that each of them
interact consistently with the other.
Table 3 presents the worldwide cost database, which shows the average cost of the different
types of recovery processes; thermal, gas flooding, and chemical injection for projects that are
already carried out. For gas flooding (such as CO2 injection), the average total cost per barrel is
around US$ 12 20.
The following section gives the different type of EOR, which will be selected through the rigorous
process selection mentioned above.
In-Situ Combustion
Viscous oils
High porosity
by high-pressure injection of CO2 to facilitate miscibility between the oil and CO2,
and in cases where thermal methods are not feasible.
c)Nitrogen flooding can be used to recover "light oils" that are capable of
absorbing added gas under reservoir conditions, are low in methane, and at least
5,000 feet deep to withstand the high injection pressure necessary for the oil to
mix with the nitrogen without fracturing the producing formation. When nitrogen
is injected into a reservoir, it forms a miscible front by vaporizing lighter oil
components. As the front moves away from the injection wells its leading edge
goes into solution, or becomes miscible, with the reservoir oil. Continued injection
moves the bank of displaced oil toward production wells. Water slugs are injected
alternately with the nitrogen to increase the sweep efficiency and oil recovery.
Nitrogen can be manufactured on site at relatively low cost by extraction from air
by cryogenic separation, and being totally inert it is noncorrosive.
d)Nitrogen - CO2 flooding, because of its lower cost, the nitrogen can be used
in a CO2 flood to displace the CO2 slug and its oil bank.
Some incorrect applications are given below for the different processes to emphasis the point
above:
VII 1 Steam Injection
Cyclic steaming has been very successful in high viscosity oil, thick, high permeability,
shallow sands, but many cyclic operations were done in thin sands, with complex
geology.
VII 2 Carbon Dioxide Flooding
- The Carbon Dioxide Flooding were applied to deep, high temperature reservoirs, with
no chance of miscible displacement of oil.
- Application to heterogeneous, complex, and fractured formations.
- Trying to pressurize a depleted reservoir to be able to do a carbon dioxide flood.
- Application at the end of a waterflood too much water to move, too much loss of
carbon dioxide to water.
VIII Conclusion
The EOR techniques depend highly on the geological data used for the modelling, but also on
the economic environments. The oil price, which was fluctuating, has a real control on the
number of project launched each year.
The oil prices for 2005 and 2006 were exceptionally high, reaching the 60 $/bbl. This tendency
might help to increase the number of project in EOR, and also help small company or
independent to target the oil left by the big oil company. With an cost average of 20$/bbl for
EOR, the small company can still earn money with the oil left behind.
2006 / 2007 should be a promising year for increasing Research & Development for EOR, and
lead to raise the number of project for EOR.
Figures
Fig. 6 Historical Growth of EOR in the United States and the World
800
700
600
500
Gas
Chemical
400
300
Thermal
200
100
0
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Us
Us
Us
Us
Us
1970
2000
2020
2037
2050
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
World
World
World
World
World
1970
2000
2020
2037
2050
Fig. 13 Prevision of the percentage of EOR over the United States and the world
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
Thermal
Steam
Combustion in situ
Hot water
Total thermal
181
17
3
201
133
9
10
152
137
8
9
154
119
8
6
133
109
5
2
116
105
8
2
115
92
7
1
100
86
5
1
92
55
6
4
65
46
7
3
56
40
12
3
55
Chemical
Mecellar - polymer
Polymer
Caustic/alkaline
Surfactant
Total chemical
20
178
8
8
206
9
111
4
4
124
5
42
2
2
50
3
44
2
2
49
2
27
1
1
30
11
1
1
12
10
1
1
11
10
10
Hydrocarbon
miscible/immiscible
26
22
23
25
15
14
11
13
CO2 miscible
CO2 immiscible
Nitrogen
38
28
9
49
8
9
52
4
9
52
2
7
54
1
8
60
1
9
66
10
63
1
4
66
1
4
70
1
4
80
2
3
104
90
91
1
89
1
79
84
87
74
78
83
97
Other
Microbial
Total other
1
1
0
0
0
0
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Grand total
512
366
295
273
226
212
199
176
147
143
152
Gas
Processes
Questions
- What is the design of the chemical slug to develop the ultralow interfacial tension necessary for a successful
displacement?
- To what extent will the chemical interact with the clays in
the reservoir rock through adsorption?
- What is the salinity of the reservoir water, and how will that
salinity impact the activity of the chemical slug and change
during the process?
- How will mobility control of the oil bank and chemical bank
be accomplished?
Process
Injectant
only
Total Process
Thermal
Steam
3-5
5-7
Purchased fuel
4-6
7-10
Gas
CO2
5-10
12-20
Surfactant (Micellar)
10-20
20-30
Alkaline
~7
2-7
Polymer
1-5
Chemical
~19
10-17
~2-7
Thermal
Steam
Combustion in situ
Hot water
Total thermal
Chemical
Mecellar - polymer
Polymer
Caustic/alkaline
Surfactant
Total chemical
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
468,692
10,272
705
479,669
455,484
6,525
2,896
464,905
444,137
6,090
3,985
454,212
454,009
4,702
1,980
460,691
415,801
2,520
250
418,571
419,349
4,485
250
424,084
439,010
4,760
2,200
445,970
417,675
2781
306
417,675
365,717
2,384
3,360
371,461
340,253
1,901
3,360
345,514
286,668
13,260
1,776
301,704
1,403
15,313
185
1,509
20,992
617
11,219
254
1,940
64
1,828
0
139
0
139
0
1,598
16,901
22,501
20
11,856
2,194
1,892
139
139
60
1,658
60
60
60
60
33,767
25,935
55,386
113,072
99,693
96,263
102,053
124,500
95,300
97,300
95,800
28,440
1,349
18,510
64,192
420
19,050
95,591
95
22,260
144,973
95
22,580
161,486
170,715
179,024
23,050
28,017
28,117
189,493
66
14,700
187,410
66
14,700
205,775
102
14,700
234,420
2,698
14,700
26,150
21,400
17,300
11,000
6,300
4,400
4,350
4,350
108,216
130,997
190,632
298,020
288,629
299,345
313,544
328,759
297,476
317,877
347,618
0
604786
0
618403
0
656700
2
2
760907
2
2
709094
0
0
723568
0
0
759653
0
0
748092
0
0
668997
0
0
663451
0
0
649322
Gas
Hydrocarbon
miscible/immiscible
CO2 miscible
CO2 immiscible
Nitrogen
Flue gas (miscible
and immiscible)
Other
Total gas
Other
Microbial
Total other
Grand total
Process
Thermal
Processes
Gas Methods
Recovery
Mechanism
Reduce Oil
viscosity
Issue
Vaporization of
light ends
Override
Pollution
In Situ
Combustion
Same as steam
plus cracking
Same as steam
plus control of
combustion
Immiscible
Reduces oil
Viscosity
Steam (Drive
and Stimulation)
Typical Agent
Utilisation
0.5 bbl oil
consumed per
bbl oil
produced
10 - 15
Stability
Override
Supply
5 - 15
10 Mcf solvent
per bbl oil
produced
5 - 20
Depth Heat
Losses
Oil Swelling
Solution gas
Chemical
Processes
Typical Recovery
(%OOIP)
50 - 65
Miscible
Same as
immiscible plus
development of
miscible
displacement
Same as
immiscible
Polymer
Improves
volumetric sweep
by mobility
reduction
Injectivity
Stability
High Salinity
Surfactant
Same as Polymer
plus reduces
capillary forces
Same as
polymer plus
chemical
availability,
retention
15
Alkaline
Same as
surfactant plus oil
solubilization and
wetability
alteration
Same as
surfactant plus
oil composition
0.3 0.5 lb
polymer per
bbl oil
produced
15 25 lb
surfactant per
bbl oil
produced
35 45 lb
chemical per
bbl oil
produced
1970
2000
2020
2037
2050
Us
World
Us
World
Us
World
Us
World
Us
World
Primary
53
Na
37
56
32
48
27
43
20
35
Secondary
45
Na
51
40
54
44
57
47
62
51
Tertiary
<2
Na
12
<4
14
16
10
18
14
Table 6: Actual and Projected oil recovery by processes for the US and the world.
References
Venuto PB
1989
Tailoring
EOR
Processes
World Oil 209:
61 68
Donaldson EC,
Chilingarian GV, Yen TF
1989
Simandoux P, Champlon D,
Velentin E
1990
Wikipedia Encyclopedia
2006
Definition
2003
Stosur, J. George
2003
EOR: Past, Present and What the Next 25 years May Bring,
SPE 84864.
2004
2006
10 Martin, F.D
1992
11 Website
2006
to
Geologic
Environments,