PEB1012 – Introduction to the Oil and Gas Industry

& Sustainable Development

Oil and Gas Recovery Techniques

© 2012 INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY PETRONAS SDN BHD

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 LEARNING OUTCOME PEB1012

• List and define the important rock and fluid properties

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 OUTLINE PEB1012

• Reservoir rock and fluid properties

• Oil recovery techniques
❖ Primary recovery methods
❖ Secondary recovery methods
❖ Tertiary recovery methods
• Reservoir management
❖ Reservoir surveillance
❖ Reservoir modeling and simulation
❖ Reservoir management team

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 RESERVOIR ROCK PROPERTIES PEB1012

• Understanding of the physical properties of the rock and its interaction with the hydrocarbon system
is very important to be able to evaluate performance of a reservoir.
• Rock properties are determined by performing laboratory tests on cores samples from the reservoir.
• Important rock properties that can determine the quality and distribution of hydrocarbon are:

❑ Porosity - ratio of the pore volume to the total volume

❑ Permeability - the capacity and ability of the formation to transmit fluids
❑ Saturation - fraction of the pore volume occupied by a particular fluid (oil, gas, or water)
❑ Overburden pressure – pressure due to overlying formations.
❑ Capillary pressure – pressure difference between two immiscible fluids.
❑ Relative permeability - the ratio of the effective permeability to a given fluid at a definite saturation
to the permeability at 100% saturation.
❑ Wettability - the tendency of one fluid to spread on or adhere to a solid surface in the presence of
other immiscible fluids
❑ Surface (between gas and liquid) and interfacial (between two liquids)– tension the acting force
between two immiscible fluids.

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 RESERVOIR ROCK PROPERTIES PEB1012

• Knowledge of reservoir fluid types and their properties is also very crucial as they can
determine the volumetric behavior of hydrocarbon reservoirs.
• The properties are determined from laboratory experiments performed on
samples of actual reservoir fluids.
• In the absence of experimentally measured properties, empirical correlations are used.
• A hydrocarbon reservoir may be with both gas and oil or with one of them and water.
• Below are the main reservoir fluid properties:
➢ Specific gravity
➢ Density
Δ𝑉
➢ Isothermal compressibility coefficient - Δ𝑃
➢Formation volume factor - the ratio of the volume of reservoir fluid at the
prevailing reservoir temperature and pressure to the volume at standard
conditions.
➢ Viscosity - the internal resistance of the fluid to flow

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 OIL RECOVERY TECHNIQUES PEB1012

Learning Outcomes
1. Describe the flow of fluid through porous media.
2. Define the three oil recovery methods.

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 OIL RECOVERY TECHNIQUES PEB1012

• Flow in porous media is a very complex phenomenon and as such cannot be described as
explicitly as flow through pipes or conduits. It is rather easy to measure the length and
diameter of a pipe and compute its flow capacity as a function of pressure; in porous media,
however, flow is different in that there are no clear-cut flow paths that lend themselves to
measurement.
• The flow of fluid in porous media is affected by rock properties (porosity and permeability),
fluid properties (compressibility and viscosity).
• Darcy equation:

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 OIL RECOVERY TECHNIQUES PEB1012

• Where the pressure gradient is the energy that determines the flow of fluid
to the wellbore and it is described for linear flow as:

• The terms primary recovery, secondary recovery, and tertiary (enhanced)

oil recovery are traditionally used to describe hydrocarbons recovered
according to the method of production or the time at which they are
obtained.

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 OIL RECOVERY TECHNIQUES PEB1012

• Reservoir engineers are required to determine the best oil recovery methods (primary, secondary, and
tertiary) that extend the life of reservoir and recover higher percentage of original oil in place.
• Original oil in place is the total estimated amount of oil in reservoir, which can not be fully recovered.
• The ratio of producible oil to the original oil in place is called recovery factor.

• The average world wide oil recovery is 35%, which leaves >60% of the oil in the reservoir. Thus, the need
to implement other recovery methods to increase the recovery factor.

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 OIL RECOVERY TECHNIQUES PEB1012

• Primary oil recovery describes the production of hydrocarbons under the natural driving mechanisms
present in the reservoir without supplementary help from injected fluids such as gas or water. (like a
carbonated bottle drink)
• Secondary oil recovery refers to the additional recovery that results from the conventional methods of
water injection and immiscible gas injection.
• Tertiary (enhanced) oil recovery is that additional recovery over and above what could be
recovered by primary and secondary recovery methods.

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 PRIMARY RECOVERYMETHODS PEB1012

Learning Outcome:
• List and describe the five primary recovery methods.

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 PRIMARY RECOVERYMETHODS PEB1012

There are five main primary driving mechanisms:

1. Rock and fluid expansion drive
2. Depletion drive
3. Gas cap drive
4. Water drive
5. Gravity drainage drive

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 PRIMARY RECOVERYMETHODS PEB1012

1. Rock and fluid expansion drive

• As the expansion of the fluids and reduction in the pore volume occur with
decreasing reservoir pressure, the crude oil and water will be forced out of
the pore space to the wellbore.
• This driving mechanism is considered the least efficient driving force and
usually results in the recovery of only a small percentage of the total oil in
place.

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 PRIMARY RECOVERYMETHODS PEB1012

2. Depletion drive
• Also known as solution gas drive, dissolved gas drive, internal gas drive
• In this type drive mechanism, the main source of energy is from gas liberation
from the crude oil and subsequent expansion of solution gas as the reservoir
pressure reduces.
• The ultimate recovery vary as 5 to 30%.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8kjg3ndzJE INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 PRIMARY RECOVERYMETHODS PEB1012

3. Gas cap drive

• The expansion the gas in the gas cap is the source energy.
• The ultimate recovery is expected to range from 20% to 40%

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kjFBKh8-EE INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 PRIMARY RECOVERYMETHODS PEB1012

4. Water drive
• It is due to the movement of water into the pore space that was originally filled
with oil, replacing and displacing it to the producing wells.
• The ultimate recovery is expected to range from 35% to 75%

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQqecrsyJeI INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 PRIMARY RECOVERYMETHODS PEB1012

5. Gravity drainage drive

• Gravity drainage occurs as result of differences in densities of the reservoir
fluids.
• The ultimate recovery can be >80%

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b

_q4ufjjgE INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 SECONDARY RECOVERY METHODS PEB1012

Learning Outcome:
• Describe and list two secondary recovery methods

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 SECONDARY RECOVERY METHODS PEB1012

• Secondary recovery methods are processes in which oil is subject to immiscible

displacement with injected fluids such as water or gas.
• Commonly water is injected into the reservoir to force additional petroleum out of
the pores in the reservoir rock
• Can recover up to 50%

https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=Y4Ipuo1IBdk INTRO TO OIL AND GAS
 TERTIARY RECOVERY METHODS PEB1012

Learning Outcomes:
• Define EOR method
• List and describe the three main EOR methods

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 TERTIARY RECOVERY METHODS PEB1012

• EOR-any method that increases oil production by using techniques or materials

that are not part of normal pressure maintenance or water flooding operations.
• It involves changing of the properties of the oil so that it can flow more
easily.
• It can be done in three ways:
➢ Thermal recovery
➢ Miscible gas injection
➢ Chemical EOR

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 TERTIARY RECOVERY METHODS PEB1012

• Thermal recovery such as Steam flooding is the most widely used and profitable
enhanced oil recovery technique for heavy crude oils.
• The process involves the injection of steam generated at the surface or downhole
continuously or in cycles
• Recoveries from steam flooding are typically in the range of 50 to 60% OOIP, while the
ultimate recovery from cycle steam is lower in the range of 10 to 25% OOIP.
• Steam costs are very high and can amount to up to 50% of the value of the produced oil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxwBmna WjzA INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 TERTIARY RECOVERY METHODS PEB1012

• Gas is injected above Minimum Miscible Pressure such that gas becomes miscible in
oil in the formation. Viscosity of oil is reduced providing more efficient miscible
displacement. The process involves the injection of steam generated at the surface
or downhole continuously or in cycles
• Gas is injected below minimum miscible pressure such that it sweeps the oil in
front of it towards the production wells.
• This process can also be used to mitigate permanently the CO2 produced from
Power Plants

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 TERTIARY RECOVERY METHODS PEB1012

• Chemical EOR involves a variety of techniques used to mainly to reduce the interfacial tension and to
modify the mobility of the aqueous phase during oil displacement.
• Chemical EOR methods utilize:
• Surfactant
• Polymer
• Alkaline
• Alkaline -Surfactant –Polymer (ASP)
• Purposes
1.To reduce the interfacial tension
2.To improve the flooding efficiency

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8cKOQi Km7s INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 TERTIARY RECOVERY METHODS PEB1012

• The function of the surfactant is to produce an ultra low interfacial tension

between the crude oil and the injection solution
• The function of the alkaline:
➢ To form in-situ surfactant.
➢ To reduce the interfacial tension between crude oil and the injection solution.
➢ To reduce the amount of surfactant adsorption onto formation.
• The function of the polymer:
➢ To drive ASP slug.
➢ To increase the sweep efficiency.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8cKOQiKm7s

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 RESERVOIR MANAGEMENT PEB1012

Learningoutcomes:
• Describe reservoir management.
• List objectives of reservoir modeling and simulations.

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 RESERVOIR MANAGEMENT PEB1012

• Reservoir management is a very crucial process that aims to maximize economic

recovery of a reservoir using geology, geophysics and petroleum engineering.
• Reservoir management helps engineers to understand and model a reservoir to evaluate
operational changes and provide necessary data to determine the economic viability of
any potential changes.
• Reservoir management requires information such as reservoir fluid and rock properties,
flow rate, temperature, pressure, and seismic data.

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 RESERVOIR SURVEILLANCE PEB1012

• Reservoir surveillance is a continuous process of generating

opportunities for improving reservoir performance.
• It is important to identify well patterns and enhance injection processes.
• It is a process of acquiring and analyzing data to:
• Monitor reservoir performance
• Provide information on performance parameters to improve ability for
prediction
• Identify barriers to meeting or exceeding forecast performance and provide
methodologies to mitigate the impact

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 RESERVOIR MODELING AND SIMULATION PEB1012

• Reservoir modeling is construction of a computer model of a petroleum reservoir for

the purpose of simulating fluid flow in a porous media.

• The objectives of reservoir simulation are to improve estimation of reserves and

making decisions regarding the development of the field, predicting future
production, placing additional wells, and evaluating alternative reservoir management
scenarios.

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

 RESERVOIR MANAGEMENT TEAM PEB1012

The reservoir management team comprises of multidiscipline:

• Reservoir engineers
• Geophysicists
• Geologists
• Petrophysicists
• Drilling engineers
• Facility engineers
• Production engineers

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS

THANK YOU PEB1012

QUESTIONS?

INTRO TO OIL AND GAS