A decade has passed since the US shale sector became excited about the idea that enhanced oil recovery (EOR) could be applied in tight rock formations.
Intrigue boomed in 2016 when EOG Resources reported that its huff-and-puff gas injections were delivering double-digit production gains in wells in the Eagle Ford Shale of south Texas. The early enthusiasm, however, soon clashed with the harsh realities of geology and business.
The surface compression equipment required for cyclic gas injection was costly and involved long lead times. Not everyone had a high-volume supply of gas. Then, within 2 years of EOG’s announcement, a downturn in oil prices forced many operators to curtail pilot programs or kill larger-scale efforts.
At the same time, tight-oil and -gas producers were refining their understanding of shale reservoir behavior.
