Enhanced recovery
Technology and partnerships remain important, while phased approaches may supplant lengthy appraisal programs, experts said during CERAWeek.
This paper introduces a novel steam-sensitive flow-control device designed to restrict the production of steam and low-subcool liquids while allowing higher mobility of oil-phase fluids.
This paper describes the operator’s initiative to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and recover additional hydrocarbon, monetizing it as sales gas, by integrating upstream and downstream gas facilities in a unified approach.
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This paper presents an analysis of a CO2-foam-injection pilot in the Salt Creek Field, Natrona County, Wyoming. -
In my previous features, I discussed the challenges facing carbon dioxide (CO2), both technical and economic. By far the biggest use of CO2 is in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). In this feature, the focus is on overcoming the biggest challenges facing CO2 EOR—gravity override and mobility.
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The evolution of horizontal drilling and multistage completions has changed matrix stimulation from the “more acid, better result” belief to effective lateral distribution and deeper penetration with less acid.
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CO2 injection is a successful EOR technology that has been deployed extensively in the Permian Basin. Further expansion of CO2 EOR has been limited by the availability of affordable CO2 rather than the existence of suitable target reservoirs. This situation may be about to change.
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A horizontal-steam-injection pilot project has been under way for the last 4 years in the Kern River heavy-oil field in the southern San Joaquin Valley of California.
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While the floating liquefied-natural-gas (FLNG) option initially looked promising, high capital expenditure and very high operational expense (OPEX) have limited its potential application, with four potential FLNG projects being canceled in Australasia in the last 2 years.
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Production from an offshore Angola field has been decreasing because of subsea pressure declines amid water-cut increases and limited gas compressor capacity. The development process leading to the selection of high-boosting multiphase pumps is described.
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Experimentation reveals that swellable nanogels increase their size faster than expected or produce aggregation leading to serious blocking problems at the sandface. This paper studies if the addition of a surfactant can help improve injectivity.
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Scientists at Locus Bio-Energy Solutions have created a series of nontoxic microbial-based products that substantially increase oil production.
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Progress in chemical EOR, from polymer to alkaline/surfactant/polymer, has been significant. Not only are there new chemicals with improved recovery capabilities, but also the cost of the chemicals is being reduced continuously. All those factors led to more operators using chemical EOR.
