Lecture 12

Review EOR

Dosen : Ir Andry halim, MM

STT MIGAS, Balikpapan
2006

Secondary

Recovery (EOR)

Immiscible
Flood
Waterfloo
d
Maintains reservoir
pressure &
physically displaces
oil with water
moving through the
reservoir from
injector to producer.

Gas Injection

Maintains reservoir
pressure &
physicallydisplaces
moving through
the
oil with gas reservoir
from injector
to producer. Without

dilute into oil

Ch 8a - 2

Tertiary Recovery (EOR)

ThermalFlooding

Reduces Sorw by steam

distillation
and
reduces oil viscosity.

Chemical Flooding

Reduces Sorw by
lowering water-oil
interfacial tension,
and
increases volumetric
sweep efficiency by
reducing the wateroil mobility ratio.

Miscible Flood
Gas Flooding
Reduces Sorw by
developing
miscibilitywith the oil
through a vaporizing or
condensing gas drive
process.

Ch 8a - 3

Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)

Goal of EOR processes is to mobilize "remaining" oil
Achieved by enhancing oil displacement &
volumetric sweep efficiencies

Oil displacement efficiency is improved by reducing oil

viscosity (e.g., thermal floods) or by reducing capillary forces
or interfacial tension (e.g., miscible floods)

- Volumetric sweep efficiency is improved by developing more

favorable mobility ratio between injectant & remaining oil-inplace (e.g., polymer floods, WAG processes)

Important to identify remaining oil & mechanisms necessary

to improve recovery before implementing EOR
Ch 8a - 4

Enhanced

Oil Recovery (EOR)

Most EOR screening values are approximations based on

successful North American projects. These are not intended
to be firm cut-offs, but rather approximate practical
limitations. They do not take into account new technology
or varying economic situations.
Dr. Bruce Davis

Ch 8a - 5

Waterflooding
Water
Injection

Injection

Well

Separation and
Storage Facilities

Production Well

Pump

Oil Zone

Injection Water
Ch 8a - 6

Waterflooding
Description
Most widely used post-primary recovery method
Water injected in patterns or along the periphery
Mechanisms That Improve Recovery Efficiency
Water drive
Limitations
High oil viscosities - higher mobility ratios
Heterogeneity such as stratification, permeability
contrast, and fracturing can reduce sweep
efficiency
Challenges
Poor compatibility between injected water &
reservoir may cause formation damage
Subsurface fluid control to divert injected water &
shut off undesirable produced fluids

Ch 8a - 7

Waterflooding
Screening Parameters
Gravity
Viscosity

> 25 API
< 30 cp

Composition
Oil saturation

not critical

Formation type
Net thickness

sandstone / carbonate

Average
permeability

not critical (usually >10md)

Transmissibility
Depth

not critical

Temperature

> 10% mobile oil

not critical
not critical
not critical
Ch 8a - 8

Surfactant/Polymer
Surfactant
Inje ction Water
Solution
Well
Injection
Solution From
From
Pump
Mixing Plant

Flooding
Separation and
Storage Facilities

Oil Zone

Surfactant

Polymer
Solution

Production Well

Drive Water
Ch 8a - 9

Surfactant/Polymer Flooding
Description
Consists of injecting a slug containing water,
surfactant, electrolyte (salt), usually a co-solvent

(alcohol), & possibly a hydrocarbon (oil), followed by

polymer-thickened water
Mechanisms That Improve Recovery Efficiency
Interfacial tension reduction (improves
displacement sweep efficiency)

Mobility control (improves volumetric sweep

efficiency)
Ch 8a - 10

Surfactant/Polymer Flooding
Limitations
Areal sweep more than 50% for waterflood is desired
Relatively homogeneous formation
High amounts of anhydrite, gypsum, or clays are undesirable
Available systems provide optimum behavior within narrow set of
conditions
With commercially available surfactants, formation water
chlorides should be < 20,000 ppm & divalent ions (Ca++ & Mg++)
< 500 ppm
Challenges
Complex & expensive
Possibility of chromatographic separation of chemicals
High adsorption of surfactant
Interactions between surfactant & polymer
Degradation of chemicals at high temperature

Ch 8a - 11

Surfactant/Polymer Flooding
Screening Parameters

Gravity
Viscosity

Net thickness

> 25 API
< 20 cp
light intermediates
> 20% PV
sandstone
> 10 feet

Average permeability

> 20 md

Transmissibility

not critical
< 8,000 feet

Composition
Oil saturation
Formation type

Depth

Temperature
Salinity of formation brine

< 225 F
< 150,000 ppm TDS

Ch 8a - 12

Polymer Flooding
Polymer
Injection
Solution From Well
Mixing Plant

Water
Injection
Pump

Separation and
Storage Facilities

Oil Zone

Polymer Solution

Production
Well

Drive Water
Ch 8a - 13

Polymer Flooding
Description
Consists of adding water soluble polymers to water before it is
injected in reservoir
Mechanisms That Improve Recovery Efficiency
Mobility control (improves volumetric sweep efficiency)
Limitations
High oil viscosities require higher polymer concentration
Results normally better if polymer flood started before water- oil ratio
becomes excessively high
Clays increase polymer adsorption
Some heterogeneity is acceptable, but avoid extensive fractures
If fractures are present, crosslinked or gelled polymer
techniques may be applicable
Ch 8a - 14

Polymer Flooding
Challenges
Lower injectivity than with water can adversely affect
oil production rates in early stages of polymer flood
Acrylamide-type polymers loose viscosity due to sheer
degradation, or it increases in salinity & divalent ions
Xanthan gum polymers cost more, are subject to
microbial degradation, & have greater potential for
wellbore plugging

Ch 8a - 15

Polymer Flooding
Screening Parameters
Gravity

> 18 API

Viscosity
Composition

< 200 cp

Oil saturation
Formation type

> 10% PV
mobile oil

Net thickness
Average

sandstone /
carbonate

not critical

permeability

not critical

Transmissibility
Depth

> 20 md

Temperature

not critical
< 9,000 feet
< 225 F

Ch 8a - 16

Injection)

Miscible Gas Flooding (CO2

CO2

Injection

Injection

Well

Water
Separation and
Injection
Storage Facilities

Pipeline
From

Production Well

Pump

or Recycle

Waterflood Sor

Oil
Bank/Miscible
Front

CO2 and Water

Zone

Drive
Water
Ch 8a - 17

Miscible Gas Flooding (CO2 Injection)

Description
Consists of injecting large quantities of CO2 (15%
or more hydrocarbon pore volumes) in reservoir to
form a miscible
Mechanisms
Thatflood
Improve Recovery Efficiency

CO2 extracts the light-to-intermediate components

from the oil, and, if pressure is high enough,
develops miscibility to displace oil from reservoir
(vaporizing gas drive)

Viscosity reduction / oil swelling

Ch 8a - 18

Miscible Gas Flooding (CO2 Injection)

Limitations
Very low viscosity of CO2 results in poor mobility
control
Availability of CO2
Challenges
Early breakthrough of CO2 causes problems
Corrosion in producing wells
Necessity of separating CO2 from saleable
hydrocarbons
Repressuring CO2 for recycling
Large requirement of CO2 per incremental barrel
produced

Ch 8a - 19

Miscible Gas Flooding

(CO2 Injection)

Screening Parameters
Gravity
Viscosity
Composition

> 27 API

Oil saturation
Formation type

> 30% PV

< 10 cp
C5 - C20 (C5 - C12)

sandstone / carbonate

Net thickness
Average

relatively thin

permeability

not critical

Transmissibility
Depth

> 2,300 feet

Temperature

not critical

< 250 F

Ch 8a - 20

Miscible Gas Flooding

(Hydrocarbon Injection)
HC Gas
Injection
From
Pipeline
or Recycle

Injection
Well

Water
Injection
Pump

Waterflood S

or

Separation and
Storage Facilities

Oil Bank /
Miscible Front

Production Well

HC and Water
Zone

Drive
Water
Ch 8a - 21

Miscible Gas Flooding

(Hydrocarbon Injection)
Description
Consists of injecting light hydrocarbons through
reservoir to form a miscible flood

Mechanisms That Improve Recovery Efficiency

Viscosity reduction / oil swelling / condensing or
vaporizing gas drive

Ch 8a - 22

Miscible Gas Flooding

(Hydrocarbon Injection)
Limitations
Minimum depth is set by pressure needed to maintain
generated miscibility

Ranges from about 1,200 psi for LPG process to 3,0005,000 psi for High Pressure Gas Drive, depending on the oil
Steeply dipping formation is very desirable - permits gravity
stabilization of displacement that normally has an unfavorable
mobility ratio
Challenges
Viscous fingering results in poor vertical & horizontal sweep
efficiency
Large quantities of expensive products required
Solvent may be trapped & not recovered
Ch 8a - 23

Miscible Gas Flooding

(Hydrocarbon Injection)
Screening Parameters
Gravity
Viscosity

> 27 API
< 10 cp

Composition
Oil saturation

C2 - C7

Formation type
Net thickness

sandstone / carbonate

Average
permeability

not critical

Transmissibility
Depth
Temperature

> 2,000 feet (LPG)

> 30% PV
relatively thin
not critical

> 5,000 feet (lean gas)

> 250F

Ch 8a - 24

Nitrogen / Flue Gas Flooding

N2 Gas
Injection

Injection
Well

Water

Injection

Separation and
Storage Facilities

Production Well

Pump

From

Pipeline
or Plant

Waterflood Sor

Oil Bank/
Miscible Front

N2 and
Water Zone

Drive Water
Ch 8a - 25

Nitrogen / Flue Gas Flooding

Description
Consists of injecting large quantities of gas that may be
miscible or immiscible depending on pressure & oil
composition
Large volumes may be injected because of low cost
Nitrogen or flue gas are also considered for use as
chase gases in hydrocarbon-miscible & CO2 floods
Mechanisms That Improve Recovery Efficiency
Vaporizes lighter components of crude oil &
generates miscibility if pressure is high enough
Provides gas drive where significant portion of
reservoir volume is filled with low-cost gases
Ch 8a - 26

Nitrogen / Flue Gas Flooding

Limitations
Miscibility can only be achieved with light oils at high
pressures; therefore, deep reservoirs are needed
Steeply dipping reservoir is desired to permit gravity
stabilization of displacement, which has a very unfavorable
mobility ratio
Challenges
Viscous fingering results in poor vertical & horizontal
sweep efficiency

Flue gas injection can cause corrosion

Non-hydrocarbon gases must be separated from
saleable gas
Ch 8a - 27

Nitrogen / Flue Gas Flooding

Screening Parameters
Gravity
Viscosity
Composition
Oil saturation
Formation type
Net thickness

Average permeability
Transmissibility
Depth
Temperature

> 24 API (> 35 for nitrogen)

< 10 cp
C1 - C7
> 30% PV
sandstone / carbonate
relatively thin (not critical for
pressure maintenance)

not critical
not critical
> 4,500 feet
not critical

Ch 8a - 28

Thermal (Steamflooding)
Stack Gas
Scrubber

Steam
Generator

Injection
Well

Separation and
Storage Facilities

Oil and Water Zone

Near Original Reservoir
Temperature

Heated Oil
Zone

Production Well

Hot Water
Zone

Steam and
Condensed
Water Zone

Ch 8a - 29

Thermal (Steamflooding)
Description
Consists of injecting 80% quality steam to
displace oil

Normal practice is to precede & accompany steam

drive by cyclic steam stimulation of
producing
wells (called huff and puff)

Mechanisms That Improve Recovery Efficiency

Viscosity reduction / steam distillation
Supplies pressure to drive oil to producing well
Challenges
Adverse mobility ratio & channeling of steam

Ch 8a - 30

Thermal (Steamflooding)
Limitations
Applicable to viscous oils in massive, high permeability
sandstones or unconsolidated sands
Oil saturations must be high & pay zones should be > 20 ft thick to
minimize heat losses to adjacent formations
Less viscous crude oils can be steamflooded if they dont respond

to water

Steamflooded reservoirs should be as shallow as possible because of

excessive wellbore heat losses

Not normally done in carbonate reservoirs

Since about 1/3 of additional oil recovered is consumed to generate

required steam, cost per incremental barrel of oil is high
Low percentage of water-sensitive clays is desired for good
injectivity
Ch 8a - 31

Thermal (Steamflooding)
Screening Parameters
Gravity
Viscosity
Composition
Remaining oil

Formation type
Net thickness
Average permeability
Transmissibility
Depth
Temperature

< 35 API (10-35 API)

> 20 cp (100-5,000 cp)
not critical
> 500 bbl / acre-ft (> 4050% PV)

sandstone
> 20 feet
> 200 md
> 100 md ft / cp
> 200-5,000 feet
not critical

Ch 8a - 32

Depth Limitation for Enhanced

Oil Recovery Methods
Depth (ft)
EOR Method

8,000
Miscible

10,000

Hydrocarbon-

2,000

4,000

6,000

Deep Enough for

Flue Gas
Required Pressure
Nitrogen and

Deep Enough for

Required Pressure
Polymer

Limited by Temperature

CO2 Flooding
Required Pressure

Deep Enough for

Surfactant/

sump

Limited by Temperature

Polymer

Preferred Zone

Alkaline
Con

High

tion

Ch 8a - 33

Preferred Oil Viscosity Ranges for

Enhanced Oil Recovery Methods

Oil Viscosity - Centipoise at Reservoir Conditions

EOR Method
Miscible
Hydrocarbon-

0.1

1.0

100

1000

1,000

100,000

1,000,000

More Difficult

Very Good
Good

Good

Flue Gas
Nitrogen
and
CO2 Flooding

10

More Difficult
More Difficult

Very Good
Good

Good

Polymer

Fair
Very

Surfactant/

Not Feas ib le

Difficult

No Feas b e

Polymer

Good

Fair

Difficult

i l

No Feas b e

Difficult

Good

Alkaline

Fire Flood

Steam Drive
Drainholes,
etc.

Special Thermal:
Extraction
Shafts,
Fractures,

May Not Be Possible

Waterflooded)
(Can Be

Feasible

Fair

Very

Good

i lNo Feas b e

i l

Good
No Es tab lished L mi sit

Various Techniques Possible

Ch 8a - 34

Mining and

Not
RREW-4-2-EORMethodsVG1-34

Permeability Guides for

Enhanced Oil Recovery Methods
Permeability (millidarcy)
EOR Method

0.1

100

10

1000

10,000

- Not Critical if

HydrocarbonMiscible

Uniform - Not Critical if Uniform

Flue Gas
Nitrogen and

- High Enough For Good Injection Rates -

CO2 Flooding

Polymer

Preferred Zone

Surfactant/

Possible

Polymer

Alkaline

Preferred Zone
Fire Flood

Steam Drive

Preferred Zone

Preferred Zone
Preferred Zone
RREW-4-2-EORMethodsVG1-35

Ch 8a - 35

Summary of Screening
EOR Methods

Reservoir Characteristics

Thermal

Chemical
Floodin

g
Metho

Gas Injection

ds

Oil Properties

Criteria for

N.C. = Not Critical

*Transmissibility >20 md ft/cp
**Transmissibility > 100 md ft/cp

Ch 8a - 36

Applications of Light Oil Steam Flooding

(LOSF) to Waterflooded Reservoirs
Relatively new variation on more traditional heavy oil steam
flooding EOR technique
Mechanisms in LOSF similar to traditional
steamflooding:
- Viscosity reduction For given temperature rise, the
viscosity decrease for more viscous heavy oil is much
more significant than in lighter oils
Swelling The thermal expansion of light oils is
greater than that for heavy oils
Stripping of light ends Since more lighter
components are present in the light oils, potential
benefits from development of condensate zones is
more significant in light oils than in heavy oils
Ch 8a - 37

Applications of Light Oil Steam

to Waterflooded Reservoirs

Flooding

200'0

Effect of oil
gravity on
viscosity
reduction
with
temperature

1000
50 0,.
1

12 API. 'On

100

u
c..
0
..~....
u
(!:
;
oJ
!l

1 ..0 .
-

>
1.0

100
200
300
400
.50 0
Tremperatur
e, O:F
1

Applications of Light Oil Steam Flooding

to Waterflooded Reservoirs

:.:.."t----"r-oof1:ir--...,._-~

.
.

i_

8, ~--~-\\'--t------"!"",;------

'lie'

-----t---.....~- ...._._II ......

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9
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f:

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..-.-.-.-.........

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ILoU

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II.1

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,0

UI

I.:I

t-----.......~---f/!!c:-Jlrih:_-_+-I

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'0'

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----

il

H
,DE:;NIS,IJY At
',R[ESSU-,RE

.5

6,0[F' ,ANID

Swelling effect is
shown where heavier oil
(60 lb/cu.ft) has
significantly less
swelling potential than a
lighter oil (55 lb/cu.ft)

Applications of Light Oil Steam Flooding

to Waterflooded Reservoirs
Distillation (or stripping of light ends) is more
pronounced in lighter oils than in heavier
This makes creation of a
condensate volume with
solvent properties much more likely in lighter oils
45 .
40 .
35 .
30 .

25

Q)

::: 20 "
E
J
"0

>

15
10
5"
0
0

Applications of Light Oil Steam Flooding

to Waterflooded Reservoirs
Waterflooding in light oil reservoirs generally
produces good recovery efficiency
- Pockets of oil bypassed because of oil trapping
lower permeability regions through capillary
mechanisms

in

Water is immiscible with oil & will cause a significant

residual oil saturation (25-35%) even in the water
swept parts of reservoir
LOSF can reduce residual oil saturation in
waterflood swept portions since steam acts more
like a gas & leaves more of a residual oil saturation
to gas rather than to water
- This
gas
than
for(steam)
water residual can be significantly lower

Ch 8a - 41

Applications of Light Oil Steam Flooding

to Waterflooded Reservoirs
LOSF has second potential benefit from the generation of
a condensate/solvent zone
- This condensate/solvent can have miscible characteristics
which allow it to extract residual oil from low porosity /
low permeability regions of reservoir which were bypassed
by water injection
Offsetting the LOSF benefits
- Concerns for initiating a relative high cost thermal
process in a reservoir where waterflooding has
reduced the remaining oil-in-place & left a high water
saturation which can be an additional heat loss issue
Careful
attentionand
must
be paid to economic
considerations
understanding
the risks for LOSF in
reservoir

a
Ch 8a - 42