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Oil Recovery Methods
Oil Recovery Methods
With this mechanism, the gas cap applies enough pressure to the oil phase to
cause it to naturally flow through the well. The volume of the gas cap must
be comparable to the volume of oil so that the reservoir pressure is not
significantly reduced when the gas expands into the volume in the reservoir
left by the produced oil. Oil recovery efficiencies of 20 to 40 % of the OOIP
are typical.
As P drops due to production, gas cap expands down.
P support from gas cap depends on its size.
Slow decline in reservoir P.
Continuous rise in producing GOR.
Negligible water production.
Depending on size of gas cap and P support schemes, well can flow
naturally longer.
Water Drive:
When the water phase within a reservoir is linked with an aquifer, it can
provide pressure to drive the oil from the reservoir to the well head. In this
case, the water phase will replenish the reservoir volume left by the
produced oil. Typical oil recovery efficiencies are 35 to 75% of the OOIP.
Common types of aquifer: bottom and edge.
Reservoir P remains high (depends on aquifer strength).
Producing GOR is unchanged until reservoir P declines below bubble point.
Water production starts early.
Water disposal costs can be high.
Estimation of primary recovery
By: Guthrie and Greenberger
E R 0.2719 log k 0.255569 SW 0.1355 log 0 1.538 0.0003488h 0.11403
ER:
Sw:
0:
k:
:
h:
2) Gas Flooding:
Gas flooding is similar to water flooding except that the driving fluid is
natural gas rather than water.
Tertiary (Enhanced) Recovery: This method uses a chemical-based
technique to produce oil. These methods are often used in conjunction with
gas or water flooding.
A) Non-Thermal Methods:
1) Miscible Flooding:
petroleum gas: C2 to C4), or CO2. They combine with the oil phase to
become a single fluid phase.
2) Polymer Flooding:
Heat is supplied by steam to the heavy oil to reduce its viscosity. In the case
of steam injection, a single well is used to first inject the steam. After a finite
period of time, oil is produced from the same well. This steam stimulation
method, where injection and production are cycled, is known as Huff and
Puff.
2) Steam Flooding:
One well is used to inject steam and a second well is used to produce the oil.
3) Steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD):
This in-situ (ie. within reservoir) method is initiated by causing combustion of the
petroleum underground. This is followed by the introduction of air to the reservoir to
sustain combustion. The combustion process provides heat, steam and gases which
reduce the oil viscosity, resulting in higher production rates from the well.
Even with all the different recovery techniques, only about 30% of the total amount of
Western Canadian Original Oil in Place can be produced.