Lecture-1

ENHANCED
OIL RECOVERY
Phases in Field
Development
Broadly three phases in
the development of a field.
The phases are defined as:
Primary phase
Secondary phase
Tertiary phase
Primary Recovery Phase
Primary oil recovery phase describes the production of
hydrocarbons under the natural driving mechanism present in
the reservoir.
Secondary Recovery Phase
Lack of sufficient natural drive needs supplementing
the natural reservoir energy by introducing some form
of artificial drive, the most basic method being the
injection of gas or water.
Tertiary Recovery Phase
The tertiary recovery is also a supplementation of
natural reservoir energy; however it is defined as that
additional recovery over and above what could be
recovered from primary and secondary recovery
methods.
Recovery Scenario
 EOR CONCEPT

*TO INCREASE EFFECTIVENESS OF OIL

REMOVAL FROM PORE OF THE ROCK
*TO INCREASE THE VOLUME OF ROCK
CONTACTED BY DISPLACING FLUID.
*REDUCE OR ELIMINATE THE CAPILLARY
FORCES THAT TRAP THE OIL WITHIN THE
PORES
*TO MINIMISE THE EFFECT OF GRAVITY
FORCES
*TO REDUCE THE VISCOCITY OF OIL SO AS
TO IMPROVE THE MOBILITY.
Recovery Efficiencies
Reservoir Quality ( Phi, K, continuity)
Drive Mechanism
• Depletion
• Gas Cap Expansion
• Water Drive
• Gravity Drainage
• Combination
Well spacing
Time
Type Of Fluids (Gas, Oil, Heavy Oil, Tar)
Primary Recovery

Depletion Drive
Recovery : 5-30%.
. Gas Cap Expansion
Recovery: 20-40%
WATER DRIVE
Recovery : 35-75%.
GRAVITY DRAINAGE
Recovery: 25-80%
Reason For Low Oil Production

• Reservoir Rock proprieties

(Low K, Heterogeneity, Fracture, Low Pressure etc)

• Properties of oil
(High Viscosity, Low API gravity)
Efficiency :
Enhanced Oil Recovery Process

R = E S X E D X EC
ES : Sweep Efficiency

ED: Displacement

Efficiency

EC: Conformity Factor

 Sweep Efficiency

Percent area contacted by displacing fluid at its break through

depends on:
*Mobility of displacing fluid (Kd / µd )
*Mobility of displaced fluid (Ko / µo )
It is represented by Mobility Ratio (M):
M=(Kd / µd )/(Ko / µo ) = Kd µo / Ko µd or
=( Kd / Ko) x ( µo / µd )
The values of M can be >,= or < 1
These stages are said to be:
NOT DESIRED,MATCHING and PREFERRED
OF THE RECOVERY PROCESS
Distinct Sweep Efficiency
• Areal Sweep Efficiency
– It is defined as the fractional area of the field that
is invaded by an injected fluid. The major factors
determining areal sweep are fluid mobility, pattern
type, areal heterogeneity, extent of field
development, and total volume of fluid injected
• Volumetric Sweep Efficiency
– It is defined as the fraction of the volume that is
contacted by injected fluids and is primarily a
function of the vertical heterogeneity and
segregation
{A-B /A } X100
HOW TO FIND THE
LIMIT OF OPTIMAL
VISCOSITY
FOR
INCREASED
EFFICIENCY
Displacement Efficiency
Percent of the oil recovered by
minimizing the intra molecular forces
that play a vital role in the recovery
process:
1-Geometry of porous media
Capillary Number (Nc) µw x vw/øσ
Viscosity Ratio µw/µo
Bond number ∂w ∂o /ø
2-Fluid-Fluid properties
IFT
Phase behavior
3-Applied Pressure gradients.
Efficiency due to conformance
This depends on Fluid – Rock Properties
• Wettability
• Ion Exchange capacity of porous media
• Capability of adsorption
• Other lithological parameters
The value of this factor varies from
Zero to One
 Types of EOR

1-Immiscible
Where the displacing Fluid is not Miscible with the displaced fluid.
These are Mobility Control Techniques resulting in increase in Sweep
Efficiency.
2-Miscible
Where the displacing Fluid is miscible with displaced fluid which
results in phase behavior changes and results in increase in
Displacement Efficiency.
Methods of EOR
Chemical Flooding
Polymer
ALKALI
SUFACTANT
Gas Flooding
Miscible/Immiscible ( HC Gases, CO2, N2,Flue
Gases)
Thermal Process
Steam Soak (Cyclic/Continuous)
Hot water
Combustion
SCREENING
CRITERIA
API GRAVITY RANGE OF OIL
PREFERRED OIL VISCOSITY RANGES FOR
ENHANCED RECOVERY METHODS
 PERMEABILITY GUIDES FOR
ENHANCED RECOVERY METHODS
DEPTH LIMITATION FOR ENHANCED
OIL RECOVERY METHODS