Research Perspectives: Maximizing Oil Recovery by

IOR/EOR

Arne Skauge Managing Director

CIPR – Centre for Integrated Petroleum Research

Uni Research and University of Bergen

The Future of Solutions: Technologies for Increased Oil Recovery (IOR)Monday 30th April, 08:00 – 10:30 AM Monarch Room (24th floor), The Westin Galleria Houston,

Facts about CIPR

CIPR is the Norwegian Centre of Excellence focusing on maximizing oil recovery

CIPR conducts applied research into increased oil recovery and energy efficient utilization of CO2

Key research areas are: Improved Oil Recovery / Enhanced Oil RecoveryReservoir Simulation Geoscience

– 70 researchers (many with extensive industry experience)

– 30 PhD students

– 40 master students

CIPR is a cooperation between the University of Bergen and Uni Research

VisionDevelop new exploration and increased recovery technology to make NCS a leading technology driven petroleum province in 2020.

GoalDevelop new technology to add 7.7 billion bbl o.e.

Maximizing oil recovery for offshore oil and gas fields

Challenges

Identify undrained area

Well distance

Well placement

Logistics

Maximizing oil recovery for offshore oil and gas fields

Challenges Actions

Identify undrained area 4D seismic and EM

Well distance drill cheep/fast new wells

Well placement sidetrack injectors into the oil zone

Logistics minimize the amount of chemicals for EOR

Contributions to closing the production gap

Reservoir descriptionBest reservoir modelReservoir communication

Enhanced oil recovery methodsMove trapped oilSweep improvement

Simulation methodsBetter predictions

Monitoring Find best drilling targets

Time

Oil

Pro

du

cti

on

Ra

te

A

B

Incremental Oil Recovery

Surfactant Polymer Water Oil

• Surfactant• Polymer• Alkaline• Foam

Dynamic Reservoir Characterization

Obtain Vp, Vs and

Understand productioneffects on seismics

Obtain reservoirparameters

Obtain model

Real Time ReservoirManagement

Real Time ReservoirManagement

• Mathematical modelling

• Numerical modelling

• Inverse Problems

• Optimization

t

t

N

n

nnTn

N

n

nncc

quecquequf

uqLuqL

1

2

21

1

),(),(),(

),,(),,(

3D & 4D SEISMIC

GEO MODELLING

PRODUCTION DATA

Find best well target

Average 1,68

StatusMechanisms Technology Prognosis Prediction Upscaling

WAG

Foam

Surfactant flooding

Microbial IOR

Low salinity polymers

Proven technology Progress needed Unsolved

GoalMechanisms Technology Prognosis Prediction Upscaling

WAG

Foam

Surfactant flooding

Microbial IOR

High salinity polymers

Some selected Enhanced Oil Recovery technologies

P-39 Production Performance

0

1 000

2 000

3 000

4 000

5 0 00

6 000

jul-96 jan-97 jul-97 jan-98 jul-98 jan-99 jul-99 jan-00 jul-00 jan-01

Q oil

WAG+FAWAGWAG

start FAWAG

Oil

pro

du

ctio

n (

Sm

3/d

)FAWAG – Foam Assisted WAGSnorre field

Ref: Skauge, A., Aarra, M.G., Surguchev, L., Martinsen, H.A., Rasmussen, L., SPE 75157, ”Foam-Assisted WAG: Experience from the Snorre Field”, 2002

Conventional Chemical Methods for Enhanced Oil Recovery

• Surfactants to lower the interfacial tension between the oil and water or change the wettability of the rock

• Water soluble polymers to increase the viscosity of the water

• Polymer gels for blocking or diverting flow

• Combinations of chemicals and methods

International status of EOR

Polymer (Daqing, Dahlia, Marmoul, Captain, ..)(possible on Mariner, Rassey, Grane, etc.)

ASP, SP (Daqing, 20+ pilots)

New processes (10+ pilots)

Daqing Polymer Injection

Project Description:• Over 2000 wells now injecting

polymer at Daqing• Typical slug size is 0.6 PV• Most well patterns are 5-spot• about 30-50% of injected

polymer is produced• maximum produced polymer

conc. is approx. 2/3 of injected

Lessons Learned: • Higher initial water cut results in

lower incremental gains in recovery (see figure to left)

• The total cost of polymer flooding ($6.60/bbl inc. oil) is actually less than for waterflooding ($7.85/bbl inc. oil) due to decreased water production and increased oil production.

• More heterogeneous reservoir: – larger increase in sweep

efficiency– shorter response time to

polymer flooding– strongest influence on

recovery is connectivity of pay zones

• To obtain higher recovery with polymer flooding:– lower producer WHP– stimulate producers– increase polymer

concentration– increase polymer molecular

weight

New trends – hybrid EOR

Example of hybrid EOR methods

WAGFAWAG (Foam Assisted WAG)SAGD (Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage)

Low salinity - surfactantLow salinity - polymersLow tension gas

New combination of EOR methods

Low salinity waterflood may give only modest improved oil recovery for many sandstone reservoirs

Cost of reducing water salinity may be a show stopper

Recent research has made a combined low salinity and surfactant flooding a way of boosting oil recovery and improve the economy of this EOR process

Source:Alagic and Skauge (CIPR): “Change to Low Salinity Brine Injection in Combination with Surfactant Flooding,” presented at 15th European Symposium on Improved Oil Recovery — Paris, France, 27 – 29 April 2009

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13PV injected

Oil R

ecov

ery

[%]

Experimental Data Best Fit LS-S flood on Core B2

Combined low salinity and surfactant injection

LS

LSS

Skauge, A., Kallevik, G., Ghorbani, Z., and Delshad, M., Simulation of Combined Low Salinity Brine and Surfactant Flooding, paper the EAGE IOR Symposium 12th – 14th April 2011 in Cambridge, UK.

Example of game changerPolymer floodingTraditionally polymer is injected for sweep improvement

Old rules of tumbsPoor injectivity (a lot of positive results on injectivity arre now

available)Little effect after extensive waterflooding (new results disprove

this statement)Have to modify the viscosity ratio extensively (new results

disprove this statement)

Additional newsEffect on microscopic displacement (lower Sor)(viscoelastic effects, etc)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Injected Volume (PV)

Oil

Re

co

ve

ry (

% O

OIP

)

E7000

E2000

Water- and polymer flood of viscous oils

Skauge, A., Ormehaug, P:A., Gurholt, T., Vik, B., Bondino, I., and Hamon, G., 2-D Visualisation of Unstable Waterfloodand Polymer Flood for Displacement of Heavy Oil, SPE 154292, paper prepared for presentation at the Eighteenth SPE Improved Oil Recovery Symp. Tulsa, 2012

Skauge, A., Ormehaug, P:A., Gurholt, T., Vik, B., Bondino, I., and Hamon, G., 2-D Visualisation of Unstable Waterfloodand Polymer Flood for Displacement of Heavy Oil, SPE 154292, paper prepared for presentation at the Eighteenth SPE Improved Oil Recovery Symp. Tulsa, 2012

Mohanty et al 2012

Waterflooding at adverse mobility ratio

Red: increased oil saturationLight blue: increased water saturation

Oil mobilization during polymer flood

Skauge, A., Ormehaug, P:A., Gurholt, T., Vik, B., Bondino, I., and Hamon, G., 2-D Visualisation of Unstable Waterfloodand Polymer Flood for Displacement of Heavy Oil, SPE 154292, paper prepared for presentation at the Eighteenth SPE Improved Oil Recovery Symp. Tulsa, 2012

2012

Low salinity polymer

S6-S7:4-weeks aged Berea cores

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

0 5 10 15 20 25

Volume Injected (PV)

Oil

prod

uctio

n (%

OO

IP)

Low Sal 300 ppm polymer

Source: Behruz Shaker and Arne Skauge, 2012

Low salinity polymer

Prediction for the coming yearsWe will see more advanced flood sequences…

• Polymer - new development and possibilities (Yes)• Low salinity (?)• Classical surfactant flooding (?)

Hybrid EOR – YES

• LSS – LSP – LSASP - LSLTG• Foam-Polymer – Nano stabilized foam- Low Tension Gas –

WAG – Foam Assisted WAG (FAWAG) and more…..

Thank you