Syringe Pump Application Note

Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) AN7

Introduction Rock Core Flooding and Syringe Pumps

The life of an oil well goes through three distinct Before an EOR method can be employed for a partic-
phases where various techniques are employed to main- ular well, research must be done to find the optimal
tain crude oil production at maximum levels. The choice of method and formulation. Part of EOR research
primary importance of these techniques is to force oil is known as “rock core flooding.” From the oil reservoir,
into the wellhead where it can be pumped to the sur- a cylindrical rock sample is cut with a hollow drill. Then
face. Techniques employed at the third phase, a syringe pump introduces a fluid into the rock core
commonly known as Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), can holder. Depending on the EOR process, core flooding
substantially improve extraction efficiency. Laboratory may require hours to days of fluid injection at high pres-
development of these techniques involves setups that sures and low flow rates for the newly introduced fluid
duplicate well and reservoir conditions. Core Flooding to displace the oil from the rock sample. From the data
Pumps or Core Analysis Pumps, such as Teledyne ISCO obtained from rock core flooding, companies doing EOR
Syringe Pumps, are used in laboratory testing of these can devise the best way to recover as much oil as
Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) techniques. possible.

The Three Stages of Oil Field Development EOR Methods

Primary Recovery — In Primary Recovery, oil is Some common EOR methods are discussed below.
forced out by pressure generated from gas present in Thermal EOR
the oil. Injection of steam has historically been the most
Secondary Recovery — In Secondary Recovery, the widely applied EOR method. Heat from steam or hot
reservoir is subjected to water flooding or gas injection water dramatically reduces the viscosity of viscous oils,
to maintain a pressure that continues to move oil to the making it flow more readily. There are many variations
surface. for this process including cyclic steam injection (“huff ‘n
Tertiary Recovery — Tertiary Recovery, also known puff”, where steam is first injected, followed by oil pro-
as Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), introduces fluids that duction from the same well), continuous steam injection
reduce viscosity and improve flow. These fluids could (where steam injected into wells drives oil to separate
consist of gases that are miscible with oil (typically production wells), hot water injection, and steam
carbon dioxide), steam, air or oxygen, polymer solu- assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) using horizontal wells,
tions, gels, surfactant-polymer formulations, among others. Another set of thermal methods, in situ
alkaline-surfactant-polymer formulations, or microor- combustion or “fire flooding”, involves injection of air or
ganism formulations. oxygen. In this process, oxidation of some of the oil in
place does the following:

Importance of Enhanced Oil Recovery 1. produces heat that reduces viscosity for the
remaining oil
Primary recovery typically provides access to only a
small fraction of a reservoir’s total oil capacity. Sec- 2. cracks some high-molecular weight hydrocar-
ondary recovery techniques can increase productivity bons into smaller molecules
to a third or more. Tertiary Recovery (EOR) enables pro- 3. vaporizes some of the lighter hydrocarbons to
ducers to extract up to over half of a reservoir’s original help miscibly displace oil
oil content, depending on the reservoir and the EOR 4. creates steam that may steam-distill trapped oil
process applied.

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Syringe Pump Application Note AN7

Miscible EOR of the injected water, leading to a more efficient dis-

Commonly applied in West Texas, this method usu- placement of moderately viscous oils. Addition of
ally employs supercritical CO2 to displace oil from a surfactant to the polymer formulation may, under very
depleted oil reservoir with suitable characteristics (typ- specific circumstances, reduce oil-water interfacial ten-
ically containing “light” oils). Through changes in sion to almost zero—displacing trapped residual oil.
pressure and temperature, carbon dioxide can form a Although no large-scale surfactant-polymer floods
gas, liquid, solid, or supercritical fluid. When at or above have been implemented, the process has considerable
the critical point of pressure and temperature, supercrit- potential to recover oil.
ical CO2 can maintain the properties of a gas while A variation of this process involves addition of alka-
having the density of a liquid. Injected miscible CO2 will line to the surfactant-polymer formulation. For some
mix thoroughly with the oil within the reservoir such oils, alkaline may convert some acids within the oil to
that the interfacial tension between these two sub- surfactants that aid oil recovery. The alkaline may also
stances effectively disappears. CO2 can also improve oil play a beneficial role in reducing surfactant retention in
recovery by dissolving in, swelling, and reducing the vis- the rock. For all chemical flooding processes, inclusion
cosity of oil. of a viscosifier (usually a water-soluble polymer) is
In deep, high-pressure reservoirs, compressed required to provide an efficient sweep of the expensive
nitrogen has been used instead of CO2. Hydrocarbon chemicals through the reservoir.
gases have also been used for miscible oil displacement Gels are also often used to strategically plug frac-
in some large reservoirs. tures (or other extremely permeable channels) before
CO2, nitrogen, hydrocarbon gases, and flue gases injecting the relatively expensive chemical solutions,
have also been injected to immiscibly displace oil. At miscible gases, or steam.
one extreme of conditions, these displacements may Other EOR Processes
simply amount to “pressure maintenance” in the reser-
Over the years, a number of other innovative EOR
voir (a secondary recovery process). Depending on oil
processes have been conceived, including injection of
character, gas composition and pressure, and tempera-
carbonated water, microorganisms, foams, alkaline
ture, the displacements could have a range of
(without surfactant), and other formulations. These
efficiencies up to and approaching a miscible displace-
methods have shown varying degrees of promise, but
ment. CO2 has also been injected in a “huff ‘n puff” or
require additional development before such applica-
cyclic injection mode, like cyclic steam injection.
tions will become common.
Chemical EOR
Three chemical flooding processes include polymer
flooding, surfactant-polymer flooding, and alkaline-sur-
factant-polymer (ASP) flooding. In the polymer flooding
method, water-soluble polymers increase the viscosity

Injection Production
Pump Pump

gas, steam, or fluid oil

Figure 1: EOR Injection Methods

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Syringe Pump Application Note AN7

Why Teledyne ISCO Pumps?

Pulseless Flow — This is a critical feature for rock core
flooding studies where pressure changes are monitored
and logged. It is important for the pump employed to
not introduce any pressure variations itself (as with a
piston pump). No pulsation at even lowest flow rates
means superior minute-to-minute and second-to-second
stability. Rock Core
Holder
Accuracy — Digital servo control gives low speed preci-
sion and volumetric accuracy.
Continuous Flow — Fluids are often pumped into rock
cores for several hours or days. Two Teledyne ISCO
syringe pumps configured with a valve assembly can
accomplish continuous precision metering of unlimited
volumes.
Syringe Pump
Viscous Fluids — The use of extremely viscous fluids or &
Controller
liquefied gases makes Teledyne ISCO’s syringe pumps
the most viable choice in many cases.
Liquefied Gases — Gases such as CO2 require low
leakage, pre-cooling for improved fills, and temperature
control.

Figure 2: Rock Core Flooding

Table 1: Teledyne ISCO Pump Models Available

1000xa 500x 260x 65x

Flow Range (mL/min) 0.100 - 408 0.001 - 204 0.001 - 107 0.00001 - 25
Pressure Range (psi) 0 - 2,000 0 - 5,000 0 - 9,500 0 - 20,000
a. Recommended for rock core flooding applications.

References:
U.S. Department of Energy.
1. “Enhanced Oil Recovery/Co2 Injection.” 12 June 2007. DOE - Fossil Energy: DOE’s Oil Recovery R&D Pro-
gram. 18 Oct. 2007
<www.fossil.energy.gov/programs/oilgas/eor/index.html>
2. “Exploration & Production Technologies.” NETL: E&P Technologies - Improved Recovery - Enhanced Oil
Recovery. 18 Oct. 2007
<http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/oil-gas/EP_Technologies/ImprovedRecovery/EnhancedOilRecovery/
eor.html>
3. “Oil Exploration & Production Program Enhanced Oil Recovery.” NETL: E&P Technologies - Improved
Recovery - Enhanced Oil Recovery. 18 Oct. 2007
<http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/oil-gas/publications/prgmfactsheets/PrgmEOR.pdf> September 28, 2012; revised November 6, 2023
Product model names have been updated in this
document to reflect current pump offerings.

Teledyne ISCO
P.O. Box 82531, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68501 USA
Toll-free: (800) 228-4373 • Phone: (402) 464-0231 • Fax: (402) 465-3091
www.teledyneisco.com
Teledyne ISCO is continually improving its products and reserves the right to change product
specifications, replacement parts, schematics, and instructions without notice.
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