ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY

PROCESSES
 Different Phases in Field
Development and EOR

 There are broadly three phases in the

development of a field.

 Primary Recovery Phase

 Secondary Recovery Phase

 Tertiary Recovery Phase

Different Phases in Field Development
and EOR
QO

Tertiary

Secondary

Primary

Time
 Primary Recovery Phase

 Primary oil recovery phase describes the production of

hydrocarbons under the natural driving mechanism
present in the reservoir. The sources of natural
reservoir energy are fluid and rock expansion, solution
gas drive, gravity drainage, and the influx of water from
aquifers. Based on the principal source of reservoir
energy, the reservoirs are classified as (1) Water Drive
(2) Solution Gas Drive (3) Fluid Expansion (4) Gas Cap
Drive and (5) Gravity Drainage.
 Primary Recovery Phase
 Water Influx:
There may exist an aquifer near reservoir. Water compressed in
the aquifer expands once the reservoir pressure decreases due to
production. This water causes a natural water drive. Recovery : 50-
60%
 Solution Gas Drive:
As the reservoir pressure decreases with production, gas
dissolved in oil evolves and displaces oil. Recovery: 10-15%. Gas
is more mobile than oil.
 Undersaturated Reservoir:
Reservoir energy to displace oil is due to fluid & rock
compressibility. When the bubble point pressure is reached,
solution gas drive begins. Water injection can be applied to
maintain the pressure above the bubble point.
 Primary Recovery Phase
 Gravity Drainage:
In thick & well connected in vertical direction or
inclined reservoirs, gas moves upward to replace the
space left by oil. It is the rather slow process
because gas is more mobile than oil and the mobility
of oil controls the process.
 Gas Cap Drive:
Gas compressed in gas cap (if exists) expands as
reservoir pressure declines. Pressure can be kept by
gas injection. If water is injected, oil displaced by
water may reduce the gas entrance from the gas cap.
 Secondary Recovery Phase
 Secondary recovery methods are used when there is
insufficient underground pressure to move the
remaining oil.
 The most common technique, water flooding, utilizes
injector wells to introduce large volumes of water under
pressure into the hydrocarbon bearing zone.
 As the water flows through the formation towards the
producing well bore, it sweeps some of the oil it
encounters along with it.
 Upon reaching the surface, the oil is separated out from
water for sale.
 While somewhat more expensive than primary
production, water flooding can recover an additional 10
to 30 percent of OOIP.
 Water flooding, called secondary recovery because the
process yields a second batch of oil after a field is
depleted by primary production .
Secondary Recovery Phase
 Tertiary Recovery/EOR Phase

 When water flooding for secondary recovery reaches

a point when production is no longer cost–effective, a
decision must be made whether to transition the field
to a 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. Various types of tertiary or EOR recovery
processes are given as follows;
 Factors Effecting Oil Recovery

 Viscous Fingering

 The mechanics of displacing one fluid with another is

relatively simple if the displaced fluid (oil) has a
tendency to flow faster than the displacing fluid
(water). Under these circumstances, there is no
tendency for the displaced fluid to be overtaken by the
displacing fluid and the fluid- fluid (oil-water) interface
is stable. If the displacing fluid has a tendency to
move faster than the displaced fluid, the fluid-fluid
interface is unstable. Tongues of displacing fluid
propagate at the interface. This process is called
viscous fingering.
 Factors Effecting Oil Recovery

 Viscous Fingering
Factors Effecting Oil Recovery
Mobility Ratio
Mobility ratio, which is the ratio of the displacing phase and the
displaced phase, is an important parameter for the selection of
water flooding process. Mobility ratio less than one suggests
that the water moves slower than the oil. This leads to piston
type of displacement leading to better sweep efficiency than
cases where mobility ratio is greater than one. Low oil viscosity
is preferred for water flooding. The reason is that at
abandonment areal sweep efficiency would be very high.

 Mobility ratio = Mobility of water in the water contacted portion /

mobility of oil in the oil bank.

M = [( Krw / µw) / ( Kro / µo)]

 Viscosity of Fluids and Mobility
Ratio

Darcy's Law shows that in one-phase flow, the oil flow

rate is lower and hence recovery is economically poorer
for viscous oils.

Moreover, for a given water cut (or a given GOR), the

average saturation of injected fluid behind the front is
lower, and hence the amount of oil trapped is greater for
a more viscous oil.
 Factors Effecting Oil Recovery

Recovery Efficiency
A simplistic model for estimating overall recovery involves
factoring the recovery efficiency into individual process
efficiencies.
ER = EA * EV * ED

where;

ER = Overall Recovery Efficiency

EA = Areal Sweep Efficiency
EV = Vertical Sweep Efficiency
ED = Displacement Efficiency
 Factors Effecting Oil Recovery

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.

EA (areal sweep efficiency) = Area swept by the front

Total area
Vertical Sweep Efficiency
It is defined as the fraction of the vertical section that is contacted by
injected fluids and is primarily a function of the vertical heterogeneity
and the degree of vertical segregation.

Ev = Vertical Efficiency = Area swept by the front / Area A’B’C’D

Volumetric Sweep Efficiency:
It is the ratio of oil contacted to oil in place. Sweep efficiency can
further be defined as the product of vertical sweep efficiency (El)
and areal sweep efficiency (Ea).

Ev = El x Ea

Factors affecting sweep efficiency:

Eareal is affected by: Fluid motilities Pattern type, Areal
heterogeneity, Total volume of fluid injected

Evertical is affected by : Vertical heterogeneity, Degree of gravity

segregation, Fluid Mobilities, Total volume injected.
 Factors Effecting Oil Recovery
Displacement Efficiency
It is the fraction of the mobile oil in the swept zone that has been
displaced and is a function of the volume injected, the fluid
viscosities and the relative permeability curves of the rock.
Displacement efficiency will continually increase with increasing
water saturation in the reservoir. Buckley and Leverett developed a
well established theory called frontal displacement theory to
determine the relation ship between the increase in the average
water saturation in the swept area as a function of cumulative
water injected.

ED (Final) = [(1- Swi - Sor) / ( 1-Swi)]

 Factors Effecting Oil Recovery
Conclusions

1. EA and Ev decrease with rising M.

2. ED < (1 - Swi - Sor) I (1 - Swi ).

3. These three efficiencies increase as a function of

time (injected volume).

4. The total efficiency, a product of EA. Ev. 'ED'

represents the oil recovery for zones subjected to
flooding.
 Factors Effecting Oil Recovery
Ideal Displacement

If the mobility ratio is less than or equal to one, oil can flow at
a rate greater than or equal to that of water and is pushed
ahead by the water bank in a piston-like fashion. The movable
oil volume (MOV) is given by:
MOV = (1 - Soi - Swi). PV
where PV is the pore volume. For a water flood, the volume
of oil recovered is exactly equal to the volume of water
injected.
 Factors Effecting Oil Recovery

Non-Ideal Displacement
In contrast to the ideal displacement case, at breakthrough, only a
fraction of the MOV has been recovered. Addition water injection is
required to recover the moveable oil. Several (5 or 6) MOV’s of
water may be needed to displace a single MOV of oil.

The diagram shows two saturation profiles with the shock front to
the right. At breakthrough, the shaded area represents moveable
oil that remains between the injector and producer.
Oil Recovery Mechanisms
 EOR Processes
Thermal Chemical Miscible EOR Immiscible Microbial
EOR EOR Processes EOR EOR
Processes Processes Processes Processes

In-situ Alkali- Hydrocarbon Hydrocarbon Consortium

combustion Surfactant- miscible immiscible of Bacteria
Polymer CO2 used for
Air injection CO2 miscible immiscible insitu
Polymer N2 immiscible generation
Steam N2 miscible of
flooding Flue gas sulphonates,
Flue gas CO2,etc. for
profile
modification
Conclusion

 As evident from the above, other than

Water flooding process, all other
natural reservoir energy
supplementation processes have been
considered as EOR processes.
 How much oil is left and where it is

 Unrecovered oil can be left in a pore either in

 Swept zone or

 Unswept zone (by passed)

 If unrecovered oil is in a pore without any connection

due to capillary forces, this is called residual oil
saturation (Sor). The main purpose in EOR is to
mobilize this oil by overcoming the capillary forces at
the interface.
 What is Sor (Swept Zone) : in water wet rock, residual
oil is trapped in a pore. If the capillary forces are
greater then the force of driving fluid, trapping occurs.
 EOR METHODS
 An Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) process involves
supplementation of natural reservoir energy
externally to produce incremental oil that cannot be
produced techno-economically by conventional
means.
 Application of an EOR process in a particular
reservoir involves four important steps-
 identification of suitable EOR process
 laboratory studies
 pilot testing
 commercialization.

Selection of the appropriate EOR process is the single most

crucial factor for success of any EOR project.
 EOR METHODS
 Gas Flooding Methods
 CO2, N2, Flue Gas, Enriched Natural Gas
 Miscible (High API Gravity Oil)
 Immiscible (Medium to Heavy Oil)
 Thermal Methods (Heavy Oil <200 API)
 Steam Assisted Processes
 In-Situ Combustion
 Chemical Methods (Medium to Light Oil)
 Surfactant, Polymer
 Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery
 Microorganisms offer promise of cheaper
processes
(Acids, Gases, Surfactants, Polymers or Biomass)
 Enhanced Oil Recovery

 On average, light oil reservoirs yield one third of the

OOIP by natural energy.
 Two third of the OOIP is the target
 The critical question is how much of these reserves
can be recovered by EOR (Thermal, Chemical, Gas,
Horizontal etc.)
 Another critical question is the distribution of oil
remaining.
 Reasons of Low Oil Production

 Reservoir Rock Properties (low K, heterogeneity,

pressure etc.)

 Properties of Oil (high viscosity, low API gravity)

 Based on these reasons, proper methodology

should be selected & applied. Also the availability
of injection fluid is critical in this decision.
 EOR Screening Criteria

EOR Process Gravity Viscosity Thickness Permeability Depth

(°API) (cp) (net ft) (md) (ft)

Nitrogen >35 <0.4 >6000

Hydrocarbon Gas >23 < 3.0 >4000

Miscible CO2 >22 <10 >2500

Immiscible CO2 >12 <60 >1800

Surfactant >20 <35 >10 <9000

Polymer >15 10 -150 >10 <9000

In-Situ Combustion >10 <5000 >10 >50 <11500

Steam >8 <200000 >20 >200 <4500

Effect of Viscosity on Different Processes
Effect of Permeability on Different
Processes
Effect of Permeability on Different
Processes
 Mechanisms

Water Flooding :
To maintain reservoir pressure or to displace oil by
increasing viscous forces.
Gas Injection:
Nitrogen & flue gases provide gas drive, generate
miscibility by vaporizing the lighter part of the oil,
enhances gravity drainage.
LPG , Methane + ethane + propane, CO2 (Miscible or
immiscible), first or multiple contact miscibility is
achieved, recovery by reduction in IFT and
generating miscibility, decrease oil viscosity by
swelling.
 Mechanisms

Chemical Injection:
Surfactant and alkali reduced IFT, Polymer
increases water viscosity and decreases the
relative permeability to water phase, wettability
alteration.

Thermal Methods:
Increase the recovery by reducing the viscosity of
oil and thermal expansion of oil. Steam supplies
pressure to drive oil to the production well.