A Comprehensive Review of Enhanced Oil Recovery Projects in Canada and Recommendations for Planning Successful Future EOR projects

Abstract

A database is developed from multiple sources to comprehensively present and evaluate enhanced oil recovery (EOR) projects in Canada. The datasets comprising of in-situ reserves, corresponding production and EOR information of Canada and worldwide EOR projects are made publicly available on a custom-built interactive data analysis platform TIBCO Spotfire. EOR projects for light, medium and heavy oils in Canada are classified into 65 solvent flooding, 6 polymer flooding and 13 Alkali-Surfactant-Polymer (ASP) flooding. Thermal methods, particularly SAGD & CSS are conducted for extra heavy oil and bitumen in oil sands. Another 31 of immiscible flooding projects are also identified. Factors contributing to success of these projects in respective fields are evaluated based on reservoir properties and EOR parameters such as miscibility, wettability, mobility ratio, capillary number, minimum miscibility pressure. With detailed technical analysis, EOR screening criterion for each method is updated and validated with world EOR data as well as Alberta oil pools data of 2019. Primary and secondary flooding projects that have potential for tertiary recovery are matched with historic EOR data to estimate future enhanced production. It has been observed that 257 pools currently employing water flooding have some similarities to fields that have seen success with EOR. Upgrading these primary or secondary projects to enhanced recovery has the potential of increasing daily production by as much as 14%.

Introductory Chapter: Lithological Dynamics – CO2-EOR at the Forefront of Enhanced Oil Recovery Evolution

“…In sandstone reservoirs, thermal EOR methods, such as cyclic steam injection, steam flooding, and Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD), are widely employed [4]. Optimization efforts involving solvents, gases, and additives for steam injection are ongoing, and SAGD stands out as a significant thermal EOR method [5].…”

Nanoparticles Technology for Improving Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage Process Performance: A Review

“…101 Since then, SAGD has been implemented in more than 10 oil reservoirs across Canada, with approximately 8 of them still actively producing oil, 102 which represents 22 SAGD projects at different locations. 103 As illustrated in Figure 5, the methodology designed to increase the temperature of the formation consists of the injection of high-pressure and hightemperature steam through a horizontal well (with a length of ∼500−1000 m), which is separated by a short distance (∼5− 10 m) from the production well at the bottom. In general, SAGD production is structured into four consecutive phases, as detailed in ref 104.…”

“…The concept of steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) was initially proposed in 1979, but the first operational SAGD project was established in 1988 in Athabasca, Canada . Since then, SAGD has been implemented in more than 10 oil reservoirs across Canada, with approximately 8 of them still actively producing oil, which represents 22 SAGD projects at different locations . As illustrated in Figure , the methodology designed to increase the temperature of the formation consists of the injection of high-pressure and high-temperature steam through a horizontal well (with a length of ∼500–1000 m), which is separated by a short distance (∼5–10 m) from the production well at the bottom.…”

Rheological Study on the Parameters Affecting the Viscosity of the Green Solution Consisting SLS and LTTM

“…As a surface active agent, surfactant provides low interfacial tension (IFT) between oil and water formation due to the formation of a microemulsion (Riswati et al, 2020;Sheng, 2010). Another CEOR method uses polymer to increase water viscosity, resulting in a favorable mobility ratio between displacing and displacement fluids (Alvarado & Manrique, 2010;Koh et al, 2017;Vishnumolakala et al, 2020). The efficiency of macroscopic displacement is then improved.…”