Enhanced Oil Recovery: Methods and Applications Review

Abstract

The world will encounter a new challenge in the energy field called Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) technologies, where discovering hydrocarbon reservoirs will decrease, and nonrenewable energy will play a key role [1]. Therefore, increasing the recovery factors after primary and secondary production in mature reservoirs will be critical in the growing energy demand in the coming years. Many tertiary recoveries (EOR) methods are chemical flooding, gas injection, and thermal flooding [2]. Choosing the best way to increase oil recovery factors by enhanced oil recovery methods depends on recovery parameters screening, such as rock characteristics, availability of injection material, the reservoir fluid type, available equipment, oil properties, and other items [3]. EOR StatusAll projects of EOR are strongly influenced by economics and crude oil prices. From the 1980s to 2005, thermal and chemical flooding EOR projects have been in constant decline [4]. Only two projects in 2008 were done in chemical EOR flooding projects. While as a result of increasing High-Pressure Air Injection (HPAI) projects in volatile oil reservoirs, thermal EOR flooding projects have presented a slight increase in 2004. Gas injection flooding projects have remained constant since 1908's and more development since the year 2000 due to extensive cheap sources of CO 2 from natural resources, as (Figure 1) [5]. Different EOR technologies have been evaluated successfully in Karazhanbas (Kazakhstan), Carmópolis (Brazil), and Buracica fields. Buracica field is an onshore volatile oil reservoir with 35 °API.