Improved Oil Recovery

2. IOR TECHNIQUES
Improved Oil Recovery covers Supplemental Recovery, Improved Reservoir
Management and Enhanced Recovery (Slide 1). Slide 1 also illustrates the four typical
stages of an (offshore) oil field’s life cycle: (I) primary recovery, (II) plateau production,
(III) tail end production and finally (IV) late field rejuvenation. The classical definition of
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary recovery (Slide 2) do not cover/describe the actual value
activities encountered. Primary Recovery and Improved Oil Recovery is presented as a
neo-classical representation of the recovery techniques (Slide 3). This neo-classical
approach represents the global technical challenges.
Primary recovery is achieved utilising the natural energy stored in the reservoir fluids and
underlying aquifer. The primary recovery efficiency is due to one or more of the following
mechanisms taking place in the reservoir: solution gas drive; gas cap drive; natural aquifer
drive; fluid and rock expansion; and gravity drainage.
Supplemental recovery is achieved by using external energy added to the reservoir fluid
system to supplement the primary recovery mechanism. No fundamental changes occur to the
physicochemical properties of the displacing or displaced fluids. Typically this external energy
is provided by water or immiscible gas.
Enhanced recovery techniques use external energy added to the reservoir fluid system.
However, fundamental changes occur to the physicochemical properties of the displacing or
displaced fluids. These physicochemical changes affect the chemical, biochemical, density,
miscibility, surface or interfacial tension, and viscosity or thermal nature of the reservoir fluid
system.
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3. Slide 1

4. Slide 2

5. IOR Techniques & Processes
Slide 3

7. IMPROVED HYDROCARBON RECOVERY + RESERVES ADDITION
1. GAS AND ADDITIONAL OIL RECOVERY BY LATE FIELD
DEPRESSURISATION [dissolved GOR >600 scf/stb]
2. VISCOUS OIL RECOVERY PROCESSES {ie cp>10, M>3)}
[Polymer, Hot Water, Steam, Insitu-Combustion] NB: Heavy Oil {cp>1000}
3. GAS INJECTION
* GRAVITY STABILISED GAS INJECTION {GSGI}
* HORIZONTAL GAS INJECTION {HGI}
* OPTIMAL GAS CONDENSATE RESERVOIR MANAGEMENT
4. MODIFIED WATERFLOOD
[Improved Waterflood Techniques; MEOR-BOS, Surfactant, Foam, Polymer]
5. FLOW DIVERSION TECHNIQUES
[Microbial, Polymer-Gels, Polymer RPM, Foams]
6. HORIZONTAL AND EXTENDED REACH WELL TECHNOLOGY
7. IMPROVED RESERVOIR MANAGEMENT
INFRASTRUCTURE
8. IMPROVED FACILITY SCIENCE, ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
ENVIRONMENT
9. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
[The Problem ?, Measuring, Monitoring, Reducing, Avoiding, Remediation]
BUSINESS & SOCIETY
10. BUSINESS VALUE
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IMPROVED OIL RECOVERY & TIGHT GAS

8. UT
T
L
P
G
E
M
Ultra-Tight
Tight
Low Permeability
Poor Permeability
Good Permeability
Excellent Permeability
Medium Permeability
>0.001
>0.01
>0.1
>1
>100
>1000
>10
(mD) IOR Techniques
WaterFlood
TightGas
ET Extreme-Tight>0.0001
UET Ultra Extreme-Tight>0.00001
MG Mega Permeability>10,000
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GAS RESERVOIRS

14. EXPLORATION ASSESSMENTEXPLORATION ASSESSMENT
Risk / Reward Matrix [Appraise PRisk / Reward Matrix [Appraise Pwellwell]]
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Risk[Pwell]
High
Small
Field/Discovery
MedLow
Med Large
Discovery Size [MMBOE]
MEFS
NPV10 = >0
10 MMBO
or 25 BCF
MCFS
IE = >1.5
25 MMBO
or 35 BCF
Untruncated Resource Distribution and Pwell
Untruncated Resource Distribution and Pwell
Speculative Resources

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… challenge to extract more from substantial Resources [>2006]
PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES
SPE_EOR Last Drop 05_2007.url

17. 0
1
2
3
4
5
1971
1981
1991
2001
2011
2021
Daily production
mmboe
Oil
Dry Gas + HPHT
2031
2041
Discoveries
IOR projects
New projects
Where are we today? [2006]
Big Structures
Subtle, Smaller,
Complex Trap
Structures
62 Billion BOE_MORE
EOR: Heavy/Viscous
Thermal
Polymer
Surfactant
Carbon Dioxide
Flue Gas
Appraisal
Drilling Technologies
& Facilities
Production Technologies EOR Technologies
E&A,D,P = £370 billion @12/2006 [UKOOA] 3 Billion BOE_EOR
RESOURCE EXPLOITATION
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18. PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES
… about being more PRODUCTIVE
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• DRILLING more PRODUCTIVE WELLS
• FACILITIES PRODUCING more RESERVES
• ABILITY to EXPLOIT TIGHT GAS ROCKS
• ABILITY to EXPLOIT VISCOUS - HEAVY OIL
• ABILITY to EXTRACT P50 RESERVES [MARGINAL FIELDS]
INTEGRATED MULTI-TASKING
MARKET ORIENTED RESOURCE EXPLOITATION
Business Environment
Insight, Originality, Reality
Technical
Evaluation
Implementation
Data
Characterisation
PEOPLE & TECHNOLOGY
Acquisition
Decisions
Knowledge
PRODUCTION
The PLAN
"The REAL ASSET"
The STRATEGY
Command & Control
DESIGN
INTEGRATION
[Operational Enactment]

19. PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES
… challenge to extract more from substantial Resources [>2006]
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• TIGHT GAS eg Cygnus SNS [>2 TCF GIIP]
• DEEP WATER OIL eg Santos Basin [100+ billion BO STOIIP]
• HPHT & XHPHT eg UKCS [>10 billion BOE HIIP]
• SHALE GAS & OIL
ie Fraccing
• OIL SANDS [extra heavy oil] [>2 trillion BO STOIIP]
ie SAGD; Surface Processing[upgrader gasification process];
Catalytic Upgrading [downhole]
• DEEP WATER GAS eg West of Shetlands [>3 TCF GIIP]