Secondary Production: Gas Injection

Secondary production methods are employed to increase production by boosting

depleted pressure in a formation. As the oil or natural gas in a formation is
produced, the hydrocarbons remaining in the reservoir may become trapped because
the pressure in the formation has lessened, making production either slow
dramatically or stop altogether.
A form of secondary production, gas injection is used on a well to enhance waning
pressure within the formation. Systematically spread throughout the field, gas-
injection wells are used to inject gas and effectively sweep the formation for
remaining petroleum, boosting production.

Somewhat similar to water injection, or water flooding, gas injection is a pressure

maintenance program that can be employed on a reservoir at the start of the
production process or introduced after production has already started to lessen.
Here, gas is injected into the gas cap of the formation, whereas in water
injection, the water is injected directly into the production zone.