CO2 Enhanced Oil

Recovery and Storage in

Reservoirs
CHE384-Energy Technology and Policy
Xi Chen
Nov. 19th, 2007

EOR-Background

Primary recovery

Secondary recovery

Natural pressure, 10% OOIP

Injection of water or gas, 20-40%
OOIP

Tertiary or enhanced oil recovery

Aiming at recovery of 30%-60% OOIP

Categories of EOR

Thermal recovery

Chemical injection

Steam flooding, ~50% of EOR

production
Polymer/water flooding, <1%

Gas injection

~50%

immiscible flooding: CH4, N2

miscibleUlt.
Recovery
flooding
: CO2
Process
Utilization
Lecture notes

% OOIP

Miscible
Immiscible

10-15

10 MCF/bbl

from

5-10

10 MCF/bbl

Dr. Larry W. Lake

EOR by CO2 flooding

Advantages of CO2
flooding

Dense fluid over much of the range of

pressure and temperature in reservoirs
Low MMP (minimum miscibility pressure)
and high miscibility with oil
Low mutual solubility with water
Low cost and abundance

Naturally occuring source

Environmental benefit if industrial CO2 is

used and stored in reservoirs

Capture and sequestration of CO2 from

combustion of fossil fuel

Source: Oil & Gas Journal

206,000 barrels per day in 2004 = 4% of the Nations total.

Screening criteria for

application of CO2 miscible
flood

Gozalpour, CO2 EOR and Storage in Oil Reservoirs, 2005,

Oil & Gas Science and Technology Rev. IFP,
Vol. 60 (2005), No. 3, pp. 537-546

Optimum reservoir parameters and weighting

factors
for ranking oil reservoirs suitable for CO2 EOR

Rivas, O. et al. (1992) Ranking Reservoirs for Carbon Dioxide

Flooding Processes.

Technical challenge

Poor sweep efficiency

CO2 related problem

Gravity override
Mobility contrast
Reservoir heterogeneity
Corrosion on facilities
Solid deposition in reservoir formation

Well spacing

Greater spacing causes sweep efficiency

reduction

CO2 mobility control

Foam

Thickening agent

mixed surfactants as foaming agent

Fluorinated compound or polymer
(good solubility in CO2)

Chemical gels

In-situ gelation of polymer to lower

permeability

CO2 Storage in Reservoirs

Most favorable site for storage

Dense webs of seismic and well for

long-term trap
Surface and subsurface infrastructure
readily converted for CO2 distribution
and injection
Less costly

CO2 Storage in Reservoirs

CO2 capacity of a reservoir:

Theoretically, equal to the volume

previously occupied by the produced
oil and water
Other factor: Water invasion, gravity
segregation, reservoir heterogeneity
and CO2 dissolution
Reservoir type, depth, size and safety
of CO2 storage

Economics

Cost of CO2 from different sources:

Naturally occuring CO2: $14/t

Pure anthropogenic CO2 from chemical plant: $18/t
Capture and processing of CO2 from coal fired plant: $1854/t
Lako, P. (2002) Options for CO2 Sequestration and Enhanced
Fuel Supply.

CO2 utilization efficiency: 4~8 Mscf/bbl (0.2~0.5t/bbl)

Transportation cost: $0.5~1.2/Mscf
Operation cost: $2-3/bbl
Economical even at a oil price of $40/bbl.
CO2 storage credit ($2.5/Mscf) makes it more
economical for producers.

Summary

Combination of CO2 EOR and storage in

reservoirs provides a bridge between
reducing greenhouse gases from
industrial waste streams and the
beneficial use of CO2 injection for
increasing oil and gas recovery.