Petroleum Engineering Department

EOR
Dr. Hassan B. Nimir
 INTRODUCING

EOR
Part 1
What is EOR, Different Recovery methods

Part 2
Screening of Different EOR methods
Different Recovery Methods
% OIL RECOVERY & COST/BBL
GENERAL SCREENING, VISCOSITY
SCREENING, K
SCREENING: DEPTH
 Classification of Oil recovery Methods

Primary Recovery Secondary Tertiary Recovery

Recovery

Light oil Solution gas drive Waterflooding Improved waterflooding

Chemical flooding
Gravity Gas injection
(>30 o API Miscible displacement
segregation Carbondioxide flooding
Water drive
Heavy oil Solution gas drive Waterflooding In situ combustion
(10 o- -20 o Gravity flow
Chemical flooding
API) Steam injection
Cyclic+drive
In situ combustion

Tar Sand Steam injection In situ combustion

(<10 o API)
Miscible Flooding
Factors Affecting Miscible Displacement Processes

Reservoir Size
Miscibility
Ev
Reservoir Geometry
Dip
Irregular thichness
Reservoir Heterogeneity
Permeability variation
Saturation distribution
Oil Composition
Reservoir temperature and pressure
Composition and size of injection material
Gravity effect
Mobility control
Composition of driving material
Requirements for a Successful material
Miscibility
High volumetric sweep efficiency
Cost ( low; inexpensive)

Problems of Miscible Flooding

Viscous fingering
Gravity Segregation
Reservoir heterogeneity
Loss of miscibility
CO2 Flooding
Misciblity is developed through multiple contacts.
At least 1200 psi is the minimum pressure required.

CO2 Mechanisms
1. OIL viscosity reduction.
2. Oil swelling.
3. Oil vaporization.
4. Reduction of interfacial tension.
5. Solution gas drive
CO2 Tested Under These Conditions
Depth 2100-12,700 feet
Temperature 74-248 OF
Oil Gravity 15-45 OAPI
Permeability 3-3500 md
Porosity 4- 33%
Rock Types Unconsolidated sands, cemented sands,
limestones and cherty dolomites
Effects of Cotaminats in CO2
C1- Increases MMP
N2-Increases MMP
H2S Decreases MMP
C2- No change
C3-C5 - Decreases MMP
SO2 - Decreases MMP
Operational Considerations
Sourse of CO2
Natural
Manufacturing
Initial condition of wells
Corrosion control and scaling
Separation and recycling of produced CO2
Polymer flooding
Polymer flooding
Mobility control processes
Mobility control processes inject a low-mobility displacement agent to
increase volumetric and displacement sweep efficiency.
Two main techniques:-
Polymer flooding, whereby a small amount of polymer is added to thicken
brine .
Foam flooding , through which low nobilities are attained by injecting
stabilized dispersion of gas in water.
Polymer or mobility buffer drives also are used to displace micellar and high
pH slugs.
Foams have been used or proposed as driving agents for micellar, solvent and
steam slugs also.
Process Description
Polymer are usually injected in slug.
The polymer solution slug ranges from 10 to 25 % PV of the reservoir
with polymer concentrations ranging from 250 to 1,500 ppm
Polymer Surfactant
Polymer are useful for:
Increasing water viscosity.
Decreasing water permeability.
Combination of above.
Improving the mobility ratio.
Improving both the vertical and areal sweep efficiency.
Polymers have been used in oil production
in three modes.

1. Improve the performance of water injectors or high-watercut

producers by blocking off high-conductivity Loncs (near-well
treatments).

2. As agents that may be crosslinked in situ to plug high-

conductivity zones at depth in the reservoir.

3. As agents to lower M.
Goals of polymer floods are to shut off excess water in producing wells, and to improve sweep
efficiency to produce more oil.
 Polymer Types and Process Mechanics.
Polysacchride
biopolymers are mainly water thickening agents. They
increase the viscosity of the polymer solution however they
do not materially affect the water relative permeability -
Krw .

Polyacrilamides (HPAM)
partially hydrolysed increase the viscosity of the polymer
solution while at the same time decrease Krw
Polyacrylamides

- PAMs .
PAMs are polymers whose monomeric unit is the acrylamide molecule.

As used in polymer flooding, PAMs have undergone partial hydrolysis.

which causes anionic (negatively charged) carboxyl groups (-COO-) to
be scattered along the chain.

Typical degrees of hydrolysis are 30% or more of the acrylamide

monomers: hence. the HPAM molecule is quite negatively charged.

The viscosity-increasing feature of HPAM lies in its large molecular

weight. which is accentuated by the anionic repulsion between
polymer molecules and also between segments on the same molecule.
Polysaccharides.
A second major class of polymers ,which are formed from the
polymerization of saccharide molecules .
Polysaccharides or biopolymers are formed from a bacterial
fermentation process. This process leaves substantial debris in the
polymer product that must be removed before the polymer is injected.
The polymer is also susceptible to bacterial attack after it has been
introduced into the reservoir. These disadvantages are offset by the
insensitivity of polysaccharide properties to brine salinity and
hardness.
Polysaccharides are more branched than are HPAMs and the oxygen-
ringed carbon bond does not rotate fully; hence, the molecule
increases brine viscosity by snagging and by adding a more rigid
structure to the solution.
Polysaccharides do not exhibit permeability reduction, however.
 Virtually all HPAM properties show a large sensitivity to
salinity and hardness. This is an obstacle to using, HPAM
in many reservoirs.

HPAM is inexpensive, relatively resistant to bacterial

attack and exhibits permeability
reduction.
Historically, HPAMs have been used in about 95% of the
reported field polymer floods.
Advantages and disadvantages of polymer Flooding
Main Advantages
Increases oil recovery at breakthrough.
Less water injection required for a given recovery.
Less water production.

Disadvantages
Polymer are expensive.
Additional surface facilities are required.
Trained personnel required.
 Factors Affecting Polymer Flooding
Polymer degradation.
Adsorption and dilution.
Solution PH value.
Concentration of mono- and di-
valent ions.
Injection rate.
Oil saturation at the start of
flooding.
Oil viscosity.
Gas cap size.
The presence of fractures.
Water encroachment.
Reservoir homogeneity.
Chemical degradation due to
existence of oxygen and mono - or
di- valent ions.
Mechanical degradation as the
polymer solution forced through
pumps, controllers, meters,
perforation, rock pores, etc.
Bio degradation may occur when
the polymer solution comes in
contact with certain micro-
organisms.
Thermal degradation at high
temperature (t>180).
Aging.
 Chemical degradation Can be minimize by restricting polymer usage
to low-temperature application, by adding oxygen scavengers (e.g.,
sodium sulfate or sodium sulfite) to the polymer solution .
Biological degradation can be eliminated by adding oxygen scavengers
and biocides (e.g.,formaldehyde or isopropyl alcohpl.
Mechanical degradation is potential present under all application. It
occurs when polymer solutions are exposed to high velocity flows.
These can be present in surface equipments (valves, pumps or tubing
), downhole conditions perforations or screens), or in sandface itself.
Perforated completions ,particularly are a cause for concern.
Favourable Conditions of Candidate reservoirs
Depth less than 8,000 feet.
Reservoir temperature less than 200 oF.
API gravity greater than 20.
Oil viscosity at reservoir temperature less than 200.
Total dissolved solids in formation water less than 140,000 ppm.
Mobility ratio less than 42.
Permeability variation less than 0.8.