CO2 Enhanced Oil Recovery

and Storage in Reservoirs

CHE384-Energy Technology and Policy

Xi Chen

Nov. 19th, 2007

 Primary recovery
Natural pressure, 10% OOIP
Secondary recovery
Injection of water or gas, 20-40% OOIP
EOR-Background
Tertiary or enhanced oil recovery
Aiming at recovery of 30%-60% OOIP
 Thermal recovery
Steam flooding, ~50% of EOR production
Chemical injection
Polymer/water flooding, <1%
Categories of
Gas injection ~50%
EOR immiscible flooding: CH4, N2
miscible flooding : CO2

Ult. Recovery
Process Utilization Lecture notes
% OOIP
Miscible 10-15 10 MCF/bbl
from
Immiscible 5-10 10 MCF/bbl Dr. Larry W. Lake
EOR by 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
Advantages of Low cost and abundance
CO2 flooding 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.
 Poor sweep efficiency
Gravity override
Mobility contrast
Reservoir heterogeneity
CO2 related problem
Technical Corrosion on facilities
challenge Solid deposition in
reservoir formation
Well spacing
Greater spacing causes
sweep efficiency
reduction
 Foam
mixed surfactants as foaming agent
Thickening agent
Fluorinated compound or polymer (good
CO2 mobility solubility in CO2)

control Chemical gels

In-situ gelation of polymer to lower
permeability
 Most favorable site for storage
Dense webs of seismic and well for long-
term trap

CO2 Storage in Surface and subsurface infrastructure

readily converted for CO2 distribution
Reservoirs and injection
Less costly
 CO2 capacity of a reservoir:
Theoretically, equal to the volume
previously occupied by the produced oil

CO2 Storage and water

Other factor: Water invasion, gravity
segregation, reservoir heterogeneity and
in Reservoirs CO2 dissolution
Reservoir type, depth, size and safety of
CO2 storage
 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: $18-
54/t

CO2 utilization efficiency:

4~8 Mscf/bbl (0.2~0.5t/bbl)
Economics
Lako, P. (2002) Options Transportation
for cost:
CO2 Sequestration and Enhanced
Fuel Supply.
$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.
 Combination of CO2
EOR and storage in
reservoirs provides a
bridge between
reducing greenhouse
gases from industrial
Summary
waste streams and the
beneficial use of CO2
injection for increasing
oil and gas recovery.