J_EOR_ppt

(1)

Fundamentals of Enhanced

Oil Recovery

Larry W. Lake

The University of Texas at Austin

(512) 471-8233

k @

il

d

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Chapter 1- Defining EOR

p

g

•Overview

Overview

•Current status

•Why EOR

•Incremental oil recovery

(3)

Enhanced Oil Reco er (EOR) is

Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) is…

•

Oil recovery by injection of fluids not normally

•

Oil recovery by injection of fluids not normally present in reservoir

•

Excludes pressure maintenance or waterflooding

•

Excludes pressure maintenance or waterflooding

•

Not necessarily tertiary recovery

Improved Oil Recovery (IOR) is…

•

EOR l dditi l t h l i d li ith d illi

•

EOR plus additional technologies dealing with drilling, production, operations, and reservoir characterization

•

An attempt to avoid negative connotation of EOR

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Enhanced Oil Reco er (EOR) is

Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) is…

•

End of the Road

•

End of the Road

•

"If you intend to select reservoir engineering as a 'career' then you should steer clear of the morecareer , then you should steer clear of the more esoteric subjects such as EOR flooding or the recovery of highly viscous crude oils."y g y

•

"While EOR may present the more satisfying

intellectual challenge, there is also the risk that it may lead prematurely to the dole queue."

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Recovery Mechanisms...

y

Primary

Artificial Lift

Pump - Gas Lift - Etc.

Natural Flow a y Recovery Conventional Recovery Secondary Recovery p Pressure Maintenance

Water - Gas Reinjection

y Waterflood Enhanced Tertiary Recovery Chemical Thermal Enhanced Recovery Other Chemical Solvent Thermal

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Producing Phases

Primary Secondary Tertiary

Producing Phases

Oil Rate 0.10 0.25 0.10 EL _ Inj. P Li P _ Prod. Lim Ave. S_o Time

(7)

EOR Application Summary

•First deliberate application in the 1950s

•Approximately 10% of US production from EOR •US accounts for 1/4 of worldwide production

•Chemical projects….

M t i i d f ll i th 1980

•Meteoric rise and fall in the 1980s

•Least popular EOR today (exc. of FSU, China)

•Mostly polymer because of tax treatmentMostly polymer because of tax treatment

•Fewer than 10 projects •Thermal projects…

•Accounts for 50% of EOR oil

•Around 60 projects, but declining

Solvent projects

•Solvent projects….

•Substantial grow in last 10 years to 130 projects

•About 50% are CO2 projectsAbout 50% are CO2 projects

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EOR In the US

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EOR Worldwide (2006)

Total EOR=2.5 MMBPD From Thomas, 2007

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Major EOR Projects (2006)

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Chapter 1- Defining EOR

p

g

•Overview

Overview

•Current status

•Why EOR

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Reserves: What are They?

Petroleum (crude condensate gas) recoverable Petroleum (crude, condensate, gas) recoverable

From known reservoirs

Under prevailing economicsp g With existing technology

Three categories P d (90% t i ) Proved (90% certain) Probable (50%) Possible (10%) Possible (10%) Present reserves = Previous reserves-Production+Additions

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Reserves Additions

Di

f

fi ld

•Discovery of new fields

•Discovery of new reservoirs in

Discovery of new reservoirs in

known fields

E t

i

f k

fi ld

•Extensions of known fields

•Redefinition of reserves because of

Economics

Extraction technology

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The Argument for EOR

g

• Worldwide consumption increase

at a boring rate (2%/yr)

•Reserves not generally replaced

Reserves not generally replaced

•Requires discovery of “giant”

fi ld (100 MM bbl i

l

)

fields (100 MM bbls in place)

•Drilling alone

g

•Requires large capital investment

•Drilling rate inversely correlated

with finding rate

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Growing Energy Demand

Oil Consumption and Industrialization

Growing Energy Demand

Oil Consumption and Industrialization

Oil Consumption Increases Fastest During Early Industrialization

30 35 a r) US 20 25 30 rels per Y e a Japan 10 15 20 C apita (Bar r South Korea China India 0 5 1 9 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 91 19 19 19 19 91 19 19 19 19 20 Per C Korea 9 00 905 910 915 920 925 930 935 940 945 509 955 960 965 970 759 980 985 990 995 000

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The Argument for EOR (cont.)

g

(

)

• EOR applies to known reservoirs

pp

•No need to find them

•Some infrastructure in place

•Markets available

•Technology is mature and cost

effective

•65% of oil remains after secondary

recovery

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Distribution of Ultimate Recovery

1.0

• Substantial quantities of oil left behind.

0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 From Laherrere, 2002 Europe* Former USSR* Middle East*

Africa* Far East* Latin

America*

US

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Chapter 1- Defining EOR

p

g

•Overview

Overview

•Current status

•Why EOR

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Definition of Incremental Oil

Definition of Incremental Oil...

EOR Operation A

on Rate

P

roducti _{Incremental EOR} _D

Oil P B C Ti C Time

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Incremental Oil Recovery (IOR)

y (

)

Oil (HC) produced in excess of

(

) p

existing (conventional) operations

Difficulties….

Comingled production

Oil from outside project

Inaccurate decline estimates

IOR recovery efficiency = 100

IOR

IOR recovery efficiency =

100

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Schematic of Solvent Flood

Fig. 7-1

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Other CO

₂

Floods...

Means San Andres Unit

16000 18000 v . '83) _tion 18% HCPV CO 2 Injection 10,000

(From Folger and Guillot, 1996)

Sundown Slaughter

8000 10000 12000 14000

BOPD Began (No

v CO 2 Injec t 37.2 3.2 To Date P+S EOR Recovery, % OOIP 1,000 Actual Oil B arrels/Day 2000 4000 6000 8000 Continued Waterflood 38.7 11 (7)* Ultimate

*Original EOR Estimate

100 Continued Waterflood B 2000 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 Year

Seminole San Andres Unit

80000

Recovery, % OOIP

n

3)

Ford Geraldine Unit

2000 R % OOIP 100 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 Year 50000 60000 70000 P D Recovery, % OOIP

*Original EOR Estimate 45.2 47.2 6.7 17 (17)* To Date Ultimate P+S EOR CO 2 Injectio n Began (Mar. '8 1500 P D g an (Feb. '81) O2 Injection 21.8 21.8 7 15 (8)* To Date Ultimate P+S EOR Recovery, % OOIP

*Original EOR Estimate 46% HCPV

CO I j ti 10000 20000 30000 40000 BO P 25% HCPV CO 2 Injection 500 1000 BO P Be g C CO₂ Injection 20 MCF/D CO₂ Source Secured 0 10000 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 Year Continued Waterflood 0 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 Year End of

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Chemical Flooding

C e

ca

ood g

Low salinity See below

Polymer

Gradual _{Low salinity}

Low calcium Usually 0.5 PV Additives change to water Surfactant, Micellar-polymer Polymer, Mobility control Alkaline Surfactant, ASP Surfactant Co-surfactant Co-solvent No slug Surfactant Polymer Alkaline agent Polymer Usually 0.1-0.3 PV g Usually 0.1-0.3 PV

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North Burbank Unit

Chemical Flood Results….

North Burbank Unit

Daqing ASP

Daqing Polymer Daqing Polymer

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Process Variations

Steam soak

Steam Shut in Oil + Water

Cold Oil Cold Oil Steam Cold oil Cold Oil Hot Water Cold oil Cold Oil Hot Water Oil Oil Inject (2-30 days)

oil Water Oil

Soak (5-30 days)

oil Water Oil

Produce (1-6 months)

Steam Drive

Steam Oil + Water

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Example...

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B rning the Oil

Burning the Oil...

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West Buffalo Red River Unit

Primary Recovery:y y

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More Variations

Using g horizontal wells (SAGD) (SAGD) Burning the Oil t e O

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Foster Creek (EnCana)

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Weaning from Light Oil

The Problem: Reserves of ultraheavy (stranded) crude are enormous

The Initiative: Make recovery of this resource y economical and environmentally benign

- Optimizing SAGD

- Alternative heating technologies - In situ upgrading

•• NaphthaNaphtha

High Value Products

Naphtha Naphtha •• JetJet

•• DieselDiesel •• Nat GasNat Gas

Light Processing ¢ Producer Heater Heater Overburden

•• Nat. GasNat. Gas •• HydrogenHydrogen •• Chem. FeedChem. Feed

High Temperature Causes Long, Horizontal Fractures

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Next Research Phase

2 Step Process (at least) to Commercial

Freezewall Technology For Groundwater Isolation

Freeze Wells Heater & Producer Wells Freeze Wells Heater & Producer Wells Freeze Wells Heater & Producer Wells Freezewall Test

• Football field sized test on 10 acres near

Water & Temperature Monitor Wells Wells Water & Temperature Monitor Wells Wells Water & Temperature Monitor Wells Wells

Football field sized test on 10 acres near existing research

• Test robustness of freezewall barrier

• Active construction/production from late

Natural Fractured Shale Aquifers Solid Shale Natural Fractured Shale Aquifers Solid Shale p ’05 – early ’07 • Reclamation 2010 4 Shell Unconventional Resource Energy - White House Briefing April 11th, 2005 filename.ppt

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Ice Wall on Surface

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True in-situ processing is being pursued

in the Piceance Basin by four companies

y

p

Shell (Leached zone) Chevron (Mahogany zone) AMSO (Illitic shale) (Illitic shale) ExxonMobil (S li ) Mahogany zone

Better water quality

100 0 f t e r syst e m (Saline zone)

Nahcolitic oil shale cap rock

Saline water Dissolution surface 0 f t aqui fe Heat injection well Production well 37 2000 ft

Illitic oil shale

200

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Chemical EOR Processes

Chemical EOR Processes...

Process Ult. Typical Agent

Recovery (%) Utilization P l 5 1 lb l / Polymer 5 1 lb polymer/ inc. bbl Micellar/ 15 15-25 lb surfactant/ polymer (SP) inc. bbl Alkaline/ 5 35-45 lb chemical/ polymer inc. bbl p y

ASP 20 Sum of SP/AP

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---Solvent EOR Processes...

Process Typical Ult Agent

Process Typical Ult. Agent

Recovery % OOIP Utilization

Miscible 10-15 10 MCF/inc. bbl

I i ibl 5 10 10 MCF/i bbl Immiscible 5-10 10 MCF/inc. bbl

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Thermal Reco er Processes

Thermal Recovery Processes...

P T i l Ult A t

Process Typical Ult. Agent

Recovery % OOIP Utilization

Steam (drive 50-65 0.5 bbl / net inc. bbl and soak))

Combustion 10-15 10 MCF air/inc. bbl

SAGD ?? ??