About this forum

The current worldwide average recovery factor from conventional oil reservoirs is still less than 35%. A 1% increase in recovery would give an additional 2-3 years of world consumption at current rates. Average North Sea recovery factors are 46%, with Statford reaching 66% using traditional methods. This demonstrates the potential for significant improvement and begs the question, is a 70% recovery factor goal a reality for all oil fields? To understand the potential, we must ask what are the emerging developments in scientific areas such nanotechnologies, biotechnologies, material sciences, physics, chemistry, and computational science that could provide significant gains?

As oil recovery processes involve the interplay of rock/fluids and thermodynamic interactions, the optimisation of hydrocarbon recovery requires a clear understanding of both static and dynamic reservoir properties at different scales, ranging from pore to meso-scale. This forum focuses on exploring upcoming technologies that will help improve the overall hydrocarbon recovery, i.e. from technologies which are relatively embryonic to those widely applied in the field today. They could be technologies leading to enhanced reservoir imaging and a step change in rocks and fluid characterisation, technologies leading to more efficient microscopic recovery, technologies leading to more compact, cheaper and more durable offshore facilities and equipment, technologies leading to the drilling and completion of cheaper, better and more productive wells, and/or technologies resulting in a step change in our ability to monitor and control reservoirs conformance and performance on a real-time basis.

During the forum, you will have the opportunity to speak with experts in these areas and exchange ideas about what applications may work best for your challenges. For example, as there is less gas available for secondary recovery, can we make polymers really work? What would be the optimum measurement set that would allow a comparison with field development and experimental results? As we understand and monitor flooding, what control mechanisms are available to us to optimise production? How do these factors contribute to my well placement and completion type?

Topics of the Forum would include:

• Do we understand sufficiently the reservoir and the displacement processes?
• What are the missing factors in optimising secondary recovery, and specially water injection?
• Will polymer, surfactant flooding ever be economical?
• How can we address the unique challenges associated with carbonates?
• What role(s) will nanotechnologies and biotechnologies play?
• What reservoir monitoring do we need?
• Do complex completions return maximum recovery?

To Whom the Forum Will Appeal

This forum will appeal to multidisciplinary teams and technical experts within operating companies, service companies and academic institutions who are involved in the aspects of field planning, reservoir geosciences as well as reservoir and production engineering, facilities engineers, project engineers and researchers.

Attendees Will

• Discuss common interests informally with colleagues from around the world
• Share knowledge and experience in an off-the-record format
• Gain new insight and perspective through conversations with others from international companies, service companies, contracting companies, research institutes, and universities
• Enjoy a relaxed atmosphere of learning through one-on-one interaction

Should you be interested or need further information, please contact:

Subashini Jaganathan
SPE Event Coordinator
SPE Asia Pacific Office (Kuala Lumpur)
Tel: +60.3.2182.3000
Email: spekl@spe.org