70% Recovery - A Dream or Reality: From Smart Water to Microbes
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SPE.org > Meeting Calendar > 70% Recovery -- A Dream or Reality: From Smart Water to Microbes

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Globally the average oil recovery factor (RF) is around 32%. This means that at abandonment, two thirds of the oil originally in place is not produced. In view of world energy needs, it is highly desirable to increase significantly the recovery factor. This can only be achieved by step changes in our approach to extracting oil from the subsurface. Our mission is to develop the ability to treat all types of reservoir, (clastic, carbonate, fractured etc.) to increase economic recovery.

This Forum focuses on novel and upcoming techniques for extracting and producing hydrocarbons from both mature and newly developed fields. Emphasis is given to techniques for improving sweep (micro/macro) efficiency rather than technologies for designing, drilling, and completing wells. We examine radically new technologies that need to be developed, novel processes that are on the verge of field application, as well as existing techniques for enhancing recovery. Our objective is to identify potential constraints and set the scene for the development of new methods for enhancing economic recovery of oil fields.

The topics for discussion range from improvements in water flooding (low salinity, polymers, possibly with cross linkers, surfactants and microbes) through gas flooding to combinations of water and gas enhancement (WAG and its derivatives). Also, techniques for improving the overall sweep efficiency, such as optimised reservoir management, smart wells, smart water, nanobots add to the picture. Collectively, these technologies may have the potential to increase recovery up to the 70% goal.

Can we make this goal a reality for the majority of our fields? A key to all of this may be a better understanding of the make-up and behaviour of the reservoir through the combination of multiple sources of information, i.e. measuring/monitoring the reservoir, as opposed to guessing it. We examine what is the minimum and what is the optimum dataset one needs to get a clear picture, which tools we have and which tools we need?

Participants are expected to share their experiences and ideas regarding:

  • Reservoir characterisation
  • Smart water injection
  • Polymer and surfactant flooding
  • Microbial EOR
  • Miscible and immiscible gas injection
  • WAG, SWAG and derivatives
  • Reservoir monitoring and surveillance

Some of the basic questions to address in this forum are:

  • Can we understand our reservoirs and the interaction with the displacement process sufficiently to realize our goals?
  • How far could we get by applying water injection in a ‘smart’ way?
  • Will polymer or surfactant flooding ever become economical and widely used?
  • Are microbes the answer, and what can be done to recruit them to the task?
  • What are the unique challenges for carbonates?
  • What is the optimum balance between increasing the number of drainage points and modifying the displacement processes?
  • How much depends on advanced surveillance and modelling?
  • What are the specific challenges for viscous oils, which are still undeveloped in many areas (note: this is not heavy oils, but typically 50-100 cP oils)?
  • Will the new domains now being developed (such as deep offshore) create new constraints for EOR, driving earlier implementation (or preventing it)?
  • What is missing ?–What novel ideas are coming up in the oil business? What about other industries, R&D institutes or academia?

Who Should Attend

The Forum is intended for professionals and managers actively involved in increasing oil recovery. Attendees should include experts in reservoir geosciences, reservoir and production engineering, as well as EOR/IOR specialists. The Forum is a limited attendance meeting for up to 75 people. The aim is that participants represent expertise from asset and technology units in large and small oil companies, as well as the companies that provide technologies to them, and academia.

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