Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR):

Basic Concepts and U.S. Industry

Experience
Vanessa Nuez Lopez

CEPAC - CSLF Capacity Building Workshop
Porto Alegre, Brazil
July 30 Aug 3, 2012
Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) is
Oil recovery by injection of fluids not commonly
present in the reservoir
Excludes pressure maintenance or
waterflooding
Not necessarily tertiary recovery.
Recovery Mechanisms
Source: Adapted from the Oil & Gas Journal, Apr. 23, 1990
Conventional
Recovery
Enhanced
Recovery
Tertiary
Recovery
Other
Chemical
Solvent
Thermal
Pressure
Maintenance
Water - Gas Reinjection
Secondary
Recovery
Artificial Lift
Pump - Gas Lift - Etc.
Waterflood
Natural Flow
Primary
Recovery
EOR using CO
2
CO2-EOR (The basics)
CO2-EOR is a technology that targets the residual oil in depleted oil
reservoirs by the injection of carbon dioxide (CO2).
What is it?
How does it work?
CO2 is a solvent: it
mixes with the oil
Where is it applied?
In depleted light-oil reservoirs that have gone through
primary recovery (natural flow) and, in most cases,
secondary recovery (mainly waterflooding).

Oil expands (swells)
Oil viscosity is reduced
Interfacial tension (IT) disappears*
Solvent: a fluid that recovers oil by mass
transfer
Alcohols
Nitrogen
Air
Flue gas
Various petroleum gas (C
3
)
Methane
Carbon dioxide
Recovery Techniques with Solvents...
Pattern flooding
Gravity stable
Soak or stimulation
Water alternating with gas-WAG
(mobility control)
Strong
Aquifer
Oil Bank
Steep Dip Angle
Gas Cap
CO
2
Minimum Miscibility Pressure (MMP)
Miscible: Above MMP

Immiscible: Below MMP
At constant temperature and composition, MMP is the lowest
pressure at with miscibility can be achieved. At MMP, the interfacial
tension is zero and no interface exists as the fluids have become
one single
Types of Miscibility
First contact

Multiple contact
Types of Flooding
Miscibility: two fluids are miscible when they dissolve in all proportions
producing a homogeneous solution. Miscibility goes beyond solubility!
The process
U.S Department of Energy - NETL
Recycling
Water Pump
Surface Infrastructure
U.S Department of Energy - NETL
Production manifold
Production well
Injection well
Separator
Surface Infrastructure
U.S Department of Energy - NETL
CO2 recycling facility
CO2 compressor
EOR Worldwide (2006)
Total EOR=2.5 MMBPD
From Thomas, 2007
US Domestic Oil Resource Base
Ferguson et al., 2009
ROIP Stranded - 400 Billion Barrels
(of 596 billion barrels OOIP)

EOR in the US
From Thomas, 2007
NETL, 2008
Growth of CO
2
-EOR Production in the U.S.
2008
250,000bpd
from CO
2
-EOR
Denver Unit of the Wasson Field, West Texas
More than
120
million
increment
al barrels
through
2008
Weyburn Unit (Midale Sand)
Specific CO
2
Floods
Means San Andres Unit
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
18000
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992
B
O
P
D

Year
B
e
g
a
n

(
N
o
v
.

'
8
3
)

C
O
2

I
n
j
e
c
t
i
o
n

Continued Waterflood
18% HCPV
CO
2
Injection
37.2
38.7
3.2
11 (7)*
To Date
Ultimate
P+S EOR
Recovery, % OOIP
*Original EOR Estimate
Seminole San Andres Unit
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
70000
80000
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992
B
O
P
D

Year
Recovery, % OOIP
*Original EOR Estimate
45.2
47.2
6.7
17 (17)*
To Date
Ultimate
P+S EOR
Continued Waterflood
25% HCPV
CO
2
Injection

C
O
2

I
n
j
e
c
t
i
o
n

B
e
g
a
n

(
M
a
r
.

'
8
3
)

Ford Geraldine Unit

0
500
1000
1500
2000
1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992
B
O
P
D

Year
B
e
g
a
n

(
F
e
b
.

'
8
1
)

C
O
2

I
n
j
e
c
t
i
o
n

21.8
21.8
7
15 (8)*
To Date
Ultimate
P+S EOR
Recovery, % OOIP
*Original EOR Estimate 46% HCPV
CO
2
Injection
20 MCF/D CO
2
Source Secured
End of
Water Injection Continued Waterflood
100
10,000
1,000
1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994
(From Folger and Guillot, 1996)
Actual Oil
Continued
Waterflood
B
a
r
r
e
l
s
/
D
a
y

Year
Sundown Slaughter
NETL, 2008
CO2 Injection volume matters!
feet F % md feet API cp %HCPV %OOIP MCF/STB MCF/STB -
field scale projects
Dollarhide TX Trip. Chert 7,800 120 17.0 9 48 40 0.4 30 14.0 2.4 1985
East Vacuum NM Oolitic dolomite 4,400 101 11.7 11 71 38 1.0 30 8.0 11.1 6.3 1985
Ford Geraldine TX Sandstone 2,680 83 23.0 64 23 40 1.4 30 17.0 9.0 5.0 1981
Means TX Dolomite 4,400 100 9.0 20 54 29 6.0 55 7.1 15.2 11.0 1983
North Cross TX Trip. Chert 5,400 106 22.0 5 60 44 0.4 40 22.0 18.0 7.8 1972
Northeast Purdy OK Sandstone 8,200 148 13.0 44 40 35 1.5 30 7.5 6.5 4.6 1982
Rangely CO Sandstone 6,500 160 15.0 5 to 50 110 32 1.6 30 7.5 9.2 5.0 1986
SACROC (17 pattern) TX Carbonate 6,400 130 9.4 3 139 41 0.4 30 7.5 9.7 6.5 1972
SACROC (14 pattern) TX Carbonate 6,400 130 9.4 3 139 41 0.4 30 9.8 9.5 3.2 1981
South Welch TX Dolomite 4,850 92 12.8 13.9 132 34 2.3 25 7.6
Twofreds TX Sandstone 4,820 104 20.3 33.4 18 36 1.4 40 15.6 15.6 8.0 1974
Wertz WY Sandstone 6,200 165 10.7 16 185 35 1.3 60 10.0 13.0 10.0 1986
producing pilots
Garber OK Sandstone 1,950 95 17.0 57 21 47 2.1 35 14.0 6.0 1981
Little Creek MS Sandstone 10,400 248 23.4 75 30 39 0.4 160 21.0 27.0 12.6 1975
Majamar NM Anhydritic dolomite 4,050 90 10.0 11.2 49 36 0.8 30 8.2 11.6 10.7 1983
Majamar NM Dolomitic sandstone 3,700 90 11.0 13.9 23 36 0.8 30 17.7 8.1 6.1 1983
North Coles Levee CA Sandstone 9,200 235 15.0 9 136 36 0.5 63 15.0 7.4 1981
Quarantine Bay LA Sandstone 8,180 183 26.4 230 15 32 0.9 19 20.0 2.4 1981
Slaughter Estate TX Dolomitic sandstone 4985 105 12.0 8 75 32 2.0 26 20.0 16.7 3.7 1976
Weeks Island LA Sandstone 13,000 225 26.0 1200 186 33 0.3 24 8.7 7.9 3.3 1978
West Sussex WY Sandstone 3,000 104 19.5 28.5 22 39 1.4 30 12.9 8.9 1982
Field Projects ==> 11.7 6.3 AVERAGE
10.4 6.3 MEDIAN
Pilot Projects ==> 12.5 6.4 AVERAGE
8.9 6.0 MEDIAN
Gross Net
CO2 Utilization Ratio
Gross Net
The overall demand for CO
2
by the CO
2
-EOR industry
can be met by three potential sources of CO
2
supply,
namely:

1. Natural CO
2
supplies already found and defined in
geological structures;

2. Industrial, high concentration sources of CO
2
(e.g.
refineries and fertilizer plants) that are currently being
captured and used by the CO
2
-EOR industry; and

3. The large volumes of low concentration power plant
and industrial emissions of CO
2
that needs to be
captured and stored to mitigate CO
2
emissions.
Ferguson et al., 2009
Potential Sources of CO
2
for EOR
Ammonia
Natural CO
2
sources
~35 Million ton/yr are injected for CO
2
-EOR
Anthropogenic CO
2
sources
Figure courtesy of T. Meckel, BEG
CO2 Supply Distribution
CO2 Supply Shortage
CO2-EOR Potential in the U.S.
CO2-EOR Potential Estimates for the US
Gulf Coast
Developed a multistage quick-look methodology
to identifying optimal CO
2
EOR storage sites.

Identify miscible CO
2
EOR candidate reservoirs with
potential for EOR CO
2
sequestration.

Estimate oil recovery and CO
2
sequestration volumes
through dimensionless modeling.

Comprehensive description of selected top sites
through reservoir characterization



Data Acquisition
Sources of Data
Texas: Atlas of Major Texas Oil Reservoirs,
Atlas of Major Texas Gas Reservoirs, Railroad
Commission of Texas, others

Louisiana: TORIS database, others

Alabama and Mississippi: Alabama Geologic
Survey, others
Screening of candidate reservoirs
Oil-reservoir database
Has reservoir
been waterflooded?
Minimum
miscibility pressure
(depth, temp., pressure,
oil properties)
Does reservoir have
water- drive
mechanism?
No
Rejected
No
Rejected
No
Rejected
No
Yes
Unknown
Yes
Yes
No
Candidate reservoirs
Candidate for
secondary
recovery
Reservoir depth
> 6000 ft
Cumulative
production
> 1 MMSTB
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Technical Feasibility
Minimum Miscibility Pressure Estimations
Function for Obtaining Oil
C
5
+ Molecular weight
0386 . 1
1
9 . 7864
|
.
|

\
|
=
API
MW
o
Mole Weight C
5
+ 340
300 280 260 240 220
200
180
MW * 377 . 4 ) 005 . 1 * MW * 727 . 7 ( 558 . 329 MMP
T
+ =
Minimum Miscibility Pressure Estimations
3207
130
156
208
873
120
40 35
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
Texas Louisiana Mississippi Alabama
N
u
m
b
e
r

o
f

R
e
s
e
r
v
o
i
r
s
Total Reservoirs
Candidate Reservoirs
Gulf Coast CO2-EOR Potential Distribution
4.7 billion barrel incremental oil
2.6 billion tons storage potential
Nunez-Lopez, 2008
CO-OP FIELDS UNDER CO2 FLOOD - DAILY GAS INJECTED (MMSCFPD)
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
350,000
400,000
450,000
500,000
1
9
8
8
1
9
8
9
1
9
9
0
1
9
9
1
1
9
9
2
1
9
9
3
1
9
9
4
1
9
9
5
1
9
9
6
1
9
9
7
1
9
9
8
1
9
9
9
2
0
0
0
2
0
0
1
2
0
0
2
2
0
0
3
2
0
0
4
2
0
0
5
2
0
0
6
2
0
0
7
Date
C
O
2

G
a
s

I
n
j
e
c
t
e
d

(
M
S
C
F
P
D
)
Rangely SSU Vacuum Dollarhide Dev. Mabee_unit Reinecke
CO2 start
2007 420 MMSCFPD
67 % Recycled
33 % Purchased
CO2 stored during EOR? Yes!
32
CO
2
EOR and Storage (CCUS)
CO
2
EOR and Storage
Optimization
Alternative CO
2
Flooding
Techniques
Broader Range of Application
Optimization
EOR Goals
Maximize oil recovery
Minimize CO
2
injected
Maximize Profit
CO
2
Storage Goals
Maximize CO
2
sequestered
Assure permanence
Minimize costs
Next Generation EOR (DOE)
Game Changer Technologies (ARI)
Anthropogenic CO2-EOR
Larger volumes of CO
2
associated with commercial
implementation of CCS impose inevitable technical and
economic changes to current CO
2
-EOR operations

These changes lead to unconventional:
Injection strategies
Reservoir settings and pay zones
Completions
Economic scenarios


Unconventional injection
strategies

Larger hydrocarbon pore volumes
HCPV injected
Continuous CO
2
injection (no WAG)
Adaptability to intermittency of CO
2

supply for production and storage
Novel injection patterns/well spacing
Smart well technologies SWT

New Technologies
CO
2
Rate
Production
Rate
Reservoir
Time Time
Unconventional reservoir settings and pay zones:
Gravity dominated floods, application in transition and
residual oil zones (TZ/ROZ)

Strong
Aquifer
Oil Bank
Steep Dip Angle
Gas Cap
CO
2
Unconventional Completions: deeper to underlying
aquifer (stacked storage)









Unconventional economic scenarios:
New contract structures between CO
2
owners
and EOR operators


BIG SKY
WESTCARB
SWP
PCOR
MGSC
SECARB
MRCSP
DOE Regional Sequestration Partnerships
Carbon Sequestration Potential in Oil Reservoirs
Final Thoughts
A massive target of 400 billion barrels of technically
stranded oil in the U.S. could be developed through
CO2-EOR.

The CO2 EOR industry has extensive experience and a
proven record of injecting CO2 into geologic formations
in a safely way.

EOR could be an enabling path for large-scale carbon
sequestration efforts.

Questions?