Research Perspectives: Maximizing Oil Recovery by IOR/EOR The Future of Solutions: Technologies for Increased Oil Recovery (IOR) Monday 30th April, 08:00 – 10:30 AM Monarch Room (24th floor), The Westin Galleria Houston, Research Perspectives: Maximizing Oil Recovery by IOR/EOR Arne Skauge Managing Director CIPR – Centre for Integrated Petroleum Research Uni Research and University of Bergen

Facts about CIPR CIPR is the Norwegian Centre of Excellence focusing on maximizing oil recovery CIPR conducts applied research into increased oil recovery and energy efficient utilization of CO2 Key research areas are: Improved Oil Recovery / Enhanced Oil Recovery Reservoir Simulation Geoscience 70 researchers (many with extensive industry experience) 30 PhD students 40 master students CIPR is a cooperation between the University of Bergen and Uni Research

Vision Develop new exploration and increased recovery technology to make NCS a leading technology driven petroleum province in 2020. Goal Develop new technology to add 7.7 billion bbl o.e.

Maximizing oil recovery for offshore oil and gas fields Challenges Identify undrained area Well distance Well placement Logistics

Maximizing oil recovery for offshore oil and gas fields Challenges Actions Identify undrained area 4D seismic and EM Well distance drill cheep/fast new wells Well placement sidetrack injectors into the oil zone Logistics minimize the amount of chemicals for EOR

Contributions to closing the production gap Time Oil Production Rate A B Incremental Oil Recovery Contributions to closing the production gap Reservoir description Best reservoir model Reservoir communication Simulation methods Better predictions Surfactant Polymer Water Oil Alkaline Foam Enhanced oil recovery methods Move trapped oil Sweep improvement Monitoring Find best drilling targets

Dynamic Reservoir Characterization Find best well target

Average 1,68

Some selected Enhanced Oil Recovery technologies Status Mechanisms Technology Prognosis Prediction Upscaling WAG Foam Surfactant flooding Microbial IOR Low salinity polymers Goal Mechanisms Technology Prognosis Prediction Upscaling WAG Foam Surfactant flooding Microbial IOR High salinity polymers Proven technology Progress needed Unsolved

FAWAG – Foam Assisted WAG Snorre field Oil production (Sm3/d) Ref: Skauge, A., Aarra, M.G., Surguchev, L., Martinsen, H.A., Rasmussen, L., SPE 75157, ”Foam-Assisted WAG: Experience from the Snorre Field”, 2002

Conventional Chemical Methods for Enhanced Oil Recovery Surfactants to lower the interfacial tension between the oil and water or change the wettability of the rock Water soluble polymers to increase the viscosity of the water Polymer gels for blocking or diverting flow Combinations of chemicals and methods

International status of EOR Polymer (Daqing, Dahlia, Marmoul, Captain, ..) (possible on Mariner, Rassey, Grane, etc.) ASP, SP (Daqing, 20+ pilots) New processes (10+ pilots)

Daqing Polymer Injection Lessons Learned: Higher initial water cut results in lower incremental gains in recovery (see figure to left) The total cost of polymer flooding ($6.60/bbl inc. oil) is actually less than for waterflooding ($7.85/bbl inc. oil) due to decreased water production and increased oil production. More heterogeneous reservoir: larger increase in sweep efficiency shorter response time to polymer flooding strongest influence on recovery is connectivity of pay zones To obtain higher recovery with polymer flooding: lower producer WHP stimulate producers increase polymer concentration increase polymer molecular weight Daqing Polymer Injection Project Description: Over 2000 wells now injecting polymer at Daqing Typical slug size is 0.6 PV Most well patterns are 5-spot about 30-50% of injected polymer is produced maximum produced polymer conc. is approx. 2/3 of injected

Example of hybrid EOR methods New trends – hybrid EOR Example of hybrid EOR methods WAG FAWAG (Foam Assisted WAG) SAGD (Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage) Low salinity - surfactant Low salinity - polymers Low tension gas

New combination of EOR methods Low salinity waterflood may give only modest improved oil recovery for many sandstone reservoirs Cost of reducing water salinity may be a show stopper Recent research has made a combined low salinity and surfactant flooding a way of boosting oil recovery and improve the economy of this EOR process Source: Alagic and Skauge (CIPR): “Change to Low Salinity Brine Injection in Combination with Surfactant Flooding,” presented at 15th European Symposium on Improved Oil Recovery — Paris, France, 27 – 29 April 2009

Combined low salinity and surfactant injection LSS LS Skauge, A., Kallevik, G., Ghorbani, Z., and Delshad, M., Simulation of Combined Low Salinity Brine and Surfactant Flooding, paper the EAGE IOR Symposium 12th – 14th April 2011 in Cambridge, UK.

Example of game changer Polymer flooding Traditionally polymer is injected for sweep improvement Old rules of tumbs Poor injectivity (a lot of positive results on injectivity arre now available) Little effect after extensive waterflooding (new results disprove this statement) Have to modify the viscosity ratio extensively (new results disprove this statement) Additional news Effect on microscopic displacement (lower Sor) (viscoelastic effects, etc)

Water- and polymer flood of viscous oils Skauge, A., Ormehaug, P:A., Gurholt, T., Vik, B., Bondino, I., and Hamon, G., 2-D Visualisation of Unstable Waterflood and Polymer Flood for Displacement of Heavy Oil, SPE 154292, paper prepared for presentation at the Eighteenth SPE Improved Oil Recovery Symp. Tulsa, 2012 20

Waterflooding at adverse mobility ratio Mohanty et al 2012 Skauge, A., Ormehaug, P:A., Gurholt, T., Vik, B., Bondino, I., and Hamon, G., 2-D Visualisation of Unstable Waterflood and Polymer Flood for Displacement of Heavy Oil, SPE 154292, paper prepared for presentation at the Eighteenth SPE Improved Oil Recovery Symp. Tulsa, 2012

Oil mobilization during polymer flood Red: increased oil saturation Light blue: increased water saturation Skauge, A., Ormehaug, P:A., Gurholt, T., Vik, B., Bondino, I., and Hamon, G., 2-D Visualisation of Unstable Waterflood and Polymer Flood for Displacement of Heavy Oil, SPE 154292, paper prepared for presentation at the Eighteenth SPE Improved Oil Recovery Symp. Tulsa, 2012

Low salinity polymer 2012

Low salinity polymer Source: Behruz Shaker and Arne Skauge, 2012

Prediction for the coming years We will see more advanced flood sequences… Polymer - new development and possibilities (Yes) Low salinity (?) Classical surfactant flooding (?) Hybrid EOR – YES LSS – LSP – LSASP - LSLTG Foam-Polymer – Nano stabilized foam- Low Tension Gas – WAG – Foam Assisted WAG (FAWAG) and more…..

Thank you