Research Into Enhanced Oil Recovery Technologies
Authors: Egbogah Emmanuel O. 
Published: March 2010

Introduction

Enhanced oil recovery (EO R) from the conventional reservoirs of western Canada, Ontario and eastern Canada onshore could contribute very significantly to Canada's future domestic crude oil supply. However, this potential in excess of 3600 million m3 (21.6 B bbls), is highly dependent on a broad spectrum of economic and technological considerations and constraints which will require the concerted attention of industry, government and research organizations in order for the nation to fully realize the benefits of this vast resource. The following statistics(Table 1) focus on the essential, indeedcritical role that enhanced recovery has and will have to play in the future to maintain Canadian crude production. This is in the face of diminishing exploration returns in western Canada and the uncertainty in timing of the inauguration of frontier production from the Beaufort Sea. Mackenzie Delta, the Arctic Islands, and the East Coast Offshore region.

It is estimated that synthetic crude from bitumen and extra heavy oil will be a major if not dominant crude oil supply source in Canada within 20 years. The Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board estimated that at the end of 1982, emaining established reserves of crude bitumen were 5.2 billion m3 (32.7 B bbls), while synthetic crude oil remaining reserves were 3.9 billion m3 (24.5 B bbls). Estimates of reserves in Alberta's Cretaceous sands are calculated at 186 billion m3 (1,170 B bbls) and 90 billion m3 (566 B bbls) in the Grosmont carbonates, being equivalent in size to nearly half the combined occurrences of conventional oil reserves in the world.

In Saskatchewan, the Department of Energy and Mines estimated about 4 billion m3 (25 B bbls) of heavy oil in place(3). The development of enhanced oil recovery processes applicable to thin, unconsolidated sand reservoirs could mean the recovery of about 635 million m3 (4 B bbls) of heavy oil. Also, applying EOR to conventional oilfields could add about 95 million m3 (600 M bbls) to Saskatchewan's established reserves of 70 million m3 (440 M bbls). The potentialfor the development of EOR technologies is clear and compelling.

EOR Methods

Enhanced oil recovery is here defined to include all recovery techniques other than those which utilize only the natural energy for the reservoir, (known generally as primary techniques(1)). EOR includes infill drilling, waterflooding or other more exotic methods such as thermal, miscible and chemical processes. The increasing emphasis on enhanced oil recovery is evincing itself in research and development of appropriate technologies by producers, institutional and independent research organizations. One of the latter is Amerigo Research and Development Limited. Other research efforts are underway at the Petroleum Research Institute, Alberta Research Council, and several Canadian universities.

EOR processes are sensitive both to reservoir conditions and to rock and fluid parameters. Research programs are directed toward identifying suitable locations for tests of laboratory proven EOR processes for technical feasibility and economic viability. Consistent with these objectives, Amerigo has been active in formulating and field testing of chemical compounds.