Enhanced oil recovery in the Gulf of Mexico. Volumes 1, 2, 3, and 4
More than eight billion barrels of oil will remain in known reservoirs at the end of conventional production in the Federal Gulf of Mexico. Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) could produce a substantial portion of this oil. The Offshore EOR Project was designed to identify reservoirs in the Federal Gulf that are amenable to EOR, geologically, technologically, and economically. Reservoirs containing 56% of the Gulf's oil in-place were individually studied by expert geologists. A subset of these, accounting for about 20% of the overall resource, were assessed in detail using engineering and economic models. The results indicate that the Federal Gulf EOR technical potential could be massive - up to 4.4 billion barrels in currently known reservoirs (and up to 7.8 billion barrels if undiscovered resources are included) - but are highly uncertain. By far, technological performance has the greater effect on the EOR potential, especially the ability to recovery oil from zones of the reservoirs previously unswept by conventional operations and to increase the injection and production rates in reservoirs that dip (incline) more than 10/sup 0/. Technology performance can be improved, but the required research and development (R and D) will take time. The rapid decline of many fields in the Gulf will lead to the abandonment and removal of platforms in the tangible future - estimated to be 50% in the next decade. Removal of platforms would economically negate substantial portions of the EOR potential. Thus, collaboration by industry and Federal energy, minerals, and lands management agencies in R and D and information dissemination is urgently required for full realization of the offshore Gulf EOR potential.
- Research Organization:
- Lewin and Associates, Inc., Washington, DC (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC19-79ET14010
- OSTI ID:
- 6562189
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ET/14010-1; ON: DE83006494
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products. Original copy available until stock is exhausted
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ENHANCED RECOVERY
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
GULF OF MEXICO
OIL WELLS
PETROLEUM
CARBON DIOXIDE INJECTION
DATA COMPILATION
ENGINEERING
MICROEMULSION FLOODING
OFFSHORE PLATFORMS
OFFSHORE SITES
ATLANTIC OCEAN
CARIBBEAN SEA
DATA
ECONOMICS
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
INFORMATION
MISCIBLE-PHASE DISPLACEMENT
NUMERICAL DATA
RECOVERY
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
WELLS
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production
020700 - Petroleum- Economics
Industrial
& Business Aspects