Prospects for enhanced oil recovery in the United States
It appears that only one third of the crude oil discovered in the United States will be recovered by primary and secondary recovery methods. The application of tertiary recovery methods is not proceeding at a rate sufficient to prevent the abandonment of about 250 billion barrels at a rate of about 10 billion barrels per year, which has begun and will continue unless significant steps are taken, either to make tertiary recovery more immediately attractive or to ''moth-ball'' the oil fields and their leases and operating unit agreements until economic conditions are made more favorable. The current status and prospects of each major process are examined. The reasons why thermal recovery is the principal process at present, but is unable to expand much, why CO/sub 2/ flooding is about to begin on a large scale but not in many places where it would be applicable, and why chemical flooding has lost promise even though it is needed for most of the fields nearing abandonment, are discussed. It appears likely that no more than 15 billion barrels will be recovered by EOR processes by 2000 A.D.
- Research Organization:
- University of Houston, Houston, TX
- OSTI ID:
- 5570680
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-820814-
- Journal Information:
- Proc., Intersoc. Energy Convers. Eng. Conf.; (United States), Vol. 2; Conference: 17. Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering conference, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 8 Aug 1982
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUID INJECTION
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
PETROLEUM
USA
ENERGY SOURCE DEVELOPMENT
WELL STIMULATION
CARBON DIOXIDE INJECTION
ECONOMICS
LAND LEASING
OIL FIELDS
OIL WELLS
THERMAL RECOVERY
WATERFLOODING
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
LEASING
MINERAL RESOURCES
MISCIBLE-PHASE DISPLACEMENT
NORTH AMERICA
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RECOVERY
RESOURCES
STIMULATION
WELLS
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production