Enhanced oil recovery. Reservoir engineer suggests working with capillary forces
Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) production results have been disappointing not only because of the low domestic prices that used to prevail, but also because technology has not been good enough. An entirely new EOR technology based on working with rather than against the natural capillary forces within a reservoir must be developed. There is a natural tendency of hydrocarbon fluids to flow under the twin forces of gravity and capillary action back into empty or watered-out sections of reservoirs that have already been produced to their economic limits. Mathematical models of how surfactants or solvents could be used to speed up this normal gravity resegregation of fluids in given types of reservoirs are being developed. The theory is that if solvents or surfactants are pumped into wells and allowed to speed up natural processes, gravity and natural capillary action will draw the oil into already depleted reservoirs so it can be pumped out.
- OSTI ID:
- 6339800
- Journal Information:
- Drill Bit; (United States), Vol. 30:4
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
CAPILLARY FLOW
USES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
OPTIMIZATION
GRAVITATION
ABANDONED WELLS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FLUID INJECTION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
OIL WELLS
PETROLEUM
RESOURCE DEPLETION
SOLVENTS
SURFACTANTS
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUID FLOW
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
MASS TRANSFER
RECOVERY
WELLS
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production