Coalinga Polymer Demonstration Project. Second annual report, July 1976--July 1977

Technical Report · Fri Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1977

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6984056· OSTI ID:6984056

Bates, T.; Bowman, R. W.; Fromm, R. E.; Montague, D. R.; Swarbrick, J. C.; Tinker, G. E.; Tixier, C. E.; Zemel, B.

The Coalinga Polymer Demonstration Project is a jointly funded venture between the Shell Oil Company and the United States Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) that was initiated to test polymer flooding as an enhanced oil recovery method in the East Coalinga field of California. The 132-acre project area consists of four 22-acre inverted five-spot injection patterns plus a 44-acre up-dip area (with no injection wells) that will be monitored as part of the evaluation procedure. The Temblor Zone II reservoir being flooded consists of about 125 feet of net pay divided among ten sands with a 350-foot gross interval. In addition to the production and injection wells making up the five-spots, there are four observation wells located within the injection patterns to sample liquids from individual sands and one logging observation well used to determine changes in liquid saturation. Additional oil recovery from the demonstration project is expected to amount to 2,600,000 barrels which includes 600,000 barrels from polymer injection. A water injection phase has been under way for about one year. The lack of a clearcut waterflood response has prolonged this phase. A series of polymer and water injection tests was carried out in a polymer test well outside the injection patterns. The results of the tests were inconclusive and future polymer injection tests are probable. The polymer injection phase is expected to start in January 1978 and continue for approximately 1.5 years, or until it is possible to evaluate the polymer flood performance. After a production monitoring phase of one year, during which a reliable comparison of the performance of polymer flooding and waterflooding will be determined, a proposal would be considered for a full-scale expansion of the optimum supplemental recovery process.

• Research Organization: Shell Oil Co., Ventura, CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6984056
• Report Number(s): SAN-1556-2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
CALIFORNIA
DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
INJECTION WELLS
MICROEMULSION FLOODING
MISCIBLE-PHASE DISPLACEMENT
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
OIL FIELDS
OIL WELLS
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RESOURCES
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
WATERFLOODING
WELLS
WESTERN REGION