Success leads to fireflood expansion

Journal Article · Sat Apr 19 04:00:00 EDT 1975 · Oil Gas J.; (United States)

OSTI ID:7057781

Mobil Oil Co. this month is nearly tripling the capacity of its air-injection plant on its Moco lease in California's old Midway-sunset Field and will increase the number of injection wells from 4 to 10. This means a big step-up in the burning rate--and oil production--in some dozen sands of 3 different producing formations at depths ranging from 750 to as deep as 2,700 ft. The decision to expand the operation confirms that the Moco fireflood is a profitable operation. It is expected to stay profitable for another 20 yr and perhaps longer. The company is not saying how much it is producing or at what cost, but it does say that Moco wells that produced 10 to 20 bpd before the in-situ project was begun in 1960 are now producing 200 to 250 bpd. Some of the wells are flowing now, too, because of the lift that has been given by combustion gases ahead of the vast fire front. Mobil is using stainless steel in the Moco wells to offset corrosion caused by high temperatures, but the steel does not solve all of the problems. One of them is the embrittlement of the steel and other, damaging effects of 700 to 800$ temperature. Another problem is the formation of hard-to-break water-oil emulsions.

• OSTI ID: 7057781
• Journal Information: Oil Gas J.; (United States), Journal Name: Oil Gas J.; (United States) Vol. 63:16; ISSN OIGJA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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ALLOYS
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COLLOIDS
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