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Title: Surfactant EOR project evaluated

Journal Article · · Oil Gas J.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6486554

The Union Oil Co.'s Uniflood process has successfully mobilized and produced tertiary oil from a micellar-polymer pilot project on the Hegberg lease in the El Dorado field, Kansas. This half-completed EOR flood has recovered over 11% of the waterflood residual oil and is currently producing at an oil cut of 10%. Oil recovery has been limited by (1) the presence of gypsum in portions of the reservoir which adversly affects injected chemicals, (2) poor quality reservoir rock in one quadrant of the pilot, and (3) a substantial fluid drift (30 ft/year) which causes a portion of the injected chemicals to flow out of the pilot pattern. The El Dorado demonstration project is a joint experiment covered by a cost-sharing contract between the U.S. Department of Energy and Cities Service Company. It was proposed as a micellar-polymer process in a highly saline (10 wt % salts) reservoir that had been waterflooded to residual oil. Despite the extended project life, and indications that total recovery efficiency will be less than originally predicted, oil response in the Hegberg pattern is encouraging for application of the micellar-polymer process in high brine reservoirs.

Research Organization:
Union Oil Co. of California, Brea, CA
OSTI ID:
6486554
Journal Information:
Oil Gas J.; (United States), Vol. 82:29
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English