EOR

Conformance Control

A significant problem in most mature fields post waterflood operations is the high water cut that often exceeds 95%. In addition they leave a high percentage of the Original Oil in Place (OOIP), even after decades of water injection. Due to the heterogeneous nature of most formations, waterflood operations quite often have poor sweep efficiency. Much of the injected water enters and travels through limited portions of the reservoir which have the highest permeability in the formation matrix and in any fractures. These high conductivity portions of the reservoir are called “thief zones” and will channel a significant portion of injection water, thus leading to wasted effort. As a result, the waterflood largely will bypass those sections or layers of the reservoir having higher oil saturations holding the greater amounts of recoverable oil.

ChemEOR has developed a series of Cerogel Preformed Particle Gel (PPG) products to block these high flow channels and improve the conformance control. ChemEOR is also developing a unique Cerogel Controlled Particle Gel (CPG) polymer chemistry to facilitate auto-gelation for in-depth fluid diversion. Successful treatments will show significant changes in the injection water profile, with more of the injection water being diverted towards the portions of the well previously taking little or no water. Nearby producers in communication with the treated injection well will exhibit a decrease in water and an increase in oil production within several weeks.

Product Line

NEAR WELL-BORE PROFILE
Preformed Particle Gel (PPG) powdered particle materials developed as a treatment options for water injection wells to improve conformance control.

IN-DEPTH FLUID DIVERSION
Specialty fluid system that can penetrate more deeply into the high permeability channels and fractures in the reservoir, diverting injection fluid into oil-rich zones previously not swept.

Matured Field

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that in the U.S. alone there is an estimated 377 billion bbl of oil remaining suitable for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). This rich target represents approximately two-thirds of the original oil in place (OOIP). ChemEOR not only can provide surfactants and polymers for chemical EOR applied to conventional light oil targets; we also provide chemical EOR solutions for a variety of reservoir types and special conditions. These include chemical EOR methods for high temperature and high salinity (HT/HS) formations, fractured carbonate and heavy oil reservoirs, and products to improve the sweep efficiency of carbon dioxide (CO2) floods.

Mature oilfields have undergone extensive drilling and production, and in many instances have undergone years or decades of waterflood operations (secondary recovery). Typically such fields still have a rich oil target of two-thirds of OOIP, but at low oil production rates. We have a series of products to enable the oil producer to implement chemical EOR projects that will be effective in increasing oil production. Instituting such a well-designed successful EOR program also will increase significantly the recoverable reserves and value of that oilfield property. There are literally hundreds of oilfields at a mature waterflood condition that can benefit from chemical EOR.

Product Line

POLYMER FLOOD
High molecular weight water soluble polymers that are designed to provide the required mobility in conventional chemical EOR projects.

SURFACTANT FLOOD
Designed properties for ultra-low IFT (Interfacial Tension), low adsorption on the formation rock, compatibility with other chemical components and stable over a wide range of reservoir temperature and water salinities.

LOW PERMEABILITY FLOOD
LP (Low Permeability Surface Active Polymer) is a unique series of associative copolymer products that utilize advanced chemical methods to create hybrid surfactant and polymer molecules.

Heavy Oil

The Original Oil InPlace (OOIP) of heavy oil in the United States was 105 billion barrels. U.S. heavy oil cumulative production to date totals about 13 billion barrels. This relatively small percentage of recovery is primarily due to heavy oil’s extremely high viscosity at typical reservoir conditions. As higher-gravity crude oils (lighter oil) become increasingly scarce, operators are looking more and more to low-gravity crude oils (heavy oil) to prop up the declining oil output.

ChemEOR offers a series of viscosity thinning agents that assist in the improved recovery and also the transportation of heavy oil. HORA (Heavy Oil Recovery Agent) products are a versatile series of novel water soluble surfactant formulations that can improve the recovery of heavy crude oil. One function of dilute HORA products is the reduction in heavy oil viscosity when contacted with the HORA solution. Another mechanism for a properly designed HORA system will be its ability to penetrate and remove oil coating and heavier oil deposits from rock surfaces – thereby being an EOR solution for improving oil recovery. HORA products may be applied at lower temperatures or in some cases can augment the performance of cyclic steam treatments.

Product Line

HEAVY OIL RECOVERY AGENT
Viscosity reducer for oil mobility improvement.

FLOW ASSURANCE
Specialty chemicals facilitating smooth move of hydrocabons from wells to platforms.