Oil and Natural Gas
Enhanced Oil Recovery
As much as two thirds of the conventional crude oil originally discovered in U.S. fields remains unproduced; left behind due to the physics of fluid flow. In addition, hydrocarbons located in unconventional rocks or that have unconventional characteristics (e.g., oil in fractured shales, kerogen in oil shale, bitumen in tar sands) constitute an enormous potential domestic supply of energy. The application of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technologies to overcome the physical forces holding these hydrocarbons underground can turn these well known accumulations into oil reserves, enhancing U.S. energy security while helping to support economic growth. Carbon dioxide injection, already the most common EOR method, holds even greater promise if it can be applied to mature oil fields across the country. The three research focus areas of Enhanced Oil Recovery are carbon dioxide EOR (CO2 EOR), environmental, and other EOR and oil resources.
CO2 EOR
Primary and secondary (waterflood) production of conventional light crude oil will recover only about one third of the oil in place, leaving roughly 400 billion bbl of oil in known U.S. reservoirs. This is the target for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The most common agent being used to recover this oil is CO2, and there are more than 100 CO2 EOR projects in the U.S., most are in the Permian Basin of western Texas. NETL is funding research into “next generation” CO2 EOR technologies that can increase recovery from existing CO2 EOR projects and accelerate the application of the process to other mature oil fields around the country. Ideally, these new project will not only add to the nation’s oil supply but also serve as storage locations for captured CO2 from power plants and industrial processes, reducing CO2 emissions.
Environmental
Ensuring that oil production in mature domestic fields does not harm native ecosystems is a top priority. NETL is carrying out research to develop technologies that can reduce the environmental risks of onshore oil production and to remediate areas that have been effected from historical production activities.
Other EOR and Oil Resources
Chemical flooding is a more effective option for EOR in some reservoirs. NETL is researching ways to improve the performance and lower the cost of chemical floods, as well as ways to accelerate their application by independent producers, which are the most likely operators of mature U.S. oil fields. NETL is also funding research targeting hydrocarbons locked in unconventional reservoir rocks like the Bakken shale, or that have characteristics that make their production difficult (e.g., heavy oil in Arctic reservoirs, bitumen in tar sands).
|
ABOUT NETL
Deepwater Technology