Works Hope or Show

STEAMFLOODING THE FUTURESTEAMFLOODING THE FUTURENovember 2010November 2010

STEAMFLOODING THE FUTUREby

Randall J. Davis

STEAMFLOODING THE FUTURE

GLOBAL OIL DEMAND

• Oil and gas market ripe for breakthrough enhanced oil recovery solution: – World oil consumption rate at 85 million

barrels per day– 1/3 production increase over next 15 years

to meet projected demands– Market stability requires $85B annual

investment to 2025– Oil produced faster, less expensive and with

less disturbance to environment from existing wells

– EOR can prolong life of oil fields up to 30 years when employed on “proven” reserves

Fig. 1. Global oil demand has grown from 70 million bpd to over 82 million bpd in the last ten years.


ACTUAL FACTS

• Nearly two-thirds of the world’s energy comes from oil and natural gas.

• Oil and natural gas account for “virtually all transportation fuel in the United States”, and civilized world.

• The world has taken the availability of oil and

natural gas for granted, and expects them to be affordable.


EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION

• Despite the enormous profits being realized by the “major oil companies”, and an estimated $150 billion spent on oil exploration and development in 2009, most of the money went to:

Production from known reserves rather that seeking new ones!


FUTURE DEMANDS

The dilemma: How to produce enough

oil to meet growing demands?


FACTS

• Oil can be produced faster, less expensive, with less disturbance to the environment from existing wells.

• The aging fields and prospects for new

sources of reserves, provides an opportunity for oil recovery through a method know as “Enhanced Oil Recovery”.


FACTS

When we take in consideration:- Cost of implementation- Speed to recover oil from the ground- Permitting issues- Environmental risks- Exploration risks


The solution: Enhanced Oil Recovery is the

means to meet demand!


ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY (EOR)

• By definition, enhanced oil recovery is “The third stage of hydrocarbon production during which techniques that alter the original properties of the oil are used”.

• In the case of Steam Flood, its purpose is

to restore formation pressure and to improve oil displacement or fluid flow in the reservoir.


EOR TECHNIQUES

• Primary recovery produces oil and gas using the natural pressure of the reservoir


EOR TECHNIQUES

• Secondary recovery uses water flooding and gas re-injection


EOR TECHNIQUES

• Tertiary recovery injects steam or other gases and liquids to stimulate oil flow


UNDERSTANDING EOR

20-25% PRODUCTION

RATES

15-20% PRODUCTION

RATES

15-20% PRODUCTION

RATES


UNDERSTANDING EOR

• The thermal processes (steam injection) have the greatest certainty of success and potential applications in about 70% of enhanced oil recovery worldwide.

• Thermal methods also provide the highest

recoveries at the lowest costs


UNDERSTANDING EOR

• The best application for Steamflooding is:– a well that is less than 5,000 ft deep, – heavy oil with a viscosity less than 10,000

centipoises, – and a soil permeability greater than 200 md.


UNDERSTANDING EOR

• Enhanced Oil recovery techniques can prolong the life of an oil field by as much as 25 to 30 years.


EOR PROGRAMS

A BOOM OF ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY PROGRAMS

– Proven reserves – Hard to get oil – High demand– Tight supplies – Cost of finding new oil – Political problems – Environmental concerns


EOR PROGRAMS

• Steamflooding is a proven enhanced oil recovery method, used by many of the major oil companies.

• For example, Occidental Chemical

Company maintains a very successful EOR program, producing approximately 350,000 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) per day from EOR operations.


GREATEST STEAMFLOOD OPERATIONS

• Canada’s Tar Sands project in Alberta uses Steamflood systems for heavy oil production.

• Oman is expanding its massive Steamflood operation.

• Russia’s reserves in Siberia require Steamflood systems for increased production.


GREATEST STEAMFLOOD OPERATIONS

• California represents the greatest operations with almost 20,000 wells producing heavy oils.

• Venezuela’s Lake Maracaibo employs Steamflood systems on all of their wells.

• Indonesia’s Duri field has a large Steamflood operation.

STEAMFLOODING THE FUTUREPDVSA STEAM BARGE GENERATOR


CURRENT PRODUCTION COST

STEAMFLOODING The Cost Effective Solution!

COST OF OIL PRODUCTION WITH STEAMFLOODING TECHNOLOGY

Assumptions• Recovery Rate: Increase of 50%• Steam to Oil Ratio: 1.55 to 1


CONCLUSION

• With over 50% of oil still in place. • The proven track record of thermal

enhanced oil to produce 15% to 20% of the original oil in place.


CONCLUSION

• Enhanced Oil Recovery programs will help solve the complex energy problems of today.

• Steam injection comprising approximately 70% of all tertiary recovery operations.


CONCLUSION

• The applications for this method will flourish.


For more information visit us at:

In the USA http://premierenergy.com

In Argentina http://amazonas-electrica.com

Thank You All!

Documents

Works Hope or Show