Realising EOR's actual potential

• Author: Eduardo Villegas Ortega,Jerome Sevin
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/opec.12059
• Published date: 01 March 2016
• Date: 01 March 2016

Realising EOR’s actual potential

Jerome Sevin* and Eduardo Villegas Ortega**

*Vice President, Schlumberger Business Consulting, 1 Cours du triangle La Defense ile-de-France, France

92936. Email: jsevin@slb.com

**Vice President, Schlumberger Business Consulting Ejercito Nacional 350, PISO 5, Colonia, Mexico City.

Email: EOrtega@slb.com

1. Introduction

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) has been around for a while and has a great potential to

increase recovery at a reasonable cost. Even with the recent oil price drop of 50 per cent,

EOR will play a major role in future hydrocarbonreser veadditions. Indeed, using EOR on

older conventional oil fields can be less expensive than exploiting other types of newer

resources, such as deep water and heavy oil.This is partly because EOR has been consist-

ently supported by various evolving technologies, enabling it to widen its application

range with permanent progress in average recovery rates and cost reduction. EOR, as a

result, is a credible option for any operator who wishes to investin increasing production.

The general expectation is for a considerable increase in the EOR market in the next few

years, although forecasts vary. Some estimates suggest a spectacular growth of the EOR

market in the upcoming years (see Fig. 1).

Certainly, EOR has great potential: technological development is dynamic; prospects

for returns on investment are robust; and EOR generates positive environmentaland eco-

nomic externalities. Looking at these trends, one would think that EOR has a clear way

ahead. Nevertheless significant challenges need to be overcometo realise its full potential.

Given this paradox—of unfulfilled potential—what future does EOR have and what can

we realistically expect from it?

The first part of this paper explores the main challenges that EOR must face in order to

establish its intrinsic potential. The second part describes some solutions that could result

in EOR prospects becoming a mainstay of the E&P industry.

2. EOR current frontiers and challenges

2.1. Technologies

EOR incorporates a wide range of technologies. It consists of three principal branches

(thermal, gas injection and chemical injection), with numerous specific technologies

within each branch. However, at present, EOR production is concentrated in three specific

alternatives: the injection of steam, hydrocarbons and CO2(Fig. 2).

©2016 Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 9600 Garsington

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