Field Development

Enhanced Oil Recovery

Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) is a steadily growing activity at Beicip-Franlab, as part of the Reservoir integrated studies, field development plans and reservoir software (PumaFlow(R)). Beicip-Franlab is directly involved into the various aspects, from EOR screening and prefeasibility to pilot monitoring.
EOR Challenges

Most of the oil and gas fields have remaining reserves that can only be extracted by putting energy into the reservoir, as well as by changing some of the rock and fluid dynamic properties. In the context of lower oil prices, the production cost of the additional barrels must be controlled through careful EOR methods implementation design, and meet strict economic criteria on the cost of the additional barrel produced through EOR.

Planning EOR – from prefeasibility to pilot implementation

An EOR project has to follow the necessary steps to be validated through a successful pilot. Only then can additional reserves be booked.
The usual steps can be summarized as follow:

  • Prefeasibility through screening, analogue search and reservoir simulations

  • Specific laboratory feasibilities (vapor injection tests, PVT, chemical formulation and core floods)

  • Reservoir Engineering feasibility through detailed simulation of the EOR process accounting for lab results, economy and conceptual facility design

  • Pilot design, implementation and monitoring, including FEED and performance criteria for success

  • Full field extension

Beicip-Franlab services in EOR: The EOR Alliance

Beicip-Franlab can assist operators throughout all the steps of an EOR project. Beicip-Franlab is a member of the EOR Alliance, with IFPEN and Solvay, which aims at covering the full range of services from Pre-feasibility to pilot design and implementation.

  • Prefeasibility: advanced analytical and numerical simulation

  • Laboratory feasibility: Supervision and integration of laboratory work (Beicip Franlab has partnership agreements with IFPEN laboratories and Solvay (PV, Chemical EOR)

  • Reservoir Engineering: Laboratory result interpretation, sector and full field characterization and simulation, economy

  • Pilot design and implementation: Conceptual design (reservoir simulation type) of injection sequences, and surface facilities, follow up of pilot execution

  • Full field extension: Reservoir integrated study including full field development plan of the EOR process

Beicip-Franlab has been directly involved in more than 30 EOR projects (thermal, chemical, miscible gas), as well as more than 200 improved oil recovery projects through reservoir studies, lab supervision and field development plans.

Software
PumaFlow