Strategy for Optimum Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery Field Operation
Alireza Bigdeli, Mojdeh Delshad
Abstract
The main objective of this review paper is to present practical considerations for field implementation of chemical enhanced oil recovery (CEOR) methods which are complex and require a tailored study for a given reservoir. Researchers have examined several CEOR methods and screening standards. To the best of our knowledge, however, there is no thorough review paper to provide a detailed workflow for transitioning laboratory studies into best practices to field project execution and operations. We analyze and highlight more than thirty publications published between 2018 and 2021 in order to give the readers the latest information about different CEOR methods. We also present a summary of both conventional and cutting-edge CEOR technologies. This provides the readers, researcher, and chemical suppliers with a better understanding of the novel hybrid techniques that are currently being developed. We present several tools for ranking and selecting the CEOR methods, such as techniques for selecting chemicals, screening guidelines, laboratory workflow, injection parameters, chemical formulations, and economic parameters. Our survey's findings indicate that scaling up from laboratory scale to field deployment has many challenges and barriers. These barriers include; project cost, history match and forecast simulations, surveillance, facilities, hybrid method considerations, standardization of performance metrics, the onset of CEOR projects, chemical manufacturing, and the environmental impacts of CEOR operations. Finally, based on these findings, we have proposed a new workflow for practical implementation of CEOR projects. In summary, this paper provides a practical strategy for developing, implementing, and assessing CEOR field operations.