Enhanced oil recovery: Definitions, fundamentals, applications, and research frontiers

Abstract This paper describes the highlights of current oil-recovery technology, including primary, secondary, tertiary, and enhanced recovery processes. Fundamental displacement phenomena are discussed: (1) from a macro-view, such as injection- and production-well patterns, impermeable barriers, and geologic faults; and (2) from a micro-view, which considers oil displacement on a pore-by-pore basis in a three-dimensional interconnected network of flow channels. Applications used to illustrate displacement fundamentals included the major features of water, polymer, and micellar flooding; and steam and CO 2 injection. Also discussed are two principal frontiers of enhanced oil recovery research: definition of the reservoir, and independent measurement of the amount of oil in place.