Enhanced Oil Recovery Processes and Field Development

EOR Methods

SRC is developing, adapting, and applying oil recovery processes to suit a range of reservoir conditions, oil types, and operating constraints.
These methods include:

• miscible or near-miscible CO2 injection for light oil
• CO2/flue gas huff and puff for heavy oilalkaline-surfactant-polymer (ASP) flooding and other waterflood enhancements
• Vapex incorporating solvent gases and horizontal wells
• post cold-flow reservoir recovery techniques
• thermal processes
• near-wellbore conformance applications

Our R&D aims at minimizing clients' input costs, increasing reserves and recovery factors, and extending pool production life. Laboratory studies such as phase behaviour analysis, minimum miscibility pressure determination, corefloods, and scaled physical modeling are complemented by numerical simulation.

EOR Field Development

SRC works with oil producers to accelerate the application of technology to the field, thereby increasing economic activity. Our applied research bridges the gap between more basic research-like PVT or core displacement-and field applications. We monitor field applications and close the technology loop by extracting field operating information and feeding it back to the research groups, to further enhance the technology and ready it for field testing and commercial application.

We use, develop, test and refine numerical simulation techniques to advance the technology. Sophisticated scaled physical modeling of complex recovery/displacement mechanisms allows us to garner further insight, reduce risk, and enhance the success of field applications.

Greenhouse Gas Sequestration

SRC has expertise in determining the conditions and potential for greenhouse gas sequestration. Having provided key data for the development of the CO2 flood project in Weyburn reservoir, in southeast Saskatchewan, we are now involved in the IEA-sponsored Weyburn CO2 Storage and Monitoring Project.

Projects Currently Available for Industry Participation (single-client projects not listed):

• Evaluation of Solvent Vapour Extraction (SVX) Processes Using a 3D Physical Model - Year 3
• Scaled Physical Model of Post-Cold Production
• Multi-Well Cold Flow Numerical Model
• Gas Relative Permeability Measurements for Solution-Gas Drive
• Equation-of-State Characterization of Heavy Oils - Year 1
• Post Cold Production EOR -  Air-Injection Pilot Preparations
• Coupling Gas and Polymer Injection to Improve Heavy Oil Recovery
• Optimal Solvent Properties in Immiscible Gas Flooding for Improved Heavy Oil Recovery
• Improved Waterflooding of Heavy Oil
• Success of Heavy Oil Waterfloods - Factors and Predictions
• Waterflood Additives for Improved Heavy Oil Recovery
  
   

Key Contacts:

Miscible/Immiscible Gas Flooding, Greenhouse Gas Sequestration: Sam Huang, huang@src.sk.ca, 306-787-9334

Enhanced Waterflooding: Doug Soveran, soveran@src.sk.ca, 306-789-9331

EOR Field Development, Vapex Processes, Horizontal Well Applications: Brian Kristoff, kristoff@src.sk.ca, 306-787-9353