Designing optimal chemical EOR processes
Chemical EOR offers promising perspectives for increasing production and reserves in mature oil fields. Many challenges, however, can lead to technical or economical failures in field applications. The EOR Alliance® recommends a phased approach to de-risking these projects, supported by a portfolio of differentiated chemicals and unique laboratory capabilities. Beyond studies and pilots, large-scale implementation of chemical EOR involves additional industrial hurdles such as the availability of chemicals in required quantities, and in cost-efficient conditions. These large-scale deployments are unique in scale in the surfactant and, to a lesser extent, polymer industries, and will require additional production capacity to be built, with potential for win-win agreements between operators and chemical suppliers.