CO2 Injection into Depleted Gas Reservoirs

Lessons Learned While Conducting Drilling and CO2 Injection Operations at the Victor J. Daniel Power Plant in Mississippi

Selected Papers:

Sweat,am, R.E., Parker. M.E. and Crookshank, S.L., "Industry Experience With CO₂-Enhanced Oil Recovery Technology", SPE 12644, presented at the 2000 SPE International Conference on CO₂ Capture, Storage, and Utilization, November 2 - 4, 2009, San Diego, CA

Gutierrez, D, Miller, R.J., Taylor, A.R. and Thies, B.P., “Buffalo Field High –Pressure Air Injection Projects:  Technical Performance and Operational Challenges”, SPE 113254, SPE IOR Symposium, Tulsa, Oklahoma, April, 2008.

 The Buffalo Field air-injection units, in Williston basin of South Dakota are the oldest and one of the few successful application of air injection enhance oil recovery.  Air injection was first applied in the field in 1979 and continues today.  Approximately 240 BCF of air has been injected in three separate units, producing 17.2 million barrels of incremental oil production (9.4% of original oil in place (OOIP)).

Holtz, M., “Summary of Gulf Coast Sandstone CO₂ EOR Flooding Application and Response”, SPE 113368, SPE IOR Symposium, Tulsa, Oklahoma, April, 2008. 

 A compilation has been made of all CO₂ projects in the sandstones of the Gulf Coast including Water Alternating Gas (WAG), continuous, and huff and puff applications, both pilot and full field.  Based on that analysis the expected recovery efficiency for all flood types are from 17% to 23% OOIP.  When extrapolated to all permeable oil reservoirs in the Gulf Coast, it is estimated that there is a potential for 4.7 billion barrels of enhanced oil recovery.

 Larkin, R. and Creel, P., “Methodologies and Solutions to Remediate Inter-Well Communication Problems on the SACROC CO₂ Project – A Case Study”, SPE 113305, SPE IOR Symposium, Tulsa, Oklahoma, April, 2008.

 Early breakthrough and excessive injected gas cycling between wells were identified through extensive well testing and tracer analysis in the SACROC Unit of the Permian basin.  Several methodologies were utilized to block off the high permeability paths between wells, both near wellbore and in the reservoir between the wells.

Presentations:

Wehner, S., “A CO₂ EOR Update from No Man’s Land – Challenges and Successes”, presented at the December, 2009 CO₂ Conference, Midland Texas.

An update on the Postle CO₂ flood in Texas County, Oklahoma.  Whiting Petroleum recently acquired this CO₂ flood field and is reworking and upgrading the wells and processing plant.  The original oil in place was 300 million barrels.  115 million barrels have been produced to date.  CO₂ injection in 1995 and is expected to recover 10.1% of the OOIP.

Eves, K.E. and Nevarez, J.J., “Update of Lost Soldier/Wertz Floods – Living in a Constrained CO2 Environment”, presented at the December, 2009 CO₂ Conference, Midland Texas.

A history and update on the Wertz Tensleep and Lost Soldier Cambrian CO₂ floods in Sweetwater and Carbon Counties, Wyoming.  These fields were discovered in the late 1940s, waterflooded in 1970s. and began CO₂ flooding in the mid-1980s.  Merit acquired them in 1999 and have substantially upgraded and improved operations.  They are taking 14,000 MCF of CO₂ off the pipeline daily and producing 6,200 barrels of oil per day.

Kelly, T. and Smith, D., “Katz (Strawn) Field CO2 Project”, presented at the December, 2009 CO₂ Conference, Midland Texas.

A history of the Katz field (previously three units, combined into one) and the evaluation and analysis of the field as a candidate for CO2 flooding by the new operator, Kinder Morgan, King, Knox, Stonewall, and Haskell counties, Texas. This Strawn field was discovered in the 1950s and a waterflood was initiated in the 1980s.  A thorough analysis indicates it is prospective for CO2 enhanced oil recovery.  Injection is anticipated to begin when the pipeline is completed and overall is calculated to produce an incremental 23 million barrels of oil.

Abstracts from: SPE OnePetro, AAPG Datapages & DOE KMD

1. Topic: EOR – Miscible Flooding

Title: Feasibility Investigation of CO2 Miscible Flooding in South Slattery Minnelusa Reservoir, Wyoming

Source: OnePetro - SPE Western Regional Meeting, 27-29 May 2010, Anaheim, California, USA

Summary: A study using experiment and full-field reservoir modeling investigated and optimized the design of a CO2 miscible flooding project for the Minnelusa reservoir of the South Slattery field.

URL: http://www.onepetro.org/mslib/app/Preview.do?paperNumber=SPE-133598-MS&societyCode=SPE

Title: Recent Progress and Evaluation of ASP Flooding for EOR in Daqing Oil Field

Source: OnePetro - SPE EOR Conference at Oil & Gas West Asia, 11-13 April 2010, Muscat, Oman

Summary: From four ASP pilot tests, the following conclusions can be made: ASP flooding pilot can form oil banks, greatly lower water cut, increase the oil production as well as the oil recovery.

URL: http://www.onepetro.org/mslib/app/Preview.do?paperNumber=SPE-127714-MS&societyCode=SPE

Title: Alabama Injection Project Aimed at Enhanced Oil Recovery, Testing Important Geologic CO2 Storage; DOE-Sponsored Citronelle Project Appears Ideal Location for Concurrent CO2 Sequestration and EOR Operations

Source: DOE – March 1, 2010

Summary: Carbon dioxide (CO2) injection — an important part of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology — is underway as part of a pilot study of CO2 enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in the Citronelle Field of Mobile County, Alabama.

URL: http://www.fe.doe.gov/news/techlines/2010/10004-CO2_Injection_Begins_in_Alabama_Oi.html

Title: Geophysical Reservoir Monitoring Technologies: Screening to Field Implementation for a Carbonate Field Undergoing Steam Injection

Source: AAPG Datapages - AAPG GEO Middle East Conference & Exhibition, Manama, Bahrain, 7-10 March 2010

Summary: We demonstrate how successful technologies were selected and how we hope they can aid in increasing the field’s oil recovery and create additional value.

URL:http://www.searchanddiscovery.net/abstracts/html/2010/geo_bahrain/abstracts/Al_Kindy.html?q=%2Btext%3Aeor