Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) is one of the major possible sources to
increase production. It was reported recently that Pertamina might achieve an additional 200,000 barrels per day
from its enhanced oil recovery programs in the next two years. In 2013
the company plans to introduce EOR technology in 18 of its oil blocks. However,
this is mostly using injection of chemicals before drilling. twelve oil and gas
fields that will be treated by Daqing Oilfield Ltd and PT Geo Cepu Indonesia
with injection of chemical materials. However, there is one effective process,
that can be introduced to Indonesia.
This is oil wellbores stimulation with Electro-Treatment Technology (ETT) through the controllable high-power impulse current. ETT
provides watercut reduction and EOR; was developed in 90-ies based on a
discovery by a Russian genius – Professor
Viachelslav Selyakov. Professor Selyakov’s team in 1978-84 made a
discovery that under electric current stimulation heterogeneous porous media
changes its properties; later on in 1993-96, this discovery was applied to
practical applications. (The complete scientific basis for application in Oil
& Gas is provided in the book Percolation Models
for Transport in Porous Media With Applications to Reservoir Engineering).
Professor Selyakov patented his inventions in Russia and abroad;
successfully implemented them all over the world.
Method of electrical treatment of an oil or gas bearing
formation to increase production was developed by the Institute of
Electro-Physical Problems, and passed competitive selection later in 1996.
Research was financed by Ministry of Science of Russian Federation from Federal
budget, and was closely collaborated with Gubkin State University of Oil and
Gas. Joint experiments to test mathematical models and to improve the
technology were conducted – that resulted in practical electric treatment of
oil and other type wells both in Russia and in other regions of the CIS
(Commonwealth of Independent States) including Krasnodar, West Siberia,
Byelorussia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tatarstan, Turkmenistan.
The most
extensive, successful and ongoing work has been done by GeoEnergi Group for
E&P subsidiaries of Kazmunigas in Kazakhstan where more than 2,000 wells have
been treated. On international scale, ETT Technology was sort of neglected,
though in recent years a couple of US and Canadian companies start its successful
implementation.
The ETT Unit
generates high-power impulses, which are transferred to the reservoir via cable
or directly through the pair of casing strings. During the field deployment the
ETT changes the injected impulse structure in accordance with the current
reservoir monitored data in order to obtain the prime result. Application
of ETT through the controllable high-power impulse current acts irreversibly on
filtration properties of the oil reservoir and simultaneously reduces the water
channeling. Enhancement of oil production after ETT session occurs almost
immediately alongside with the considerable reduction of water channeling. Special electronic techniques have been
developed for the ETT field industrial deployment, and applied in Russian
petroleum industry.
Operational ETT Unit
is mobile and relatively simple; takes a little time to deploy:
Usual question may be asked – what is the effectiveness?
Here is a real comparison to other EOR techniques:
Overall, here is the summary:
