Electro-Stimulation EOR Technology – New Input for Indonesia

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: