The potential of enhanced oil recovery in Malaysia

Abstract

EOR implies oil recovery beyond the conventional recovery stages of primary or secondary recovery which include natural drive, waterflood and gas injection. When the EOR is implemented depend on the characteristics of the oil; for light oils, EOR refer to techniques after primary and secondary recovery which include surfactant flood, polymer flood, miscible drive and even thermal methods and for heavy oils, EOR imply to technique after primary recovery which include steam injection and insitu combustion. So EOR is to recover more oil after conventional recovery stages [1]. This is rather simplistic and does not consider the timing of the EOR project. The objective is correct if the EOR method is initiated after the conventional recovery stages have run their course. If, however, the EOR scheme is initiated concurrent with the conventional recovery stages the total recovery has to be split between EOR and conventional recovery stages and the mode of implementation is the most successful amongst EOR projects to date.