The terms enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and improved oil

recovery (IOR) have been used loosely and interchangeably

at times. IOR is a general term that implies improving oil
recovery by any means (e.g., operational strategies, such
as infill drilling, horizontal wells, and improving vertical and
areal sweep). EOR is more specific in concept and it can be
considered as a subset of IOR. EOR implies the process of
enhancing oil recovery by reducing oil saturation below the
residual oil saturation “Sor.” The target of EOR varies
considerably by different types of hydrocarbons.
A common procedure for determining the optimum time
to start EOR process after waterflooding depends on:
-Anticipated oil recovery
-Fluid production rates
-Monetary investment
-Costs of water treatment and pumping equipment
-Costs of maintenance and operation of the water
installation facilities
-Costs of drilling new injection wells or converting
existing production wells into injectors.
The IOR techniques comprises of
the, “EOR methods, drilling and well
technologies, reservoir control and
management, various primary and
secondary recovery methods.”
Primary Oil Recovery: Point to be considered
Optimum Production Rate
Maximum Recovery Factor
Pressure decline under control
Gas Injection
Water Injection
Production under stabilized conditions
Monitoring WOR & GOR
Reservoir Management
Primary Recovery ( around 10%)
Natural flow of energy of reservoir
The primary recovery depends on
the conditions encountered in the
fields.
Water Drive (70 to 80%)
Solution gas drive (10 to 30%)
Gas Cap Drive
Gravity Drainage
Fluid and Rock Expansion
Primary Oil Recovery
Optimum Production Rate
Maximum Recovery Factor
Pressure decline under control
Gas Injection
Water Injection
production under stabilized conditions
Monitoring WOR & GOR
Reservoir Management
Secondary Recovery 15 TO 60%
To produce more oil, the pressure in the reservoir
must be maintained by injecting another fluid.
Water injection
Gas injection
Small oil field:
Water into the aquifer
Gas into the gas cap

Large field: Fluid injection must be distributed

through the reservoir
Tertiary Recovery
Producing the oil that remain in the part of the
reservoir already swept by the displacing.
A) Increasing the displacement efficiency
(Part of the reservoir that was already swept in
secondary recovery)
B) Increasing the sweep efficiency
(producing oil that remains in the part of the
reservoir not swept by displacing fluid)
C) Increasing both displacement and sweep
efficiencies
Methods to Improve Recovery
Efficiency
Definition of EOR
EOR will make unmovable Oil moveable (POLLEN).
EOR refers to all recovery methods other than natural
production ( LATIL ).
EOR techniques for improving displacement on sweep
efficiency at the very beginning of the first injection of
a displacing fluid ( BAVIER).
EOR refers to any method used to recover more oil
from a reservoir than would be produced by primary
recovery ( WILLHITE)
Chemical Processes
Polymer
Surfactant
Alkaline
Immiscible
Water Injection
Gas Injection
CO2
N2/Air
Miscible Displacement Processes
First - Contact Miscible
Dynamic Miscible
High - Pressure Gas
(Vaporizing)
Enriched Gas (Condensing)
Mutual Solvent
Micellar
Alcohol
Thermal Methods
Steam Injection
- Continuous
- Huff & Puff
- SAGD

In Situ Combustion
- Forward (Dry – Wet)
- Reverse
- Enriched Air
Non-Thermal Method
Why EOR
 Important factor’s contribution for EOR
The important factors that contribute to the enhanced
recovery of oil are as follows:
- Areal sweep efficiency: This is the percentage of the total
are which is contacted by the injection fluid
before breakthrough in the production well. The sweep
efficiency depends mainly upon two factors,
“Mobility ratio and the flooding patter.”
-Displacement efficiency: This is the percentage of the total
pore volume which is invaded by displacing a
fluid. The displacement efficiency is mainly dependent on
the, “wettability characteristics of the rock to the
injected fluid.”
- Volumetric sweep efficiency: This is the percentage of the
reservoirs total volume of oil which is
contacted by the injection fluid during the recovery of oil.
Overall sweep efficiency: The overall sweep efficiency is
the areal sweep efficiency times the
displacement efficiency in a single porous media.
-Mobility: This is defined as the ratio of the effective
permeability of a phase to the viscosity of that phase;
denoted by;
M= K/μ; mobility is inversely proportional to the viscosity
of the fluid; mobility of gas is high; whereas the
mobility of oil is very less.
- Mobility ratio: Mobility ratio is defined as the mobility
of the displacing fluid to the mobility of the
displaced fluid.
M= Mobility of displacing fluid (M1)/ Mobility of
displaced fluid (M2)
Gas injection into the gas cap