Petroleum Engineering
15C-1
The Lease Pumper’s Handbook
Chapter 15
Enhancing Oil Recovery
Section C
SECONDARY RECOVERY
C-1. Secondary Recovery.
In simple terms, secondary recovery is the addition of basic water flood or gas flood
(i.e., pressure maintenance) as a continuous force. Secondary recovery methods should be introduced very early in the life of a field while the income and profits from the wells are high enough to pay for the additional equipment and installation costs.
As noted in the following sections, there are many problems with water and gas as drive mechanisms. Nevertheless, they both contribute greatly to enhanced recovery.
They can double the amount of oil produced from the reservoir during the life of the wells. Water flood is the term used to describe the increase in oil recovery by injecting water into an oil-producing reservoir. When gas is injected, it is not referred to as gas flood, but instead is referred to as pressure maintenance. The term injection well is a general term that means that either water or gas is injected into a well.
Water disposal is a term used when water does not enter an oil-producing zone.
operation. It provided a way to dispose of undesirable water without the water being used to stabilize firewalls around tank batteries, control vegetation growth, and water lease roads. At the same time, the water raised production of the available oil in the reservoir.
Water flood remains a keystone to many methods of enhanced recovery. It is an excellent second-stage recovery technique and is also a major factor in slugging and blending and extends deeply into many tertiary recovery procedures throughout the producing life of the reservoir.
One problem with water flood is that it is difficult to push water through the formation as a vertical wall—that is, the water will spread out in the formation rather than move through it evenly. Gravity pulls the leading edge of the water down and causes it to move downward as it progresses through the
reservoir.
The Lease Pumper’s Handbook
Chapter 15
Enhancing Oil Recovery
Section C
SECONDARY RECOVERY
C-1. Secondary Recovery.
In simple terms, secondary recovery is the addition of basic water flood or gas flood
(i.e., pressure maintenance) as a continuous force. Secondary recovery methods should be introduced very early in the life of a field while the income and profits from the wells are high enough to pay for the additional equipment and installation costs.
As noted in the following sections, there are many problems with water and gas as drive mechanisms. Nevertheless, they both contribute greatly to enhanced recovery.
They can double the amount of oil produced from the reservoir during the life of the wells. Water flood is the term used to describe the increase in oil recovery by injecting water into an oil-producing reservoir. When gas is injected, it is not referred to as gas flood, but instead is referred to as pressure maintenance. The term injection well is a general term that means that either water or gas is injected into a well.
Water disposal is a term used when water does not enter an oil-producing zone.
operation. It provided a way to dispose of undesirable water without the water being used to stabilize firewalls around tank batteries, control vegetation growth, and water lease roads. At the same time, the water raised production of the available oil in the reservoir.
Water flood remains a keystone to many methods of enhanced recovery. It is an excellent second-stage recovery technique and is also a major factor in slugging and blending and extends deeply into many tertiary recovery procedures throughout the producing life of the reservoir.
One problem with water flood is that it is difficult to push water through the formation as a vertical wall—that is, the water will spread out in the formation rather than move through it evenly. Gravity pulls the leading edge of the water down and causes it to move downward as it progresses through the
reservoir.