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EOR Projects in 5 Oilfields

EOR Projects in 5 Oilfields
EOR Projects in 5 Oilfields

The National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC) has launched enhanced oil recovery (EOR) projects at five of its oilfields to enhance the oil recovery rate, research and technology director at the NISOC said.

Annual budget allocation for implementation of the projects is $3 million (100 billion rials), with $600,000 apportioned to each oilfield per year, Baqer Qasempour was quoted by ISNA as saying Sunday.

NISOC has signed 10-year contracts with well-established universities and research institutes to this end.

EOR projects of Gachsaran field, Koupal field, Mansouri field, Karanj field, and Ahvaz field are to be carried out, respectively, with collaboration of the Petroleum University of Technology, Sharif University of Technology, Shiraz University, Islamic Azad University and the Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI).

The global average recovery factor for a typical oilfield is approximately 40 percent. This results in a large amount of identified oil left behind despite an existing production infrastructure.

The need to improve the recovery factor and the accelerating of the associated production is the main driver behind the many EOR schemes in practice around the world.

EOR is the application of various techniques for increasing the amount of crude that can be extracted from an oilfield. It can increase production from a well up to 75 percent. There currently are several different methods of enhanced oil recovery including steam flood and water flood injection and hydraulic fracturing as well as CO2 injection.

One of the oil ministry's priorities in the current year is to conduct EOR schemes on nine oilfields, of which six belongs to the NISOC. The NISOC is a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company and operates under the direction of the oil ministry. It was established in Masjed Soleyman, 1971.

Several foreign firms have recently expressed willingness to participate in Iran's EOR projects, deputy technology and foreign affairs director at the RIPI said in April. "All aspects of the projects are technological," Amir-Abbas Hosseini said, adding: "The RIPR has the knowledge to run a part of the projects without assistance; however, it would require foreign assistance on other parts," the official said without elaboration.

Financialtribune.com