THE USE OF CO2 AND COMBUSTION GASES FOR ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY IN RUSSIA

Abstract

The use of carbon dioxide and combustion gases in EOR technologies is of interest from the point of view of CO2 geological sequestration. During the period of 1980-1990 large-scale pilot tests were carried out in Russia to utilize carbon dioxide and combustion gases, formed at different petrochemical production plants, to enhance oil recovery in different hydrocarbon fields. The analysis of field data indicates that the greater part of CO, injected into oil reservoirs was recovered from production wells during the 1-1.5 years of the experiment. The total amount of CO2 which was irreversibly stored in the reservoir was not measured. To reveal mechanisms of CO2 geological sequestration it is recommended to study in detail carbon dioxide interactions with oil, formation water and with the reservoir rocks under the conditions of miscible and immiscible oil displacement with carbon dioxide.