Assessment of the Need to Stimulate the Development of Hard-to-Recover Reserves in Carbonate Reservoirs

Abstract

The subject of research is the process of oil recovery from the Kashira and Podolsky formations of the Volga-Ural Basin. The sites have some specific features including low degree of recovery, difficulties in applying secondary and tertiary methods to increase oil recovery factor and high production costs. Significant resources of these hard-to-recover oil reserves can be considered as a large pool for hydrocarbon extraction. It is important to assess the need to stimulate the development of these fields. The key issue to address herein is the estimation of recoverable oil reserves and the timing of development in primary production. Summing up the experience concerned with the development of separate oil deposits being in operation for a long time, a rapid assessment method for these indicators at the geologic exploration stage is proposed. Further technical and economic calculations make it possible to assess the necessity to stimulate the development of sites similar to those studied against their geological properties. It is proposed to solve these problems in context based on different groups of homogeneous sites not only in the Volga-Ural province but in neighboring oil and gas regions as well.