Chemical Flood IOR Potential in Kuwait - 10 Year Window

Abstract

A large scale study of IOR potential within Kuwait was performed. The study screened 10 IOR displacement processes in 81 reservoirs in Kuwait. The study comprised of chemical, thermal, and gas injection processes. This paper will highlight some of the findings regarding the technical issues of chemical IOR processes to pass the screening study. These 4 processes are Polymer Flooding, Alkaline / Polymer (AP) Flooding, Surfactant / Polymer (SP) Flooding, and Alkaline/ Surfactant/ Polymer (ASP) Flooding. A highlight of the full study is shown in Table 1. The most glaring result is the failure of all the chemical floods in the 81 reservoirs studied. Following an analysis of the failure of these processes, recommendations on potential future chemical IOR process applications in Kuwait will be discussed. To illustrate the future of chemical floods in Kuwait an unidentified sample reservoir is water flooded for 5 years and then subjected to a Polymer Flood. An ensemble of runs is performed to determine that there is substantial potential for chemical flooding in the near future. Furthermore, a look into the changing landscape of polymers is briefly discussed with their potential future applications in mind.