Low Salinity Enhanced Oil Recovery - Laboratory to Day One Field Implementation - LoSal EOR into the Clair Ridge Project

Abstract

Abstract Clair Ridge will include the first offshore deployment of BP's reduced salinity LoSal® enhanced oil recovery (EOR) water injection technology. Over the last ten-years, there has been significant growth in the evidence supporting the use of low salinity water injection as a viable EOR process. BP, by using its LoSal EOR technology, has shown that incremental increases in oil recovery can be achieved across length scales associated with core flood experiments (inches), field-based single well chemical tracer tests (feet) and field trials (inter-well distances). This paper discusses the process undertaken by the Clair Ridge project in getting LoSal EOR adopted as a day one, secondary waterflood. Confirmation and quantification of the LoSal EOR potential at Clair Ridge began in 2006 with completion of a series of core floods using three reservoir rock types. However, it was recognised that as a green field development single well chemical tracer tests or field trials were not possible ahead of sanction. Therefore, confidence in the materiality of recoverable oil by using LoSal EOR was built through integration of core flood data into reservoir simulation studies focused on a thorough investigation of the subsurface, produced water disposal and reverse osmosis operability uncertainties. In parallel, scoping facilities studies were completed to provide cost, weight and footprint estimates for inclusion of a 145 mbd RO plant on the platform. Finally, and critical to the success of this project was early and open partner engagement in LoSal EOR evaluation.