The prospect of CO2 flooding and its potential application to Indonesian mature fields

Abstract

CO2 flooding is one of the enhanced oil recovery methods (EOR) that has shown great potential for oil recovery enhancement. It is a proven method in worldwide CO2 EOR projects with significant enhancement in additional oil recovery. However, due to the content of medium-to-light oils, many mature oilfields in Indonesia propound the potential for incremental oil production through EOR techniques, including CO2 flooding, which has not been implemented. In addition, a significant amount of Indonesian potential reserves creates an opportunity to apply CO2 flooding to increase the national oil production. This research aims to analyze and assess the prospect of CO2 flooding and its potential application to Indonesian mature oilfields. In this work, we review the possibility and challenges of CO2 flooding to be implemented in Indonesian mature fields by collecting and analyzing data from publications including field reports and case studies, government reports, and journals. The result showed that the experimental research of CO2 flooding in other countries proved that the EOR technique is promising and needs to be applied. Furthermore, the EOR application through CO2 flooding depends on the availability of CO2 sources and the coordination of the whole process, starting from the development to separation. In Indonesia, CO2 sources are found in North Sumatra 10 TCF (83% CO2), South Sumatra Basin, East Java (2.53 TCF IGIP with 85-165 MMCFD CO2), and Natuna Basins (160 TCF Overpressure CO2 with 60-80% CO2). Many CO2 EOR candidates are fields located near the CO2 source such as Central Sumatra fields, South Sumatra fields, and the West Java Basin. Therefore, based on its availability, oil categories, and potential reserves, many Indonesian mature and declining oil fields become the promising target for CO2 EOR application.