Chemical Flooding: From Lab Design to Pilot Testing and Field Application

  Chemical flooding technology has the potential to significantly increase oil production in many of the mature oilfields in the US, most of which are operated by small producers and independent oil companies.

  Kansas oil reservoirs/leases can be investigated through geological and engineering analysis to assess the potential performance of chemical flooding to recover oil. Reservoirs/leases that have been efficiently waterflooded have the highest performance potential for chemical flooding. Laboratory work capability to identify efficient chemical systems and to test the oil recovery performance of the systems exists in TORP labs.

  TORP has the capability of conducting inter-well tracer studies followed by chemical floods using a movable chemical flooding skid as a pilot or small-scale field application.

  A small chemical flood was designed and implemented in the Trembley Oilfield, located in Reno  County, Kansas. The unit prepared stock polymer solutions from dry polymer, mixed the remaining streams and injected the chemical slugs. The field injection unit worked well and was operated by an oilfield pumper working about an hour a day. The flood design consisted of injecting a low salinity preflush, a 36,000 bbl slug of the surfactant-polymer formulation followed by a polymer solution drive. This project was sponsored by The University of Kansas, Berexco LLC, Huntsman Petrochemical LLC, SNF Holding Company and the US Department of Energy.

  The chemical flooding skid is available for renting and collaborative projects. TORP staff and affiliates have the right set of technical skills to support our potential partners when it comes to chemical flooding.