EOR Enhanced Oil Recovery Worldwide

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR), also referred to as improved oil recovery or tertiary oil recovery, is most often achieved by injecting a liquid or gas into an oil reservoir, thereby lowering oil viscosity and increasing the amount of oil available for production. Some of the more common EOR methods include CO2-EOR, thermal EOR and chemical EOR. Microbial EOR and seismic EOR also hold a strong niche in the EOR market. While only about 10% - 30% of oil is typically extracted by conventional oil production processes, EOR methods can enhance these recovery rates by an additional 5% to 20%, on a conservative average. 

The global market for EOR, estimated at nearly $62.5 billion (for barrels of crude oil) for 2009, has shown exciting growth since 2005, when it totaled $3.1 billion. Technological challenges, hazy regulations, and costly implementation have often kept oil companies from using EOR. However, EOR is quickly becoming more feasible, due to rising government interest and investment, new technologies, and increased availability of required materials (such as CO2). It is expected EOR will continue to perform extremely well in the world marketplace. 

The world's governments' interest in EOR has been fueled by a number of factors, the most obvious being an increase in oil production. Besides increasing oil revenue, countries that are able to increase their oil production are often lowering their increase in demand for oil imports. There is also much anticipation regarding the use of CO2-EOR to sequester CO2 permanently in the ground. It is estimated 130 billion tons of CO2 worldwide could potentially be captured through the use of CO2-EOR, which would help to reduce industrial emissions, and in turn reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Some governments are also taking note that EOR has the potential to propel substantial economic growth. In Texas, where EOR now accounts for 20% of its oil production, it is estimated the benefits of EOR production will result in additional revenue of $200 billion and will create 1.5 million jobs. 

Many of the world's oil fields have experienced or are experiencing a decline in oil production; using EOR has the potential to reverse this downward trend. Oman's historical oil production reflects this; between 2001 and 2007 its oil production fell by 27%, but by 2009, due mostly to EOR projects, oil production increased by 17%.