CARBON-DIOXIDE FLOODING AS AN ENHANCED OIL-RECOVERY PROCESS

In earlier work(1-5), the fundamental and the field applications of carbon dioxide flooding were described. The presentation(5) at the Western Regional Meeting of SPE in 1991 focussed on a comparison of CO2 flooding for light and heavy oils, with examples from the field showing that CO2 flooding has recovered significant amounts of incremental oil under miscible as well as immiscible conditions. Carbon dioxide flooding for the enhanced recovery of heavy oils is important for Canada since it provides an alternative to thermal recovery. In this article, the author will attempt to illustrate the state-of-the-art on CO2 flooding in general and how CO2 flooding relates to the recovery of heavy oils in particular.