Trends in enhanced oil recovery

Common objetive of most oil companies is to disminish high costs of exploration and explotation of existing oil fields, and increase their production and recoverable reserves. Several cooperations and integration mechanisms have been established among companies, especifically in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) area, aiming at not only increasing their reserves, but also to extend useful reservoir lifetime. Present article summarizes the evolution of oil production, and number of projects executed in the world in 1998, according to EOR method. In the study, USA case is analyzed from 1986 to the beginnings of 1998), since this is the country that has applied the most these techniques. Strategic associations recently formed worldwide in the period are also analyzed. Finally a bibliometric analysis (1986-first semester 1998) is performed, The analysis shows R&D tendencies of EOR method, oil companies, institutions and universities. The study also indicates that EOR methods applied worldwide increase oil and gas reserves and production, supported on technologies, such as: horizontal and multilateral wells, 3D-4D seismic techniques, nuclear magnetic resonance, simulators (streamline and streamtube 3D among others) materials (polymers, foams, nutrients, etc.), and equipment (coiled tubing), etc. These techniques have proved to be highly effective, since hey allow avail from the competitive advantages of patners (resources and technologies).