Importance of EOR Processes in Heavy Crude Oil Production

Did you know that the qualities of oil and gas generation depend on the type of organic matter and the maturation process? Some people differentiate between conventional and unconventional resources: unconventional reservoirs require specific and often expensive techniques regarding exploitation processes.

In unconventional resources, the distribution of pores is uneven, and low connectivity due to narrow capillaries results in very low permeability. Therefore, heavy crude oil or extra-heavy crude oil does not flow easily because of its higher density or weight.

While oil density is essential for assessing resource value and estimating refining efficiency and costs, the fluid property that most affects production and recovery is viscosity. Unlike conventional systems, this shows that the production of unconventional resources is not easy with existing technology.

I consider heavy oil to be an abundant energy source with a great longevity capacity and the potential to contribute to the industry’s sustainable development. However, it is more complex to produce and refine than light or conventional oil. Still, I wonder, how could we increase production from unconventional reservoirs?

Traditionally, hydrocarbon production consists of three stages: primary, secondary, and tertiary. In the primary and secondary production stages, only 35% of the original oil in place (conventional) is recovered. Therefore, 65% of the remaining oil after secondary production recovery is trapped inside the pores by different forces. This stage is where heavy oil recovery methods come into vitality.

At Nakasawa Resources, we believe that the oil industry’s future is fundamentally tied to the exploitation of heavy crudes to meet the growing global demand for energy in the near future and the diet of many refineries for the generation of various feedstocks and by-products. Therefore, we are committed to developing upstream technologies that contribute to the establishment of sustainable solutions for heavy oil reserves extraction through thermal processes.