Joint Enhanced Oil Recovery research
Gazprom Neft and Wintershall sign cooperation agreement
05.07.2016 – Gazprom Neft PJSC and Wintershall Holding GmbH signed a cooperation agreement for conducting research into enhanced oil recovery, aimed at maintaining or increasing the oil production from mature fields. The companies agreed to launch a joint research and development project that will deploy chemical flooding technology in conjunction with surfactant and polymer solutions, and which will also include the preparation of a related technical feasibility study – a process expected to take several years.
During this period a joint technical working group will conduct laboratory testing, reservoir modeling and field investigations in order to identify the most suitable combination of surfactant agents and polymers for deployment in Gazprom Neft’s oil fields. If this is successful, the next stage is likely to involve pilot testing.
Vadim Yakovlev, First Deputy General Director of Gazprom Neft commented: “Improving the efficiency of the hydrocarbon production is one of the key priorities for Gazprom Neft’s development. The current stage aims at developing an optimal chemical formula and proving its efficiency during laboratory and field tests. These results will allow our companies to determine the applicability of this technology in mature fields. The continuous development of our expertise will ensure that Gazprom Neft can maintain its technological leadership in the Russian oil and gas industry.”
“Together with our parent company BASF, we have been focusing our technology program on the development of chemical EOR capabilities,” said Martin Bachmann, the Wintershall Executive Board member responsible for exploration and production in Europe and Middle East. “We are pleased to bring this expertise to this joint project.
Similar to dishwashing detergents, surfactant agents “flush out” oil from rocks and enable it to mix with water. Polymer solutions help to “thicken” the water and push the “flushed” oil towards the production wells.
Gazprom Neft PJSC and Wintershall Holding GmbH signed a cooperation agreement for conducting research into enhanced oil recovery
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