INPEX Technical Challenge on IOR/EOR

JOGMEC Techno Forum 2016

INPEX CORPORATION

November 30, 2016

1

Four E&P Business Opportunities

Enhancement of

E & P Activities

Exploration

New Basins & Existing Hubs

Acquisition

Producing Assets

EOR/IOR

From Known Hydrocarbon Resources

Unconventional

Shale Gas & Tight Oil

2

INPEX Technology Roadmap

Technology Infrastructure• Develop Expert Group and Laboratory Facilities • General Specification and Technical Guidelines• Knowledge Management System

Conventional Explo

ration,

Develo

pm

ent

and

Pro

duct

ion T

ech

nolo

gie

s

Deep W

ate

r D

evelo

pm

ent

Shale

Gas

/ Tig

ht

Oil

Develo

pm

ent

New

Explo

ration C

once

pt

EO

R /

IO

R

LN

G S

upply

Chain

Arc

tic

/ O

il S

and /

Heavy O

il

Coal Bed M

eth

ane（CBM）

Meth

ane H

ydra

te・ ・

Focused Technical ThemesInformation Gathering

Conventional Technologies

3

3

Laboratory Test

(TRC)

Demonstration Project

（Domestic Field）

Extended Application to

Domestic/Overseas Fields

• Tight Oil Development • Produced Water

Treatment by Membrane (Soto Asahikawa Plant)

IOR Demonstration Project

4

Pre Study

Pilot Well

Data Acquisition

Study & Selection

PI Technology

Main Well

Post Evaluation

Field Application

Productiviｔy Improvement (PI) Demonstaration Project

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3

２０１６ ２０１７ ２０１８

IOR Demonstration ProjectYabase Oil Fields, Kita Akita Area

VIII1層Top Structure Map

Kita Akita Area

Producer

Development/Production：1957～1973

Depth：1,400～1,700m（Sandstone A＆B Layers）Producer：12（Total Wells: 24）Permeability：a few milli_darcy

Recovery Factor：a few %

5

Productivity Improvement Study Workflow

Selection of

PI Methods

Multi-Lateral

Acidizi

ng

Fracturing

Reservoir Characterization

Geological/Reservoir ModelPVT

Core Analysis

Geomechanics

Petrophysics Interpretation

Flow Test

6

CO2 Foam: Mobility Control

CO2 Flood

Oil recovery incremental by:

Swelling oil

Decreasing oil viscosity

Decreasing IFT

The above can be achieved after CO2 contact to oil. However, its contacts might be deteriorated due to:

Geological uncertainty

Gravity segregation

CO2 Foam Flood

Mobility control can be improved.

CO2 Oil

CO2 Foam Oil

Development of Nano-particle Stabilized CO2 Foamw/ Domestic University & Chemical Company

7

CO2 Foam: Asphaltene Deposition

System Specification

VINCI Technologies

Max Pressure：14,500psi

Temperature：-20℃ to 200℃

SDS Cell Pump：200cc

Recirculation Pump：10cc

Instrument

HPM：High Pressure Microscopy

SDS：Solid Detection System

Viscometer

DensitometerFLASS

Flow Assurance System,

VINCI Technologies

8

Low Salinity Water Injection for Carbonate Rock― Incremental Oil from Laboratory & Possible Mechanisms ―

Spontaneous Imbibition Core Flood

(University of Stavanger)

(SPE 137634)Possible Mechanisms

Mineral dissolution

Surface charge alteration

IFT reduction

Ion exchange

9

Convert residual oil to methane (natural

gas) by indigenous microorganisms in

the subsurface reservoirs

Why?

Recovery Factor : Oil = 30～40% (Low)

Natural Gas :60～80% (High)

Aim at maximum hydrocarbon recovery

Target of Research

Bio-conversion of Oil to CH4

MEOR: New ConceptBio-methanation from residual oil

Depleted

Oil Field

Methane producing archaea

Oil degradation bacteria

CH3COOH

Nutrients

(& microbes)

Nutrients

10

Summary

INPEX pursues the following IOR/EOR technologies

to increase the reserves;

Productivity Improvement Technology for the tight

reservoir as IOR

CO2 EOR with mobility control utilizing CO2 Foam

Low Salinity Water Injection