Viscous Oil Recovery Overview

Principles

Definition

Viscous oil recovery is a specialized field of research and practice in petroleum engineering focused on developing and applying advanced techniques for extracting crude oil characterized by high viscosity from subsurface reservoirs. This field is critical for accessing substantial global resources of heavy and extra-heavy oil that are not economically producible by conventional methods due to inherent flow limitations.

Ontological type

Recovery Methods

Reservoir Characterization

Modeling and Simulation

Key developments

Key Figures

Capillary and Phase Engineering era

Robert Schechter [1] is associated with The University of Texas at Austin [3] and the University of Oklahoma [4] during this era. His key contributions include optimizing surfactant/water/oil formulations for minimum interfacial tension or phase behavior [6], detailing interfacial tension and phase behavior of surfactant systems [7], and describing the topology of phase boundaries for oil/brine/surfactant systems and its relationship to oil recovery [8], which were important for guiding phase-diagram analysis, solubilization metrics, and capillary-pressure reduction in capillary and phase engineering. W. H. Wade [2] is associated with The University of Texas at Austin [3] and The University of Texas at Arlington [5] during this era. Wade's contributions include the Optimum Formulation of Surfactant/Water/Oil Systems for Minimum Interfacial Tension or Phase Behavior [6], Interfacial Tension and Phase Behavior of Surfactant Systems [7], and The Topology of Phase Boundaries for Oil/Brine/Surfactant Systems and Its Relationship to Oil Recovery [8], reinforcing approaches that integrated surfactant systems with polymer mobility control to reconcile microscopic displacement efficiency with macroscopic sweep.

Wettability and Mobility Control era

Norman R. Morrow [1] worked with Boston University [3] and the University of Manitoba [4] during this era. His papers, Wettability and Its Effect on Oil Recovery [7] and Salinity, Temperature, Oil Composition, and Oil Recovery by Waterflooding [8], clarified how rock wettability and brine properties govern oil recovery and underpinned early mobility-control concepts. George J. Hirasaki [2] is associated with Rice University [5] and the University of Houston [6] during this era. His 2004 Surface Chemistry of Oil Recovery From Fractured, Oil-Wet, Carbonate Formations [9] and 2008's Favorable Attributes of Alkaline-Surfactant-Polymer Flooding [10] advanced surface-chemistry explanations for oil recovery and highlighted the benefits of alkaline-surfactant-polymer formulations for wettability alteration and mobility control.

Interfacial Nanofluid Engineering era

Ajay Mandal [1] has been a major figure in interfacial nanofluid engineering in this era, with affiliations at University of Groningen [3] and University of Wisconsin–Madison [4]. His key contributions include Surfactant Stabilized Oil-in-Water Nanoemulsion: Stability, Interfacial Tension, and Rheology Study for Enhanced Oil Recovery Application [7], Adsorption analysis of natural anionic surfactant for enhanced oil recovery: The role of mineralogy, salinity, alkalinity and nanoparticles [8], and Characterization of rock-fluid and fluid-fluid interactions in presence of a family of synthesized zwitterionic surfactants for application in enhanced oil recovery [9], collectively advancing how surfactants and nanoemulsions tune interfacial properties to mobilize viscous oil in heterogeneous reservoirs. Jill S. Buckley [2] has contributed to early EOR strategies with affiliations at University of Wyoming [5] and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology [6]. Her notable contribution is the 2011 paper Improved Oil Recovery by Low-Salinity Waterflooding [10], which demonstrated that engineered low salinity can significantly enhance oil recovery, laying the groundwork for heterogeneity-aware interfacial EOR approaches in this era.