The Alphabet Soup of IOR, EOR and AOR: Effective Communication Requires a Definition of Terms

Abstract

The Alphabet Soup of IOR, EOR and AOR: Effective Communication Requires a Definition of Terms George J. Stosur; George J. Stosur Petroleum Consultant Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar J. Roger Hite; J. Roger Hite Business Fundamentals Group Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Norman F. Carnahan; Norman F. Carnahan Carnahan Corporation Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Karl Miller Karl Miller Consultant Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Paper presented at the SPE International Improved Oil Recovery Conference in Asia Pacific, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 2003. Paper Number: SPE-84908-MS https://doi.org/10.2118/84908-MS Published: October 20 2003 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Get Permissions Search Site Citation Stosur, George J., Hite, J. Roger, Carnahan, Norman F., and Karl Miller. "The Alphabet Soup of IOR, EOR and AOR: Effective Communication Requires a Definition of Terms." Paper presented at the SPE International Improved Oil Recovery Conference in Asia Pacific, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 2003. doi: https://doi.org/10.2118/84908-MS Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentAll ProceedingsSociety of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)SPE International Improved Oil Recovery Conference in Asia Pacific Search Advanced Search AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to call attention to the need to establish a mutually acceptable definition of the terms Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) and Improved Oil Recovery (IOR). It is hoped that the SPE will take note of the need to define the terms and use them as guidelines in reviewing of manuscripts for publications and presentations at its worldwide SPE meetings. A workable definition of the terms is necessary not just for improved communication, but also for recoverable reserves, contract negotiations, Government incentives, taxation purposes, and regulatory authorities when looking at fiscal issues. To get the discussion started, the authors propose workable definitions of the IOR and EOR terms based largely on an informal survey within the SPE EOR/IOR Technical Interest Group (EOIO TIG).Historical Use of the EOR and the IOR TermsHistorically, there was reasonable consensus about the meaning of the EOR term. It was believed to denote tertiary oil recovery processes, such as chemical, thermal and gas miscible processes, among others. The IOR term followed, but without definition and was frequently used interchangeably with EOR.The two terms have been used in a very casual way in many different languages since the 1950's, often as synonyms. All the early symposia organized by the SPE and the Department of Energy used the term EOR and were meant to cover the new and, at that time exciting methods such as steam flooding, carbon dioxide flooding and, the then emerging chemical recovery processes.The EOR term became tarnished when some projects failed due to technical or economic reasons. Conference and symposia organizers then started to use the term IOR with the vague notion that, expanding the domain of EOR would attract more attention and more participants at their conferences. A case in point is the biennial SPE/DOE Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The change from EOR to IOR in the early 1990's was prompted by the belief that broadening the domain of the conference to something over and above the original scope of EOR would attract more attendees. From then on, most conferences and symposia used the IOR, or the IOR/EOR term. Only the venerable Oil and Gas Journal, known for its biennial coverage of the "Worldwide EOR Activity" held steadfastly with the original EOR term (Ref.1).Definition of Terms: Primary, Secondary and TertiaryFurther discussion will be well served by a brief review of the "primary", "secondary" and "tertiary" terms. These terms are generally understood and accepted (although a formal definition of these terms does not exist, either). They reflect and describe the natural progression of oil production from its inception to the point where economic production is no longer feasible. The concepts are well illustrated by the Oil and Gas Journal (Fig.1), in its biennially published Worldwide Survey of EOR Activities. Keywords: ior, pressure maintenance, reservoir characterization, society of petroleum engineers, enhanced oil recovery, eor term, enhanced recovery, workable definition, oil recovery, communication Subjects: Improved and Enhanced Recovery, Chemical flooding methods This content is only available via PDF. 2003. Society of Petroleum Engineers You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.