The cost efficient recovery of North Sea oil

Advanced EOR 2014, the essential two-day conference for North Sea oil engineers, features international oil recovery specialists and is chaired by Dr Tim Fox.

As enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques develop, deep sea oil recovery is becoming more achievable and economical. This conference offers delegates the opportunity to learn from senior oil and gas experts in EOR; to update their knowledge on extraction developments and practices; and plan the future of EOR in the North Sea – drawing on the experience of similar, advanced EOR projects across the world.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, in partnership with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), will host the Advanced EOR 2014 conference in Aberdeen, 25-26 June. The conference’s advisory board includes specialists in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and carbon capture and storage (CCS). 

Jonathan Thomas, Senior Reservoir Engineer, Energy Development Unit at DECC, is on the board, and will present DECC’s strategy for increasing EOR in the UK during the conference. 

Jonathan commented:

“Enhanced oil recovery is already a success in the North Sea, with projects like Claire and Captain. DECC believes that there could be an additional prize of up to 1 billion barrels of additional oil if EOR were applied more widely. The UKCS Maximising Recovery Review by Sir Ian Wood also acknowledges the crucial role of EOR in helping maximise the economic value of North Sea oil. This conference will provide an ideal forum to learn more about the practical challenges of delivering offshore EOR and the opportunity to meet with the industry leaders who are driving EOR activity forward.”

Dr Tim Fox, Head of Energy and Environment at the Institution, opens the two-day event, which features a Keynote Address from Stephen Goodyear, Team Lead for EOR Development, Shell, as well as contributions from members of Scottish Enterprise and the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) and the experiences of the Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC) Canada.

Kyle Worth P.Eng PMP, Aquistore Project Manager at PTRC commented:

“This event provides an excellent opportunity for PTRC to disseminate results from a decade of world-leading research into CO2-EOR and associated geological storage in southern Saskatchewan. The injection of over 25 million tons of CO2 into the Weyburn and Midale oilfields has proved a major commercial success and simultaneously demonstrated that industrial scale geological storage for mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions can be safely implemented – paving the way for further projects across the world.”

Seminar themes include: the case for low salinity extraction; surface facilities; the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)’s offshore directive; EOR chemical injections; the potential for marrying CCS and EOR and the links with CO2. 

Seminars and presentations are given by, among others, Mariann Dalland, Head Improved Oil Recovery, NPD; Chris Charnley, Appraisal Engineering Manager, TAQA; Pierre-Yves Chenet, Director EOR Alliance; Stuart Haszeldine, Director, Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage (SCCS); and David Rennie, International Sector Head for Oil and Gas, Thermal Generation and CCS, Scottish Enterprise. For further information about contributors, click here.

A series of ‘roundtable’ events during the conference, facilitated by industry experts and academics, enables delegates to network and discuss the issues themed around:

• Can an extended UK CCS programme drive CO2-EOR projects across the North Sea?
• How can you identify the right chemicals to support maximum extraction?
• How will advanced methods increase oil output and reduce human involvement?
• Economics – how can the UK EOR case be improved?

Find out more about the programme and book the conference by visiting the Institution’s website.