Next* Magazine, Issue 4 - Chevron

‘What sets Chevron apart is our extensiveportfolio of practical knowledge andhands-on experience. ... It takes bothtechnology and technique.’reservoir. If successful, it will be the first commercial steamflood in a carbonate reservoir inthe world.• Permian Basin, United States Nearly four decades ago, Chevron pioneered the injection ofcarbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into mature fields in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico,resulting in the world’s first commercial-scale CO 2 -recovery operation. Chevron’s CO 2 projectshave extended the productive life of these fields by up to 10 to 20 years. To advance its use ofCO 2 -recovery efforts, Chevron is conducting a pilot project at New Mexico’s Vacuum Field toapply CO 2 -recovery methods in the high-water-saturation transition zone between the oil andwater zones.• Minas, Indonesia At the Minas Field in Sumatra, Chevron is advancing a pilot project that usesa chemical surfactant-polymer flooding process to recover additional reserves. The surfactantpolymerproject represents Chevron’s ongoing efforts to economically capture more reservesand sustain production at Minas, where secondary recovery techniques have made this fieldthe largest waterflood project in Southeast Asia.• Agbami, Nigeria At the Agbami Field, Chevron’s vast experience in miscible gas and waterinjection is being deployed with a novel application of crestal gas injection and peripheralwaterflood concurrently. This technique allows Chevron to maximize oil recovery andproduction by squeezing oil out of the reservoir with a “top down and bottom up”displacement mechanism.• Captain, U.K. North Sea In an innovative approach to unlock this offshore field’s reservepotential, Chevron is testing enhanced oil recovery applications using polymers and chemicalsto access resources not recovered during its initial development.• Tengiz, Kazakhstan At Tengiz, the world’s deepest producing supergiant oil field, Chevronand its partners are making excellent progress with an industry-leading pilot project to safelyreinject sour gas into reservoirs to yield higher production and boost recovery rates. Sourgas operations at Tengiz began in 2007, with full operations launched in mid-2008. Theseefforts along with plant expansions enabled Tengiz to double its overall production capacity.photo: JAMES GLOSSOPLooking ahead, enhanced oil recovery will play an even greater role in bringing newenergy supplies to the market as the industry focuses on developing complex andunconventional resources.“Maximizing recovery from difficult reservoirs requires a commitment to research anddevelopment, a highly trained workforce, knowledge sharing, superior execution and worldwideoperational experience,” Thakur said. “Our long history in managing a wide spectrum ofenhanced oil recovery projects has placed Chevron at the forefront of this critical technology.Chevron affiliates are well positioned to help our global partners optimize the economicrecovery of their oil and gas assets.” ■Through enhancedrecovery operationsat the Captain Field,offshore Aberdeen,United Kingdom,plans are to increaseestimated oil recoveryfrom 34 percent to50 percent and beyond.Next* | 23