Enhanced Oil Recovery: Breakthrough Technology

Mike Dennis¹ and Daniel Hitzman^2
1The LATA Group, Inc., Ochelata, OK
²Geo-Microbial Technologies, Inc., Ochelata, OK

Advancements in green chemistry applications to waterflooded reservoirs have resulted in documented tertiary oil recovery of more than 30% over well-established production trends, and a corresponding increase in recoverable reserves asset valuation. Corollary operating, health and safety, and financial benefits include mitigation and permanent control of destructive H₂S effects in the production system.

The petroleum industry scientists at LATA Group/Geo-Microbial Technologies have developed and field tested the innovative and cost-effective technology during the past two decades. Based on well-established, validated geologic and microbiological principles, the process is initiated and sustained by inorganic chemical formulae that cause oil-releasing gases, surfactants, solvents and polymers to be produced in-situ by targeted naturally-occurring microorganisms present in the reservoir.

In a typical, treated waterflood oil and gas production system, profound capillary pressure, surface tension, and wettability changes occur simultaneously and perpetually in pore spaces, releasing trapped and by-passed oil that is swept to production wells by injected flood water. WOR improvements are common, and reduced operating costs due to corrosion control are expected. Project equipment costs to implement and sustain a project of any size are minimal, and include product storage tank and conventional chemical pump.

In this poster session, LATA will present EOR and H₂S Control case histories from several fields, as well as an explanation of process mechanisms.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90078©2008 AAPG Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas