Assessing the application of miscible CO2 flooding in oil reservoirs: a case study from Pakistan

Miscible carbon dioxide (CO2) flooding has been recognized as a promising approach to enhance the recovery of oil reservoirs. However, depending on the injection strategy and rock/fluid characteristics, efficiency of the miscible CO2flooding varies from reservoir to reservoir. Although, many studies have been carried out to evaluate the performance of the miscible CO2flooding, a specific strategy which can be strictly followed for a hydrocarbon reservoir has not been established yet. The aim of this study is to assess one of Pakistan’s oil reservoirs for miscible CO2flooding by applying a modified screening criterion and numerical modeling. As such, the most recent miscible CO2screening criteria were modified, and a numerical modeling was applied on the prospective reservoir. Based on the results obtained, South oil reservoir (S3) is chosen for a detailed assessment of miscible CO2flooding. It was also found that implementation of CO2water-alternating gas (CO2-WAG) injection at early stages of production can increase the production life of the reservoir

Carbon Capture and Utilization Update

In recent years, carbon capture and utilization (CCU) has been proposed as a potential technological solution to the problems of greenhouse-gas emissions and the ever-growing energy demand. To combat climate change and ocean acidification as a result of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, efforts have already been put forth to capture and sequester CO₂ from large point sources, especially power plants; however, the utilization of CO₂ as a feedstock to make valuable chemicals, materials, and transportation fuels is potentially more desirable and provides a better and long-term solution than sequestration. The products of CO₂ utilization can supplement or replace chemical feedstocks in the fine chemicals, pharmaceutical, and polymer industries. In this review, we first provide an overview of the current status of CO₂-capture technologies and their associated challenges and opportunities with respect to efficiency and economy followed by an overview of various carbon-utilization approaches. The current status of combined CO₂ capture and utilization, as a novel efficient and cost-effective approach, is also briefly discussed. We summarize the main challenges associated with the design, development, and large-scale deployment of CO₂ capture and utilization processes to provide a perspective and roadmap for the development of new technologies and opportunities to accelerate their scale-up in the near future