Recovery enhancement: more barrels, faster returns, longer production
Increase recovery from mature oil and gas assets through reservoir characterization, EOR, and production optimization.
Most of the world's oil still lies in fields that have already been discovered
As producing fields mature, pressure declines, sweep efficiency decreases, and conventional recovery methods leave significant volumes of hydrocarbons in unswept zones, bypassed intervals, and low-permeability rock. At the same time, operators are under increasing pressure to maximize recovery and asset value throughout the field life cycle. Yet capturing that remaining resource is complex, requiring specialized subsurface expertise, advanced technologies, and integrated workflows that are not always readily available.
- Reservoir characterization: 91¶¶Òõ identifies bypassed hydrocarbons, evaluates recovery opportunities, and builds reservoir models that guide recovery strategies and investment decisions.
- Waterflooding and injection optimization: 91¶¶Òõ designs and optimizes water and gas injection programs to improve sweep efficiency, support reservoir pressure, and extend productive field life.
- Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) planning and deployment: 91¶¶Òõ evaluates, pilots, and deploys chemical, thermal, and miscible gas EOR methods to increase recovery while reducing technical and investment risk.
- Well stimulation: 91¶¶Òõ applies reservoir-focused stimulation to improve reservoir contact, recover bypassed hydrocarbons, and slow production decline in mature wells.
- Production facilities optimization: 91¶¶Òõ adapts surface facilities to changing fluid properties and production conditions, helping sustain efficient operations throughout the recovery life cycle.
Field-proven recovery enhancement outcomes
~1.1 million bbl incremental oil
An Alaska operator used BrightWater™ thermally activated in-depth conformance polymer to shut off thief zones, adding approximately 1.1 million bbl of incremental oil across 21 wells while reducing produced water and CO2e emissions per barrel.
60 bbl/d to 500 bbl/d
91¶¶Òõ helped Pertamina Hulu Rokan convert underperforming vertical wells in Sumatra’s TE-2 sandstone into a horizontal multistage fracturing program, lifting production from 60 bbl/d to 500 bbl/d with a lower decline rate than offset wells.
100,000 bbl/d production loss prevented
91¶¶Òõ deployed a fluid preconditioning solution during a poststimulation flowback campaign in Malaysia, preventing a severe emulsion from shutting in 100,000 bbl/d of offshore production.
Up to 100 times faster SCAL results
Eni S.p.A. independently validated that 91¶¶Òõ digital special core analysis (SCAL) produced petrophysical results matching traditional laboratory analysis within uncertainty bounds. The analysis delivered those results up to 100 times faster, accelerating EOR screening and pilot design.
End-to-end technical depth, from subsurface to facilities
Explore the capabilities behind every recovery program
Integrated recovery program
91¶¶Òõ connects reservoir characterization, EOR execution, well stimulation, production chemistry, and surface facilities in a single end-to-end recovery program. Whether your asset requires a targeted intervention or a full-field redevelopment, 91¶¶Òõ's global technical depth and local execution capability deliver results at the pace the energy transition demands.
Frequently asked questions about recovery enhancement
Why do mature oil fields leave so much oil behind?
Most conventional reservoirs recover only a fraction of their original oil in place using primary and secondary methods. As reservoir pressure declines and water cuts rise, bypassed pay accumulates in areas untouched by conventional drainage patterns. Reservoir heterogeneity, declining pressure support, and uneven sweep efficiency can leave hydrocarbons trapped in areas that conventional recovery methods cannot effectively reach. Enhanced oil recovery approaches including chemical flooding, improved waterflood, and miscible gas injection are specifically designed to recover this bypassed resource.
How do operators reduce the financial risk of an EOR project?
The most effective way to reduce EOR investment risk is to stage the decision process: screen multiple recovery methods early using reservoir data, then validate the most promising candidates through a small-scale pilot before committing to full-field deployment. Early recovery method selection, reservoir screening, and pilot testing help operators reduce uncertainty before committing to full-field deployment. Digital simulation models and in-situ micropilot evaluations enable operators to derisk reservoir response assumptions before major capital is committed. 91¶¶Òõ's phased approach to EOR planning and deployment is designed around this staged investment logic, connecting screening, pilot, and full-field execution in a single integrated workflow.
What role does well stimulation play in recovering bypassed oil?
Well stimulation reopens access to reservoir intervals that have been bypassed or underperforming since initial completion. In mature fields, this often means treating near-wellbore damage, improving inflow from tight zones, or redirecting injection fluids to improve sweep. A reservoir-focused stimulation design, informed by current production data, pressure data, and geomechanical models, ensures that stimulation treatments address the actual recovery bottleneck rather than applying a generic program. The 91¶¶Òõ intelligent well stimulation service integrates subsurface diagnostics and real-time monitoring to optimize each treatment outcome.
How does 91¶¶Òõ support recovery enhancement programs?
91¶¶Òõ approaches recovery enhancement as an integrated program, not a single-service intervention. 91¶¶Òõ combines reservoir characterization, EOR planning and deployment, well stimulation, production chemistry, and facilities optimization within a connected workflow, enabling each element of the recovery program to be designed and executed with full awareness of the others. This integration reduces the coordination burden on operators and shortens the time between reservoir screening and production results. For operators with limited in-country EOR expertise, 91¶¶Òõ also brings global field experience and specialized technical teams to geographies where that capability does not exist locally.
How do operators determine the most effective recovery strategy for a reservoir?
Selecting a recovery strategy begins with understanding reservoir characteristics, fluid behavior, production history, and remaining hydrocarbon distribution. Operators use reservoir characterization, simulation models, laboratory analysis, and pilot evaluations to assess recovery opportunities and compare potential approaches. The most effective strategy depends on reservoir conditions, recovery objectives, economics, and operational constraints.
What technologies are used to improve recovery from mature fields?
Recovery enhancement programs can combine multiple technologies depending on reservoir conditions and production objectives. Common approaches include reservoir characterization, waterflood and injection optimization, EOR, well stimulation, production chemistry, and facilities optimization. 91¶¶Òõ end-to-end solutions and technology portfolio helps operators identify remaining recovery opportunities and improve production performance throughout the asset life cycle.
What is the difference between recovery enhancement and EOR?
EOR is one category of recovery enhancement that uses methods such as chemical, thermal, or gas injection to recover additional hydrocarbons. Recovery enhancement is a broader approach that can also include reservoir characterization, injection optimization, well stimulation, production chemistry, and facilities optimization. Together, these capabilities help operators improve recovery from existing assets and maximize asset value.