Carbonated water – a refreshing bubbly drink and… extracting oil from the ground?
The oil and gas industry has discovered a new way to recover oil, and it’s through carbonated water injection (CWI). Carbon dioxide (CO2) has already been used previously at oil reservoirs to help with oil recovery. But with the more effective CWI technique, oil and gas companies can look to generate higher returns and conserve more capital throughout oil production.
CO2 Injection and Carbon Water Injection
Why is CO2 used during the oil extraction process anyways? In most reservoir settings, CO2 can mix with oil, which is ideal because this miscible state makes the oil flow out more easily. But in the reservoir settings that CO2 doesn’t naturally mix with the oil, CO2 injections can help support better extraction.
Not only does this recover more oil, but it also helps extend the production life of the oil field, removing the possible costs of bringing additional fields online. On top of this, CO2 injections can help decrease CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere by storing large amounts of it for a sustained period of time.
These CO2 injection projects have mainly been geographically limited to the reservoirs that already have access to large quantities of CO2 from natural sources. But with its growing popularity, new strategies need to be utilized in order to employ the method in other less advantageous reservoir settings.
This is where the CWI technique comes into play. By using carbonated water, the CO2 exists in a dissolved phase rather than its typical free phrase. This helps sidestep the typical problems of conventional CO2 injection, such as gravity segregation and poor sweep efficiency. This also helps store large volumes of CO2 without the risk of CO2 leaking through caprock. Used in the secondary and tertiary phases of extraction, studies have shown improved oil recovery when using CWI compared to conventional water injection.
What This Means for Gas & Oil
Even as we move towards renewables, there’s still a need for oil production in the short and medium term. Maximizing oil production is obviously at the forefront of every oil business’ minds, and CWI seems to be a more sustainable way to do it. As such, many leaders of the industry, such as Equinor and ExxonMobil, are rushing to file patents and develop CWI technologies. Equinor has filed 58 patents, and expects their research and development efforts to help extend production from their mature oilfields. ExxonMobil has filed 27 patents, and also expects to better their production and competitiveness in the industry.
Is your small- to medium-sized business in need of carbon dioxide? CalOx has been providing Southern California with carbon dioxide and other food-grade and medical-grade gasses for over 85 years. With trained technicians, we can help your business with everything from regular deliveries to storage, delivery and handling equipment, along with training and maintenance. Reach out to CalOx today with any questions or inquiries to have your gasses supplied to you as soon as possible.