New technology gives Wilmington field new life

This Hart's E&P article discusses how advances in reservoir characterization and thermal methods are squeezing more heavy oil out of California's Wilmington field.

3D reservoir characterization and thermal simulation combined with new advances in heavy oil operations are seen as key to realizing improved heavy oil recovery in California's Wilmington field. The project funded by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)  is targeting a small portion of the Wilmington oil field in Long Beach, California. NETL's plan is to use a new computer model to optimize steam injection while minimizing surface subsidence. The project team plans to used 3D models to design and drill new horizontal wells for steamflooding and are investigating new well completion techniques that control sand production with a goal to cut capital costs by 25%. NETL is also planning to test new steam generation and scrubbing technology that could reduce fuel requirements and lower emissions.

While it is still early in the project, this is a great example of using an integrated team approach with new technology to help increase heavy oil recovery from existing fields. The full article can be found here.