Factors influencing successful implementation of enhanced oil recovery projects

Tertiary methods in oil production process called 'Enhanced Oil recovery methods' (EOR) are mostly applied in mature oil fields with declining production trend after primary and secondary recovery methods or immediately after primary production phase. These 'Enhanced Oil Recovery' methods implies injection of gases or fluids to mobilize residual oil captured in reservoir rock due to presence of strong viscous and capillary forces and high value of interfacial tension between fluid and rock. Depending on the type of injected fluid, production mechanism, as well as an approach to implementation, EOR methods are divided into thermal methods, chemical methods, miscible/immiscible gas injection methods and other methods that so far have an experimental application. The paper analyzes the key factors influencing the successful implementation of EOR projects: phases of EOR project implementation, the price of crude oil at the world market as a criterion for the beginning and the justification for EOR process application and development of new technologies for more efficient process realization.