Company Pushes the Limits for Oil Exploration

Fossil fuels are a limited resource and while alternative renewable energy may some day provide the energy to power your home or car, oil and hydrocarbons are something with a much bigger impact on our everyday lives – including the plastics that we use in virtually everything. As such, developing techniques to enhance hydrocarbon exploration and extraction of oil are critically important.




One company currently pushing the limits in this field of Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (Chemical EOR) is European based TOTAL (total.com). Founded in 1924, with the creation of Compagnie Française des Pétroles (CFP) to produced oil in the Middle East, the company has since grown to become a global energy leader through innovation and research.

The company is focused on improving conventional production techniques which currently only recover 35%, on average, of the oil stored in reservoirs. Pushing the limits, the company is currently targeting an additional 5-20% recovery.

The process of CEOR gets a boost in recovery by injecting polymers into the injection water making it more viscous and therefore help boost recovery. According to TOTAL, “this more efficient flushing of the oil reservoir on a macroscopic level can deliver an increase of five recovery points, even more for highly viscous oils.”

But this is just the first step. The chemistry and innovative techniques continue in more depth as their chemists continue to make strides in recovery techniques aimed at making the most of the world’s dwindling and limited oil supply.

About Ed Dixon

Ed Dixon - as an experienced writer and proven business leader, Mr. Dixon is the primary contributor for news related to Business and Finance. ed_dixon@newstaar.com