The U.S. Department of Energy has approved a project aimed at developing methods to economically recover heavy oil in Schrader Bluff-Milne Point field on Alaska's North Slope.
Participants in a cooperative re- search and development agreement (Crada) for the demonstration program are BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., DOE, and BDM-Oklahoma Inc., operator of DOE's National Institute of Petroleum & Energy Research (Niper), Bartlesville, Okla.
The seventh Crada involving participation by DOE and BDM-Oklahoma and cost-sharing by industry, it has the highest dollar value of any of the Cradas so far. Total funding is to be $10.6 million during 5 years.
Schrader Bluff-Milne Point field, covering more than 32,000 acres 12 miles west of giant Prudhoe Bay oil and gas field, is estimated to hold more than 2 billion bbl of 18-22 gravity oil.
"The reservoir and oil characteristics of Schrader Bluff make it a potential candidate for various enhanced oil recovery projects," said Arden Strycker, manager of thermal and gas enhanced oil recovery for BDM-Oklahoma at Niper.
Among the methods that have been considered are air injection (combustion), various floods such as carbon dioxide or natural gas, and, to a lesser degree, steamflooding. Scoping studies with these processes have yielded potential recoveries of 12-40% beyond what is currently possible using conventional waterflood.
The main research goal will be to evaluate the most efficient, economic method of oil recovery for the field. The best recovery method will then be verified in a pilot field test.
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