Improved Oil Recovery

The Improved Oil Recovery Program was initiated in 2010. It is an off-shoot of the oil production research activities that KISR started in 1995 as part of the Petroleum Research Center. The program’s research areas focus on: (1) the delivery of an effective, novel ASP formulation for saline water flooding suitable for Kuwait oil reservoirs; (2) the development of technologies for enhancing heavy oil/tarmat recovery; (3) improved formation rock characterization; and (4) optimizing the formulation of solubilizers and demulsifiers for the cost effective mitigation and remediation of asphaltene deposition and emulsion formation in oil fields. These solutions reflect the Kuwait oil sector’s need for improved oil reservoir management to address the industry’s goal of achieving its 4 million barrels per day oil production target. The program capitalizes on KISR’s achievements and expertise in water flooding, formation rock characterization, formation fluids characterization, and its years of experience troubleshooting oil production challenges in Kuwait for the past 20 years.