Recovery of oil and gas will benefit from new technologies
At DONG Energy, we wish to get the most out of our existing fields by developing new technologies which enhance the recovery rate in the existing oil and gas fields. Furthermore, we focus on developing new technologies which will better enable us to discover new reserves in cold regions, and in deep water.
- DONG Energy develops new methods for interpreting seismic data and combining seismic data with other sources of information
- In co-operation with a number of partners, we try to establish whether the use of enzymes may enhance the recovery rate in existing fields
- We develop a biotech solution to remedy challenges such as decomposition of pipes and process equipment and clogging of gas pipelines
- We try to establish whether injection of sea water with low salt content is more efficient for squeezing the oil out of a reservoir than ordinary sea water
New methods and technologies
Most of the ”readily accessible” oil and gas reserves in the world have already been discovered. At the same time, it will be too expensive to produce a large part of Denmark’s current reserves by means of existing technology.
Therefore, we develop and implement new methods and technologies which help enhance the recovery rate in our existing fields, and which enable us to search for new reserves in more challenging areas more efficiently and in a safe manner – in cold regions and in deep water.
Seismic image processing
One of our technological development projects focuses on development of new methods for interpreting seismic data and combining seismic data with other sources of information. This can improve the possibility of discovering new oil and gas reserves in areas with particularly complex geological structures.
In this connection, we are particularly interested in the deep sea west of the Shetland islands and the Barents Sea. In these areas, there current technology for exploration of oil and gas is too expensive to use, unreliable and in some cases insufficient.
In 2011, we finished data processing from one of our wells where we tested and demonstrated the new seismic methods. In 2012-13, we continue testing and demonstrating the new technology, data processing and evaluation of results.
Use of enzymes as a tool
The objective of other technological development projects is to enhance the recovery rate in existing fields. One of these takes place in close co-operation with Maersk Oil and Gas, Novozymes A/S, Danish Technological Institute, Center for Energy Resources Engineering at DTU and Roskilde University.
The project which is sponsored by the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation investigates whether enzymes can contribute to enhancing the recovery rate. We also develop a biotech solution to remedy operational challenges such as decomposition of pipes and process equipment and clogging of gas pipelines.
Finally, we focus on the great potential of the biotech solutions for reducing the environmental consequences of oil and gas production.
Water injection
Injection of sea water for the purpose of squeezing the oil out of the reservoir and at the same time maintaining the pressure is a well-proven method.
However, many things indicate that, in some cases, use of water with a lower salt content may be more efficient. We are reviewing this closer at the moment in order to generate the necessary knowledge and technology in this area.
In 2011, we initiated experiments with various liquids in the laboratory to better understand and demonstrate the processes causing water with a low salt content to enhance the oil recovery rate. DONG Energy continues to review this in 2012-13.
|
|