Enhanced Oil Recovery

December 2024

On this page, following performance data are provided:

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) improves hydrocarbon recovery by injecting fluids into a hydrocarbon reservoir to increase or maintain reservoir pressure, displace hydrocarbons to production wells, or alter reservoir fluids to improve hydrocarbon flow.

There are two types of EOR projects:

  • conventional, which extracts crude oil
  • nonthermal in situ, which extracts heavy oil or bitumen

In most EOR schemes, water is used as the only injection fluid to carry additives, such as polymers or surfactants, or as a chase fluid that follows the primary fluid to help push remaining oil toward the production wells. In situ EOR may also use fluids other than nonsaline water to enhance production, such as polymers, noncondensable gases, or hydrocarbon gases.

What is "make-up" water for an EOR project?

Make-up water comprises high-quality nonsaline, alternative nonsaline, and other alternative water added to replace the water injected into an oil reservoir that does not return to the surface. It may also replace recycled water because some produced water cannot be treated for further reuse and must be disposed of as wastewater

How do we measure performance?

The primary metric for comparing nonsaline water use performance is water use intensity (calculated as the volume of nonsaline water used in barrels divided by the barrels of oil equivalent (BOE)  produced in a calendar year). Nonsaline water use intensity varies based on the fluid type injected, the scheme age, and the reservoir’s geology and characteristics.

All EOR schemes active in 2023 are considered in this report, regardless of their nonsaline water use.

How does the project life cycle affect water use intensity?

Nonsaline water use intensity is closely related to the age of the EOR project. After start-up, EOR projects quickly transition from using mostly make-up water to mostly recycled produced water. However, as schemes age, hydrocarbon production starts to decrease, which can result in increased nonsaline water use intensity. Generally, the longer an EOR project operates, the higher its nonsaline water intensity.

There are several other reasons why an older EOR scheme might have a higher nonsaline water intensity, not all related to where the schemes are in their life cycle:

  • The scheme may have been built when nonsaline water use was of less concern. Consequently, infrastructure may have been built to standards unsuitable for handling alternatives to nonsaline water.
  • Over time, as hydrocarbon production typically decreases, so too does revenue. Costs to convert to alternative water sources may be uneconomical.
  • Companies may have water licences that do not expire and allow for ongoing use of nonsaline water sources.
  • As a scheme matures, more water is needed to maintain the reservoir pressure to sustain hydrocarbon production.
  • The type of EOR scheme (e.g., polymer floods) may require some nonsaline water as some polymers are very sensitive to water quality.

Using nonsaline water for EOR instead of other alternative water can be a practical choice when abundant nonsaline water sources nearby can sustain the operation with little risk to the local environment.

Companies have made efforts to use less nonsaline water across all ages of EOR schemes.

Enhanced Oil Recovery Water Use – Sector Summary

EOR operators used about 8% of their nonsaline water allocation in 2023 (see the following figure).

Note:
HQNS = high-quality nonsaline
ANS = alternative nonsaline

Total Water Use

In 2023, there were 855 EOR schemes in Alberta, of which 685 were injecting water. Only 97 (14% of the 685) schemes used nonsaline water. Like other extraction technologies, EOR requires make-up water because not all water used during operations is recoverable.

Directive 065: Resources Applications for Oil and Gas Reservoirs and Manual 025: Applications under the Water Conservation Policy for Upstream Oil and Gas Operations outline nonsaline water use requirements. Before using nonsaline water, operators must investigate nonsaline water alternatives and submit evidence to the AER confirming no practical other alternative water sources are available. Operators must also submit environmental net effects assessments and risk assessments outlined in Manual 025. However, other alternative water sources are not always available, and some older projects cannot handle saline or recycled water. Also, highly saline water can lower a product's quality. Some EOR operations use specialized polymers that are very sensitive to water quality. In those cases, using other alternative water sources is not always feasible. These factors can affect the amount of nonsaline water an operation uses.

In 2023, EOR operations used more than 193 million cubic metres (m3) of water to produce about 99 million BOE (see the following figure). Of the total water used, over 94% (183 million m3) was recycled, and the rest was make-up water.

Total water use has declined by 33% since 2013.

Make-up Water

In 2023, EOR companies used just over 10 million m3 of make-up water. Companies used about 8 million m3 of nonsaline water (81% of total make-up water) and almost 2 million m3 of other alternative water (19% of total make-up water). Other alternative make-up water includes saline groundwater and produced water from other nearby EOR schemes.

Overall, make-up water use has declined by 54% since 2013, corresponding with the decline in total water use.

Water Use Intensity

Water use intensity refers to the amount of nonsaline water used to produce one BOE. In 2023, EOR companies used about 8% (8 million m3) of the nonsaline water allocated to the energy industry to produce over 99 million BOE. EOR nonsaline water use intensity was 0.52 bbl/BOE.

Between 2013 and 2023, high-quality and alternative nonsaline make-up water used for EOR decreased by 50%, while production decreased by 24%, resulting in a 33% improvement in nonsaline water use intensity. These changes are mainly due to reduced EOR activity across the province and a reduction in nonsaline water use.

Enhanced Oil Recovery Water Use – Company Performance

In the following figures, operations that do not use nonsaline water will show a zero nonsaline water use intensity. These operations may still use recycled water or other alternative water.

To make meaningful comparisons, we compare the data of companies with similar experiences and expertise based on their annual hydrocarbon production. In the figures below, companies are sorted by their BOE production over the calendar year. The default view of the figures is to display all companies, which can be changed using the "Company size" filter.

Use the tool below to search the company size by production volume for a specific company.

Water Use Intensity

A small number of operations can make a big difference in the EOR sector's overall performance. For example, two projects accounted for 64% of the total nonsaline make-up water volume for EOR in 2023, likely because of their large scale, including the large number of injection wells they have.

We also see this reflected in the nonsaline water use intensity of companies operating multiple schemes. A single scheme with a high nonsaline water use intensity can disproportionally affect a company's overall water use intensity, overshadowing the company's schemes with low water use intensities.

The following figure shows the overall nonsaline water use intensity for EOR by company.

The figures below show that an EOR scheme's age has a noticeable effect on nonsaline water use intensity. Select a company size, company name, or scheme type from the filters, and you will see the nonsaline water use intensity in the right-hand figure below based on your selection. This makes it possible to compare the water use intensity for specific sizes, companies, or scheme types to the average for the EOR sector.

The following figure provides details on water use and hydrocarbon production by company. Select a company size, company name, scheme type, or age from the filters, and you will see the water use, production, and intensity in the figure below based on your selection. The figure may be sorted by company name or fields (water use intensity, production, or water volumes).

Trend Data

The following figures show eleven-year trend data on water use, hydrocarbon production, and nonsaline water use intensity.