2021 ] CARBON CAPTURE , UTILIZATION , AND SEQUESTRATION 53
EOR can increase ultimate oil and associated gas recovery by 10 to 25 percent in the fields where it is employed .” 45
Although CO 2 EOR reached its billionth barrel of production in 2005 , the technology remains in its infancy with respect to shale development . 46 Several operators have conducted pilot programs testing EOR technology to varying degrees of success for unconventional development in the Bakken , Eagle Ford , and Permian Basin . 47 However , the experts agree that the application and success of CO 2 EOR for unconventional development is highly dependent upon the geology , and some fields will be more suitable than others .
The figure below illustrates how CO 2 mixes with oil molecules to increase recovery in EOR operations for conventional development . 48
45 . Enhanced Oil-Recovery , OXY https :// www . oxy . com / OurBusinesses / OilandGas / Technology / Enhanced-Oil-Recovery / Pages / default . aspx ( last visited Nov . 18 , 2019 ).
46 . MELZER , supra note 35 , at 5 ; see also Nissa Darbonne , Shale EOR : Found Oil , HART ENERGY ( Dec . 12 , 2019 , 11:00 AM ), https :// www . hartenergy . com / exclusives / found-oil-184325 .
47 . Darbonne , supra note 46 . EOG ’ s pilot program in the Eagle Ford has provided the most promising results to date . Using a proprietary huff-n-puff injection method and EOR solution , EOG was able to “ yield up to 80 % more oil in the Eagle Ford from its gas injection process .” Mary Holcomb , EOG Boosts Production With EOR Program in Eagle Ford , HART ENERGY ( Oct . 21 , 2019 , 4:30 AM ), https :// www . hartenergy . com / exclusives / eog-boosts-production-eor-program-eagle-ford-183524 . The solution EOG utilized in its injection process has been kept confidential , so the use and extent of anthropogenic CO 2 used in these operations remains unclear . Brian Walzel , The Next Frontier : EOR in Unconventional Resources , HART ENERGY ( Aug . 8 , 2017 , 1:20 PM ), https :// www . hartenergy . com / exclusives / next-frontier-eor-unconventional-resources-30199 . The project has been publicly described as both a natural gas EOR project and a CO 2 EOR project . See generally , Holcomb , supra ; Stephen Rassenfoss , Shale EOR Works , But Will it Make a Difference ?, J . PETROLEUM TECH . ( Oct . 1 , 2017 ), https :// pubs . spe . org / en / jpt / jpt-article-detail /? art = 3391 . Nevertheless , the program ’ s success has provided promise for the application of CO 2 EOR in shale resource plays .
48 . Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery : Untapped Domestic Energy Supply and Long Term Carbon Storage Solution , supra note 40 , at 5 .