Arizona State Geologist Lee Allison points out on his blog that a new study commissioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says more oil can be recovered from existing wells by using carbon dioxide enhanced production. The Chamber report says that carbon dioxide based enhanced oil recovery (CO2 EOR) accounts for nearly 6% of U.S. onshore oil production, or 350,000 barrels a day, but it could be expanded to produce a potential of 4 million barrels a day of oil for 50 years from existing U.S. oil fields.

Much of the carbon dioxide could come from Arizona. In my post: Helium potential of Arizona may help fill shortage I point out that “Some of the richest helium-bearing gas in the world was produced from fields completed specifically for helium in northeastern Arizona in the 1960s and 1970s.” Carbon dioxide is a major byproduct of helium production.

According the Chamber report, CO2 EOR could produce almost as much oil as primary or secondary production.

“In the first phase of the oil field’s productive life, called primary production, the well is produced without the addition of anything to the oil containing formation. The natural pressure from the earth is the mechanism for the oil to flow to the wellbore. Depending on the characteristics of the rock formation, primary production can result in the recovery of up to 20% of the oil originally in the rock. This means that at least 80% of the oil may remain in the rock unless additional technology is used to increase the recovery.

“Usually, the next step in the oil field life cycle is the injection of water into the oil-bearing formation to maintain reservoir pressure, which produces more oil… This is called secondary recovery or water flooding. The water used for this step is largely recycling the water that is produced as part of the oil production operations. Water, typically saltwater, exists in the formation with the oil and natural gas. This water is separated and collected during production and reinjected into the oil-bearing formation to slow pressure decline. As oil fields age, they produce more water as a percentage of the total fluids recovered. The addition of secondary recovery has the potential to recover a further 15% to 20% of the original oil in place.

“Even after primary and secondary recovery, a significant amount of oil still exists in the rock formation. CO2 EOR is a type of tertiary oil recovery that can recover even more oil from these existing wells and reservoirs. In CO2 EOR, carbon dioxide is pumped into the oil-bearing rock formation to recover even more oil. CO2 EOR has the potential to recover an additional 15% to 20% of the original oil.”

The Chamber report goes on to explain how the CO2 EOR process works:

“The CO2 EOR process is primarily a function of how CO2 interacts with oil which is determined by the property of miscibility, when multiple liquids can mix together completely becoming one homogenous liquid. For example, water and vinegar are completely miscible. By contrast, water and oil are immiscible; they do not combine at any proportion. CO2 at a supercritical pressure and temperature is completely miscible with oil; it will combine completely.

“An analogous example of how this process works in oil production could be a frying pan coated in grease. When the pan is rinsed with water, some of the oil remains because oil and water are immiscible. If a solvent, such as dish soap, is applied to the pan, the solvent combines with the grease and the grease is more completely removed from the pan. In CO2 EOR, the CO2 combines with the oil and helps move it through the rock pore spaces, enabling greater recovery of the oil in place.”

A 2011 Department of Energy report estimates that CO2 EOR could provide 137 billion barrels of additional technically recoverable domestic oil, of which 67 billion barrels are economically recoverable at an oil price of $85 per barrel.

Kinder Morgan is carrying out an expanded evaluation program of the St. Johns field in preparation for producing CO2 and shipping it east via pipeline.

See also:

The importance of minerals to our economy and national security

Petroleum and Natural Gas Potential of the Paradox Basin

Arizona may become a major producer of potash

According to a story in the Arizona Daily Star: “The United States is running out of helium.” However, as pointed out by Arizona State Geologist Lee Allison, Arizona has helium resources that could help fill the gap.

Helium is used in many industrial applications such as in the manufacture of optical fiber and LCD screens, in medical imaging, and in welding.

A report (OFR 03-05) from the Arizona Geological Survey: “Review of helium production and potential in Arizona” is instructive (summary here, full report here):

Some of the richest helium-bearing gas in the world was produced from fields completed specifically for helium in northeastern Arizona in the 1960s and 1970s. All production came from fields in Apache County (Figure 1). Three fields were located in the Holbrook Basin south of the Defiance uplift about 35 miles northeast of Holbrook. One field was located in the Four Corners area north of the Defiance uplift near the small community of Teec Nos Pos. Helium-rich gas was discovered in the Dineh-bi-Keyah oil field on the northeastern flank of the Defiance uplift in the late 1960s but was not produced until 2003. Helium concentrations range from trace amounts up to 10% in the Holbrook Basin and Four Corners area. Both areas have good potential for additional discovery and production of helium. Helium content in gas is generally considered to be of commercial interest when the concentration is above 0.3%. Most of the helium produced in the United States is extracted from natural gas from fields in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. The extracted helium is processed into a crude helium product, which varies from 50% to 80% helium, and is ultimately purified to a Grade-A helium product, which is 99.995% or better. Most helium is shipped as a liquid to distribution centers in trucks from where it is sold as bulk liquid helium or gasified and compressed into tanks and small cylinders for delivery to end users.

On the Colorado Plateau in NE Arizona, helium is found in Paleozoic age sediments. According to AZGS, “There appears to be a correlation between … diatremes [volcanic pipes that consist mainly of breccia] and other deep-seated intrusive rocks and the presence and production of helium. Helium is often associated with carbon dioxide which is produced from wells for use in petroleum recovery. Helium is also a byproduct of oil and gas production.

Helium has two potential sources within the earth. First, it could be primordial. i.e., it was part of the original formation of the planet. The deep Precambrian crystalline rocks beneath the sediments on the Colorado Plateau could provide this source.

The second source is radioactive decay of uranium and thorium in the Earth’s crust. The isotopic composition of helium in Arizona indicates that most was derived from radioactive decay.

The Arizona Geological Survey estimates that the potential for additional helium discovery in the Colorado Plateau is very good. In fact, one geologist said the potential in the Four Corners region was “enormous.”

See also:

Petroleum and Natural Gas Potential of the Paradox Basin

Arizona may become a major producer of potash

Gold in Arizona

Old mines of the Tucson Mountains

Oracle Ridge Mine on Mount Lemmon