It may sound different as it?s not merely tapping the rocks. There is good news for the oil companies ? a technology enhances oil recovery process from the oil wells.
National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Hyderabad has initiated a pilot project to help reduce viscosity in heavy oil wells and make oil lighter in nature, thereby leading to an increase in the total production.The project is carried out the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in association with a Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
According to VP Dimri, director, the institute is planning to decrease the viscosity using carbondioxide (CO2) using secondary techniques, which tends to make the oil lighter in nature. This means oil recovery from the wells is increased. As part of this project, the institute along with a Norway-based research group Trondhein, have submitted a proposal to the Sintef which has agreed in-principle for the project.
?Usually, oil comes out on its own in the wells due to pressure inside. However, an extra effort is needed to remove the remaining oil in the well. This enhanced oil recovery project, using CO2, helps to extract the remaining thereby increasing the total production,?Dimri explained. The next in the pipeline is CO2 sequestration for controlling global warming. As nuclear thermal plants and coal fields generate lot of carbondioxide, the institute is working to dump them or use it for enhanced oil recovery process.