The exploration and production (E&P) industry’s uptake of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in Malaysia has never diminished despite the headwind posed by low oil price. One of the key success factors for EOR application lies in a robust EOR formulation tailored to work in harsh reservoir condition. We developed a foaming surfactant, MFOMAXTM, which showed advancement in formulation and material sciences by being the first in the world where foams are applied at high temperature FAWAG fields. MFOMAXTM evolved from an uneconomical, not environmental friendly foaming-surfactant, into a biodegradable and 85% cheaper and shows at par performance when compared to single-component fluoro-based surfactant. The usage of MFOMAX™ has enable 4% additional recovery of oil on top of conventional WAG technique. Designing for quality and sustainability from the earliest stages can positively impact the outcomes of an EOR formulation. To enable such approaches, there is a strong need for deeper understanding on molecules functionality on foam behavior, and generation of stable foams, aided by robust formulation activities during the development process. We took a unique approach to formulation development by incorporating three surfactant components of which confer different functionalities. In combination, these components synergistically create foams that are exceptionally tolerant to high temperature and crude oil, with the merit of good environmental properties – all in a single formulation. The primary advantage of this approach is that it enables flexibility and more informed formulation development process that minimize costly iterations and reformulations as MFOMAXTM proceed into field implementation at various fields with diverse reservoir condition. MFOMAXTM development has demonstrated that understanding of molecular functionalities towards foam behavior and foam forming is paramount to enabling the success of both PETRONAS and the region’s first FAWAG. The implementation of this work will become precedence for other offshore implementations of similar scale.

Foam-assisted water alternating gas (FAWAG) formulation design: Efficiency and sustainability

255th National Meeting (2018)

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