Step-changes and new legislation will be required to face the climatic changes effects. According to recent studies (IEA, 2020), these changes are directly related to energy generation and consumption. The generation of the required energy, fossil and not, will have to solve new technological challenges. For hydrocarbons, the challenges are related to the production of unconventional, deep water deposits, heavy oil, tight and shale reservoirs, and other resources that require the implementation of new or more efficient technologies. Hydrocarbons will continue to be an important source of energy for the social and economic development of billions of people. The sustainability of the oil industry is dependent on the ability of the oil industry to reduce its carbon footprint, and to communicate this feasibility to the markets. Geophysical applications are a key for the upstream value chain, from exploration to production, making it necessary, to include geophysical research and applications in the plans and activities aimed to control and monitor the amount of emissions due to hydrocarbon production. We focus on the Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) processes, highlighting the quantifiable value that geophysics adds in the optimization of the Steam-Oil-Ratio (SOR). Vital for the feasibility of production of the global vast reserves of heavy oil, as producing a single barrel of heavy oil by steam injection produces 715 kg of CO2e, almost twice the amount produced by light oil production, at 475 kg of CO2e/bbl released to the atmosphere. Integration across disciplines is needed more than ever to ensure the aim of zero-netting carbon emissions, particularly petroleum engineering and geophysics.
Presentation Date: Monday, October 12, 2020
Session Start Time: 1:50 PM
Presentation Time: 3:55 PM
Location: 361F
Presentation Type: Oral
