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The Alphabet Soup of IOR, EOR and AOR: Effective Communication Requires a
Definition of Terms
George J. Stosur, SPE, Petroleum Consultant; J. Roger Hite, SPE, Business Fundamentals Group; Norman F. Carnahan,
SPE, Carnahan Corporation; Karl Miller, SPE, Consultant
Copyright 2003, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc.
This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE International Improved Oil Recovery
Conference in Asia Pacific held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2021 October 2003.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee following review of
information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper, as
presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to
correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any
position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Papers presented at
SPE meetings are subject to publication review by Editorial Committees of the Society of
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Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to call attention to the need
to establish a mutually acceptable definition of the terms
Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) and Improved Oil
Recovery (IOR). It is hoped that the SPE will take note of
the need to define the terms and use them as guidelines
in reviewing of manuscripts for publications and
presentations at its worldwide SPE meetings.
A
workable definition of the terms is necessary not just for
improved communication, but also for recoverable
reserves, contract negotiations, Government incentives,
taxation purposes, and regulatory authorities when
looking at fiscal issues. To get the discussion started,
the authors propose workable definitions of the IOR and
EOR terms based largely on an informal survey within
the SPE EOR/IOR Technical Interest Group (EOIO TIG).
Historical Use of the EOR and the IOR Terms
Historically, there was reasonable consensus about the
meaning of the EOR term. It was believed to denote
tertiary oil recovery processes, such as chemical,
thermal and gas miscible processes, among others. The
IOR term followed, but without definition and was
frequently used interchangeably with EOR.
The two terms have been used in a very casual way in
many different languages since the 1950's, often as
synonyms. All the early symposia organized by the SPE
and the Department of Energy used the term EOR and
were meant to cover the new and, at that time exciting
SPE 84908
completions?
Simulation?
reservoir management?
Improved
Proposed Definitions
With this much confusion around the EOR and IOR
terms in common usage, some agreement on the
definitions would be helpful and would clarify
communications. The best way to gain consensus
around these definitions would be to form an industry
committee, perhaps under the auspices of the SPE or
SPE 84908
Primary recovery
Artificial lift
Natural flow
Secondary
recovery
In
practice, such
items
as
reservoir
characterization or simulation (which are nearly
always part and parcel of any recovery concept)
are included in planning, execution and in
analyzing the technical and economic results.
Although it is possible to include such de facto
supporting activities within the definitions of
EOR and IOR, this approach complicates the
definitions considerably and we recommend
they not be included.
SPE
web
site
SPE.org,
Archives
of
EOIO@SPELIST.SPE.ORG, EOR/IOR Methods
TIG List, (December 2002 and January 2003).
Tertiary
recovery
Thermal
Combustion
Steam soak/cyclic
Huff-and-puff
Steam drive/flood
Hot water drive
Electromagnetic
Pump
gas lift
etc.
Pressure maintenance
Waterflood
Enhanced Oil
Recovery (EOR)
Gas miscible /
immiscible
CO2
Nitrogen
Flue gas
Hydrocarbon
Water
Dry hydrocarbon
gas injection
Chemical &
other
Alkaline
Micellar-Polymer
Microbial/foam
Source: Modified from Oil & Gas Journal, March 20, 2000