Lanny G. Schoeling & Down W. Green, Tertiary Oil Recovery Project, University of Kansas
The Tertiary Oil Recovery Project (TORP) at the University of Kansas has been in existence since 1974. The Project is state supported and was established to conduct research on enhanced recovery processes which are applicable in Kansas and the Mid-Continent area. TORP has been investigating gelled polymer technology, which was developed to improve sweep efficiency in waterflooding and other displacement processes. The technology has been tested in several field pilot projects in the State. A number of these have been conducted as cooperative ventures between independent operators and the University. In this paper, the technology and its application in several fields are described. The manner in which the cooperative efforts have been undertaken are discussed.