Paper: REVITALIZING MATURE OIL ASSESTS AN INTRODUCTION TO POWERWAVE TECHNOLOGY

To bridge the gap between supply and demand companies must institute new technologies to aid in the exploitation of remaining reserves. The PowerwaveTM process is an injection technology that improves the flow of fluids in geological materials. When effectively implemented, it is the most efficient way to accelerate fluid flow and disperse a liquid through a porous medium. The technology works in a wide range of geological materials, including sedimentary soils and fractured rock. These materials are composed of a solid matrix and pore structure, which contain fluids such as gas and oil. These fluids move through the pore networks or preferential flow paths established during the formation of the geological material. The process generates a fluid pulse that causes momentary elastic flexure of the pore structure; which allows fluid to move into and out of a larger number of pore networks thus obtaining a more uniform injection front. The paper will review the science and engineering of the technology as well as several field results.