SAUDI Aramco is deploying cutting-edge technology to boost both its proven reserves and recovery rates from its giant fields.

The company believes this approach, coupled with conventional exploration efforts, is bound to increase its reserve base significantly and cement its position as the world’s leading energy supplier.
Top executives hope that advances in technology will help increase oil in-place by a further 200 billion barrels. Meanwhile, company president Abdallah Jumah says the onus is on Aramco’s engineers and scientists to stretch recovery rates to 70 per cent.
“At Saudi Aramco we are starting to raise recoveries in some fields to the level of 70 per cent of original oil-in-place,” Jumah says.
“In fact, I have challenged our professionals to set that recovery level as the target for as many of our oilfields as possible.”
This could be achieved through the use of technologies such as extended reach wells, intelligent completions, and improved monitoring and reservoir management strategies. “There is also tremendous potential to find significant yet-to-be-discovered oil by applying emerging technologies and extending the search to new frontier areas,” Jumah adds.
Operations chief Khalid Al-Falih recently challenged geoscientists to hone existing technologies and help create new ones to maximise reservoir recovery.
“We at Saudi Aramco have challenged our earth scientists and engineers to set their sights high and add nearly 200 billion more barrels of oil in-place, and to recover up to 70 per cent of the original oil-in-place from our major producing fields.”
Falih admits the goal is challenging given that the world currently recovers on average around half of that.
“For improved recovery, we aim to move in the next few years from MRC (multiple reservoir contact) wells to next-generation extreme reservoir contact wells, which will feature 10, 20, perhaps even 50 laterals snaking through the pay zone,” Falih says.
“Other future technologies on our books include the use of nano-robots to enter reservoir rock pores and pore throats.”
Aramco hopes its oil in-place will rise from 716 billion barrels now to 900 billion by 2025 as new reserves are added. The company predicts that eventually 150 billion barrels of the new oil in-place can be converted to recoverable reserves, raising its proven base by 60 per cent to more than 400 billion barrels.
Head of exploration and production Amin Nasser says the company plans to increase its resource base and recovery factors by investing in “intelligent fields”.