Sulzer uses Captured CO2 to Optimize Oil Recovery

27.05.2022
As part of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques, captured CO2 emissions that have been converted into supercritical CO2 are pumped into depleted oil reservoirs to push the remaining oil to the riser, allowing much higher recovery rates.
Sulzer uses Captured CO2 to Optimize Oil Recovery

Sulzer’s pumps are helping to optimize oil recovery while reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a pioneering project in the Middle East. (Image source: Sulzer Ltd.)

The pumped CO2 is then stored in the underground oil field, providing a perfect storage medium for the greenhouse gas. This groundbreaking circular process has the power to transform the oil and gas industry by reducing CO2 emissions while simultaneously maximizing recovery from existing oil fields – reducing the need for further oil exploration.

It is widely acknowledged that the traditional primary and secondary recovery methods for oil can leave up to 75% of the oil in the ground. Oil production from mature fields has therefore been declining and discoveries of new reservoirs will be insufficient to match growing energy demands. To reduce the need for further oil exploration, enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques are now coming to the fore, with this method using captured CO2 emissions that have been converted into supercritical CO2, showing particular promise.

Sulzer’s highly specialized pumps allow the CO2 to be pumped like a liquid, sweeping through a reservoir to push the oil to the riser with much higher efficiency than traditional methods using water. At the same time, the depleted oil fields then provide a perfect storage medium for the CO2, ensuring that it is not released into the atmosphere.

This pioneering process could therefore be a major benefit for the oil industry, providing new technology to help maximize recovery from existing oil fields, thereby reducing the need for further oil exploration, while also cutting CO2 emissions. Sulzer’s expertise is critical to the process, as the lightness and extremely high pressure of supercritical CO2 have a significant impact on the design of the pump, with most manufacturers steering clear of such applications.

Frederic Lalanne, CEO and President of Sulzer’s Flow Equipment Division commented: “As global demand for energy and materials continues to rise, it’s becoming ever more important to optimize the use of existing resources and work towards increasing renewables while also expanding the circular economy. Sulzer is committed to accelerating this transition using its engineering expertise, and this innovative process is one more example of how our technology can help to sustainably transform CO2-emitting industries”.

Source: Sulzer Ltd.

More articles on this topic

Sulzer Inaugurates New Cutting-Edge Innovation Technology Hub in Singapore

06.03.2024 -

Sulzer celebrated the official opening of its new Innovation Technology Hub (InTecH) in Singapore’s Jurong Innovation District. The new 700-square-meter Singapore-based InTecH includes a state-of-the-art chemical engineering R&D test center, laboratories and small-scale production plants. Sulzer’s Singapore InTecH will test and deliver clean process technologies to enable sustainable manufacturing in the region.

Read more

EMW Pump Reduces Maintenance Needs by Three Quarters

12.02.2024 -

After years of changing new casings and propellers every three months to their process pump, a metal industry operator switched their worn-out pump to one of Sulzer’s EMW slurry pumps at their melt shop. The client considered the change a leap forward in their slurry pumping technology since the maintenance interval grew significantly, pump efficiency improved, and the change reduced power consumption.

Read more

Condensate Pumps Retrofitted by Sulzer Offer Fourfold Improvement in MTBF

05.02.2024 -

Operators of offshore platforms are very focused on the reliability of their equipment. Working in such a remote location means that major repairs, if not carefully planned, can result in extended downtime and loss of production. For one platform in Malaysia, a change in output was shortly followed by an increased rate of seal failures on the condensate pumps – an issue that was effectively resolved with a Sulzer retrofit, through their OEM-X line service.

Read more