Potential research of carbon (iv) oxide enhanced oil recovery (CO 2 -EOR) in Middle East

Anthropological carbon (iv) oxide ( CO 2) emissions to the atmosphere are identified as a major driver for the global warming effect. Major CO 2 emissions sources are located within power and industrial sectors where fossil fuels are consumed to generate energy. With the anticipated escalation of global energy demand, CO 2 emissions are also expected to grow. Therefore, reducing CO 2 emissions to atmosphere is a fatal issue worldwide. Capturing CO 2 from emissions sources and injected into safe geological places for storage shows a practical mitigation strategy through CO 2 capture and storage (CCS) practices. In CCS projects, several options are available for CO 2 storage such as subsurface aquifers, coalbed bed methane formations, or depleted oil and gas reservoirs. Alternatively to these storage places, CO 2 can be utilized to enhance oil production from mature oil reservoirs. Utilization of CO 2 in enhanced oil recovery techniques (EOR) is a well known practice in oil industry. Therefore, synchronizing between the objectives of storing CO 2 and enhancing oil production to meet global demand can be achieved through CO 2 -EOR projects. The giant oil reservoirs in the Middle East represent potential places for CO 2 -EOR projects. In this paper, oil reservoirs located in the Middle East are selected to evaluate the potential of CO 2 -EOR projects in the region. These reservoirs were subjected to CO 2 -EOR screening where the fluid and rock properties are compared with a well known criteria. Furthermore, an analytical model is used to predict the performance of CO 2 -EOR in these reservoirs. The results showed that implementing CO 2 -EOR practices would enhance the oil recovery while storing a considerable amount of CO 2 in these reservoirs.