CHENNAI: Researchers of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) are developing indigenous processes for efficient recovery of oil from mature offshore wells, said a statement issued by the institute.
Collaborating with research laboratories in Australia, IIT Madras researchers are studying the efficacy of an emerging enhanced oil recovery method called ‘Low-Salinity Enhanced Oil Recovery’ (LSEOR).
The Research is being headed by Jitendra Sangwai, professor (Petroleum Engineering), Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras. The findings of the researchers have recently been published in two journals – Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering and Energy and Fuels.
Speaking about the research, Sangwai said, “Our research aims to develop indigenous methods for recovery of crude oil from geological reservoirs, which is a complex process. There is still much that needs to be understood in the use of LSEOR methods. We do not yet have a clear idea on the mechanism of wettability alteration that can be caused by factors such as oil composition, salt levels in water, acidity of the crude oil, mineralogy of the rock and other factors.”
The statement said leveraging on modern techniques such as LSEOR, could enable the country to meet the expected petroleum output.