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How to Increase Pressure & Force Hard-To-Reach Oil to the Surface of Old Wells

As oil reserves decrease there is a greater need to reach inaccessible oil that has too little pressure to be brought to the surface using conventional drilling and capping techniques. Moreover, existing oil wells that are no longer profitable due to low pressure can be recovered, i.e., secondary and tertiary recovery, using various techniques including injecting pressurized gas, air and water into existing wells, priming oil out of wells using a jet pumping system and heating thick viscosity oil to make it flow easier.

Things You'll Need

Oil drill bit
Pressurized water
Pressurized air
Petroleum jet pump
Steam injector

Instructions

- 1
  
  Drill and cap a second well for secondary and tertiary oil collection.
  
  Drill a second well into the oil reservoir. It is important that this second well is as near the edge of the reservoir as possible in consideration of pushing the remaining oil through the original well with the pressurized water and air method.
- 2
  
  Increasing the well's pressure is a reliable method of secondary extraction.
  
  Insert pressurized water into the secondary well at a pressure proportionate to the pressure that matches the specifications of the original well. If the original well is at zero pressure, then the water pressure needs to be adjusted accordingly. If there is some pressure in the original well, then subtract this pressure from the water pressure you put into the secondary well.
- 3
  
  The air pressure method is more risky than the water pressure method.
  
  Insert pressurized air or gas into the secondary well, gradually increasing the pressure. The reason for a gradual increase in pressure is that a sudden spike in oil pressure can occur due to air pressure having more influence on the surrounding rocks within the oil reservoir. This means that additional unreleased pressure can quickly push oil through the original well and exceed the pressure specifications of the oil extractor.
- 4
  
  Like a traditional water pump, oil can be extracted by priming and pumping.
  
  Lower a petroleum jet pump into the oil reservoir and pump out the remaining oil. Before using this method, heating the oil, as in the step below, will make best use of the pump, as thick viscosity oil can clog the pump and make extraction more complicated.
- 5
  
  Steaming an oil well can be combined with an oil pump for optimum results.
  
  Inject the secondary well with steam to increase the temperature of the oil. This will lower its viscosity and increase its pressure, thereby activating the original oil well. This method is best when the above methods fail, and that is why it is called a tertiary technique. Once the viscosity is thinned and the pressure is increased, up to 10 percent more of the oil can be extracted.

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