Belarusian-Russian project for better difficult oil recovery

A thermal gas impact technology will be assimilated as part of the Belarusian-Russian innovative project Visha-Termogaz to increase the effectiveness of the extraction of residual difficult oil by 37 percentage points, BelTA learned from Vladimir Goshkis, Chief Engineer of the Belarusian industrial group Belorusneft, on 15 July.

Vladimir Goshkis took part in the ceremony to commission an air compressor station in the area of the Vishanskoye oil deposit in Oktyabrsky District, Gomel Oblast. The station is designed to pump air into geologic horizons. In his words, the joint project by the Russian company OAO Zarubezhneft and the Belarusian industrial group Belorusneft is aimed at the experimental industrial assimilation of the new technology in Belarus’ Polesie area and has a great future. “It is very important for us taking into account that the resource base of hydrocarbons in Belarus are constantly shrinking. Thanks to the new technology it will be possible to increase the oil recovery ratio from 23% at present to 60%. Together with Russian partners we have come up with the theory and are now satisfied with being able to get down to practice today,” he said.

The idea to use the thermal gas impact technology in carbonaceous rock in the Pripyat depression emerged in late 2011 when OAO Zarubezhneft and Belorusneft signed an agreement on strategic partnership. Zarubezhneft’s R&D divisions became actively involved in the innovative project. Zarubezhneft and Belorusneft also have plans to form and promote the joint intellectual property for this R&D product and similar R&D products, plans to provide engineering and consulting services, carry out research, design, and analytical work.

The Belarusian industrial group Belorusneft was founded in 1966. The company specializes in the surveying, prospecting and development of oil fields, well drilling, oil and associated petroleum gas extraction in Belarus and a number of other countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Ecuador.

OAO Zarubezhneft emerged in 1967 as the enterprise Zarubezhneft. Specialists of the enterprise have helped create the national oil and gas industries of Iraq, Vietnam, Syria, Yemen, and other countries. The joint venture Vietsovpetro, which was set up in 1981 to develop the southern parts of Vietnam’s continental shelf, is the most effective foreign project of the Russian company. Since the enterprise was established, it has extracted about 200 million tonnes of oil.