Most producing reservoirs worldwide are mature, and the rate of new discoveries has not kept pace with depletion. The largest remaining resource in many operating companies is not undiscovered oil — it is the oil left behind in fields already on production. Residual oil trapped by capillary forces after waterflooding, and bypassed oil left in poorly swept zones, together represent the primary target of Enhanced Oil Recovery.

EOR processes recover this oil by modifying the fluid-fluid and rock-fluid properties that control displacement efficiency. Miscible gas injection eliminates interfacial tension between the injected fluid and the oil. Thermal methods reduce oil viscosity by orders of magnitude. Chemical floods lower interfacial tension, improve mobility control, or alter wettability. Each mechanism addresses a specific cause of poor recovery, which is why process selection must start from a diagnosis of why oil is being left behind in a particular reservoir. Applying the wrong process to the wrong reservoir is the most common cause of failed EOR projects, and disciplined screening is the first defence against it. This course builds that discipline, giving engineers the technical basis to evaluate, select, and plan EOR applications with confidence.

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Explain the difference between primary, secondary, and tertiary recovery, and quantify the target oil for EOR in a given reservoir
• Describe the microscopic and macroscopic displacement mechanisms that control recovery efficiency, including capillary number, mobility ratio, and sweep efficiency
• Analyse the governing mechanisms of thermal recovery processes including steam flooding, cyclic steam stimulation, SAGD, and in-situ combustion
• Evaluate miscible and immiscible gas injection processes, including CO2 flooding, hydrocarbon gas injection, nitrogen injection, and WAG schemes
• Assess chemical EOR methods — polymer, surfactant, alkaline, and ASP flooding — and the laboratory data required to design them
• Apply industry-standard screening criteria to rank candidate reservoirs for each EOR process
• Estimate incremental recovery, injection requirements, and key uncertainties for a proposed EOR application
• Identify the data acquisition, pilot design, and surveillance requirements of an EOR project
• Interpret performance data from ongoing EOR projects and diagnose common operational problems

The course is delivered through structured technical lectures supported by worked examples, screening exercises, and field case histories drawn from thermal, gas, and chemical EOR projects worldwide. Each process is developed from its governing mechanism through to field application, so participants see the connection between reservoir physics, laboratory measurements, and project performance. Class discussion is encouraged throughout, and participants are welcome to bring questions from their own fields for discussion.

Organisations sending participants to this training will:

• Build in-house capability to screen and rank their reservoir portfolio for EOR potential
• Reduce the risk of committing capital to poorly matched EOR processes
• Improve the quality of EOR feasibility studies, pilot proposals, and development plans
• Strengthen technical dialogue between reservoir, production, and facilities teams on EOR projects
• Make better-informed decisions on laboratory programs and data acquisition for EOR evaluation
• Extend the economic life and ultimate recovery of mature producing assets

Participants will:

• Gain a solid working knowledge of all major EOR processes and their governing mechanisms
• Be able to screen a reservoir against established EOR criteria and defend the result
• Understand the laboratory and field data needed to evaluate and design an EOR application
• Read and critically assess EOR feasibility studies and vendor proposals

• Reservoir engineers involved in field development planning or mature field management
• Production engineers working on waterflood or EOR assets
• Petroleum engineers evaluating incremental recovery opportunities
• Geologists and petrophysicists supporting EOR screening and characterisation studies
• Asset managers and team leaders responsible for mature field performance
• Facilities and process engineers supporting injection projects
• Government and regulatory professionals reviewing EOR development plans

Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded an official Certificate of Completion issued by the Petroleum Engineers Association (PEA), an ISO 9001:2015 certified training organization. The certificate carries 10 Credits and formally records the total learning hours completed.

Each certificate is signed by the Course Facilitator and the CEO of the Petroleum Engineers Association, and serves as verifiable proof of professional training that delegates can present to employers and professional bodies worldwide.