Elio Dean is the Chief Technology Officer at X Oil Development and the President of Surtek, Inc. He joined Surtek in 2011 as a Senior Reservoir Engineer, focusing on working with operators to implement enhanced oil recovery (EOR) projects. In 2019, Elio and his partners at X Oil acquired Surtek. The following year, they established X Oil Development to participate in improved oil recovery (IOR) and EOR projects as a working interest partner. Before joining Surtek, Elio was a Senior Reservoir Engineer at ExxonMobil Development Company, where he worked on water and gas EOR projects in Angola and Russia. Elio holds a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering and an M.S. in Energy Economics from the Colorado School of Mines. He also served for seven years as a Professor of Practice in the university’s Petroleum Engineering Department.

Stephen Whitaker has been working as a Senior Petroleum Geologist at the Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute in Casper since February 2017. He began his career as an exploration geologist in 1978 working, primarily in the Powder River and Williston basins. Since then, he has worked for both major and independent oil companies as well as a 6-year period with the Illinois State Geological Survey. He ran his own oil company for 16 years, during which time he generated drillable prospects, secured funding, drilled wells, and operated 25 of his own oil wells.   He has authored several publications focused on new exploration concepts and on methods for improving and enhancing oil production. Steve holds a Bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Southern California and a Master’s Degree in geology from the University of Colorado.

Abstract:

Skull Creek Field is in many ways similar to hundreds of other mature fields in Wyoming in that it is nearing its economic limit after decades of waterflooding. Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) methods are required if the life of this field is to be extended.  After detailed geologic mapping of the Muddy reservoir at Skull Creek, a portion of this field was selected for a pilot effort to test the effectiveness of an EOR project utilizing Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) to determine whether this method is economically viable.

Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) are a known solvent for crude oil and have long been considered for EOR efforts. In the past, however, NGLs were too expensive to use on a large scale. The influx of NGLs produced from unconventional reservoirs has drastically reduced their cost and now makes it viable to test their viability for EOR projects. Some of the advantages of NGL-EOR are that they can be utilized in low-pressure fields not feasible for gas flooding and that NGLs are compatible with existing oilfield equipment, eliminating the need for costly replacement of existing infrastructure.  A successful pilot program can have far-reaching effects for future EOR projects in Wyoming.