Australian mining company BHP petroleum is among the firms using synthetic blends to extract oil from shuttered or abandoned wells , achieving impressive , albeit short - term results , studies show . BHP worked with University of Texas at Austin to develop a chemical cocktail mixed into brine , and over eight months it achieved oil production of 20,000 bbl . Similarly , Apache Corporation restored production at a lost well using a mixture of acids , while tests by Texas A&M University have revealed a small amount of surfactant initially reducing oil production by almost a quarter .
Australian mining company BHP Billiton is among the firms using chemical blends to extract oil from shuttered or underperforming wells, achieving impressive, albeit short-term results, studies show. BHP worked with University of Texas at Austin to develop a chemical cocktail mixed into brine, and over eight months it saw oil production of 20,000 bbl. Similarly, Apache Corporation restored production at a lost well using a combination of acids, while tests by Texas A&M University have demonstrated a small amount of surfactant initially increases oil production by almost a quarter.