Australian mining company BHP Austin 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 Billiton 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.
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.