A microwave based simulation study for enhanced oil recovery

This paper suggests a new mathematical model for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) using Microwaves. It incorporates both the reservoir's physical properties and the microwaves (MWs) propagation and heating features by considering various designs of the powerful MW antenna array and horn antenna. A comparative study with conventional EOR method (i.e. steam injection method) reveals that MW heating has the advantage to provide a more concentrated heating of regions of interest, leading to faster recovery with less power energy consumption. The simulation results which have been obtained under different different design of antenna array demonstrate the correctness of the model. In addition, the results reveal that an effective design of the antenna array requires a careful consideration of the properties of the actual reservoir, as well as clear localization of regions of interest.