EnQuest is progressing an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) project at the Kraken Field in the East Shetland Basin in the UK northern North Sea, according to the company’s latest results report.

Up to 45 MMbbl of additional recovery targeted

EnQuest envisages a two-phased deployment:

• Phase 1, involving a pilot polymer delivery at a single drill center, should help recover a further 5 MMbbl of oil.
• Phase 2, which represents a full-field development, could deliver an additional 30-40 MMbbl.

Improved polymer design supports offshore deployment

Following initial polymer testing, the partners have since chosen an improved polymer chemistry that can be delivered ready-made and blended into the injection water in-line.

The simplified design reduces topsides complexity and lowers modification and polymer system costs, while ensuring the reservoir chemicals remain compatible with FPSO process equipment.

A specialist laboratory tested the chosen polymer within live Kraken fluids across a full range of production temperatures, EnQuest added, including via the separation process on the FPSO.

Polymer injection-well modeling—completed for one Kraken drill center and calibrated against empirical well data—has confirmed that the wells can accept polymer at the optimal reservoir viscosity.

Project advancing toward FID

The partners are targeting the next decision-stage gate later this year, followed by front-end engineering design (FEED) ahead of a final investment decision (FID).

If approved, the project would represent one of the more significant offshore polymer flooding applications in the UK North Sea, where operators are increasingly pursuing EOR technologies to maximize production from mature assets rather than developing entirely new infrastructure.

Kraken fits broader life-extension strategy

The EOR program forms part of a broader effort to extend Kraken's productive life while reducing operating costs and emissions from field operations.

Other plans for Kraken include accessing the remaining 2P/2C reserves through future infill drilling as well as advancing the Bressay gas import project as a subsea tieback to the Kraken FPSO, via discussions with new joint venture partner Harbour Energy.

This could displace most of the diesel used currently to power Kraken operations, reducing emissions from the FPSO and operating costs.

And the asset team is also assessing the use of hydrogenated vegetable oil as a replacement fuel to diesel, and a flare gas recovery solution for Kraken.

Updates across EnQuest's North Sea portfolio