DI has been actively involved in the development of horizontal waterflood technology for the improved recovery of oil from low permeability reservoirs. The process uses one or more horizontal injection wells together with parallel, horizontal producing wells. The figure depicts a three-well pattern, in which gas and/or water is injected into a central injection well and oil recovered from the two adjacent parallel producing wells. Gas may be optionally injected to achieve a fast response in oil production. Water may then be injected to achieve a more sustained oil response over a longer period of time.

Horizontal waterflooding is applicable in reservoirs that are vertically continuous and which have low permeability. Conventional waterflooding may not have been cost-effective due to the relatively large number of vertical wells required to displace the oil at a sufficient rate. Horizontal well flooding may be particularly attractive in such reservoirs due to the ability to inject large volumes of water at low pressures (below the fracture-parting pressure) and the improved ability to capture the mobilized crude oil.

DI can assist the client in evaluating the merits of the process for a particular reservoir by simulating the expected performance from a proposed horizontal well pattern and by assessing the economics.