After conventional production, most of the original oil is left place, leaving a huge untapped resource.

After initial discover and production, typical oil reservoirs lose the drive mechanism of gas or water that originally forced the oil to the surface.  Many oil fields produce only 12-15% of the original oil in place.  With secondary recovery methods using gas or water injection, another 15-20% of the original oil may be produced. 

Heavy oil is more difficult to produce and often does not reach even the 12-15% initial production levels typical of light weight oil.  In many cases, 85-90% of the original oil is still in the ground, awaiting production. 

Mountain West Energy’s innovative, unique IVE technology can recover up to 75% of the original oil in place that would otherwise be left stranded in the ground. 

An additional key benefit of IVE is the ability to upgrade the oil prior to production, improving its API gravity.  The IVE process improves the API gravity.  Higher API degrees translate to a higher price at the refinery.

 

World heavy oil resources are estimated at between 9-13 trillion bbl.  With the largest reserve holders in Canada, Iraq, Russia, and Venezuela. www.heavyoilinfo.com

Proven US heavy oil exceeded 113 billion barrels of which just 13% had been recovered.

- National Institute for Petroleum and Energy Research 2004 Heavy Oil Study