The recovery of oil that involves complex and very expensive methods such as the injection of steam, chemicals, gases, or heat, as compared to primary recovery, which involves depleting a naturally flowing reservoir, or secondary recovery, which usually involves repressuring or waterflooding.
Recovery of hydrocarbons from a reservoir by sophisticated methods, for example, heating reservoir or enlarging pore spaces using chemicals. (see also Primary and Secondary Recovery)
Enhanced methods for the recovery of oil and natural gas that require a means for displacing the oil or natural gas from the reservoir rock, modifying the properties of the fluids in the reservoir and/or the reservoir rock to cause movement of the oil or natural gas in an efficient manner and providing the energy and drive mechanism to force its flow to a production well.
The third major phase of recovery of oil or gas, the quantities recovered being over and beyond what could be produced by primary and secondary recovery technology; generally involves using sophisticated techniques such as heating the reservoir to reduce the viscosity of the oil.
The recovery of reserves using secondary recovery techniques plus an additional component such as chemicals, steam or heat.
n: 1. the use of improved recovery methods that not only restore formation pressure but also improve oil displacement or fluid flow in the reservoir. 2. the use of any improved recovery method to remove additional oil after secondary recovery. Compare primary recovery, secondary recovery.
See "recovery - tertiary".
The third major phase of crude oil recovery which involves using more sophisticated techniques, such as steam flooding or injection of chemicals, to increase recovery.