MUSCAT: Hydraulic fracturing could provide Oman with a faster and more cost-effective way of unlocking millions of barrels of heavy oil from ageing wells, according to a newly published white paper by Oman-based integrated energy-services company Abraj Energy Services.
The paper, ‘Production Enhancement of Heavy Oil Reservoirs in Oman’, highlights the technology’s potential as an alternative or complement to more capital-intensive enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods.
According to publicly-traded Abraj Energy Services - a subsidiary of OQ Exploration & Production (OQEP), hydraulic fracturing can bridge a gap between low-productivity primary recovery and large-scale EOR projects such as steam and polymer flooding. While conventional EOR techniques have delivered significant production gains in Oman, they can require substantial infrastructure, energy, water and upfront investment. Hydraulic fracturing, by contrast, can be deployed on existing wells relatively quickly and at lower cost, allowing operators to target individual wells rather than committing to field-wide infrastructure.
ABRAJ says its approach has already demonstrated the potential to revive mature heavy-oil wells. In a pilot conducted in South Oman in partnership with Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), the company treated an ageing well whose production had fallen to a point where its pump could operate for only about eight hours a day. Following the hydraulic fracturing treatment, the well was able to operate continuously for 24 hours, while oil production rose to approximately three times its pre-treatment level. The improved output was sustained for months, transforming a marginal asset facing possible abandonment into a productive well.
The white paper argues that the economics become particularly compelling where operators are dealing with mature wells that still contain significant volumes of recoverable heavy oil but are producing at low rates. Its comparison of recovery approaches shows steam flooding carrying high infrastructure, cost and deployment requirements, while polymer flooding also involves medium-to-high resource and infrastructure commitments. Hydraulic fracturing is presented as a shorter-deployment, lower-cost intervention that can deliver a meaningful production uplift without the extensive infrastructure associated with full-field EOR.
ABRAJ attributes the results to an integrated approach combining reservoir analysis, candidate-well selection, tailored treatment design and controlled execution. The company says the objective is not to alter the reservoir itself, but to create more effective pathways through which heavy oil can flow towards the wellbore.
“We’re unlocking the potential of Oman’s heavy oil through innovative hydraulic fracturing. Our approach transforms aging wells into high-performing assets, delivering rapid production gains and cost-efficient operations,” ABRAJ said in a post.
The company believes the opportunity extends well beyond the South Oman pilot. With hundreds of ageing wells across Oman potentially facing similar production declines, the white paper estimates that hydraulic fracturing could unlock millions of barrels of otherwise stranded oil and extend the productive lives of existing assets.
The technology also does not necessarily displace conventional EOR, ABRAJ notes. Hydraulic fracturing can be integrated with waterflooding, steam flooding and other recovery programmes, potentially accelerating production from selected wells while later serving as part of broader field-development strategies.
Established in 20026, ABRAJ provides drilling, workover, well stimulation, intervention and integrated project-management services across the well lifecycle.
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