Total: a group working on the future of the oil industry

As we all know, oil is not a renewable energy and its resources on earth are limited. That is why we need to be extra careful when using it and constantly looking for more. It is also important to keep on innovating to find ways to extract oil in more energy-saving and cost-saving ways. That is what the Total Group is constantly working on, among other numerous topics.

How can chemistry help oil recovery?

Extracting oil from natural reservoirs is not an easy task. And unlike what we can think, all the oil contained in a reservoir is not recovered because extracting methods are limited. This is why Total is working on oil recorvery, in order to increase the percentage of oil recovered. Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery, also known as Chemical EOR or C-EOR is precisely what Total is working on. It consists in adding chemicals in the injection water used to recover oil from reservoirs. Theoretically, it sounds simple but actually it is not. Real-life conditions are harder to master and it requires numerous tests and studies.

Cutting-edge equipment for hydrocarbon exploration

On top of trying to recover more oil from reservoirs, it is also important to keep on exploring to find new sources of hydrocarbon. To do so, Total invests in cutting-edge equipment to get better performance but also conduct explorations that are less risky and less expensive. For example, for an effective hydrocarbon exploration, Total’s teams have developed a 3D modeling tool to understand better basin formation. Now total is also capable of processing a large amount of seismic data thanks to a new High Performance Computing system. Finally, Total is also an expert in exploratory wells by using digital technology and laboratory resources.

All these innovations make Total one of the leading companies in the oil industry and energy industry in general.