Go straight to content

The advanced subsurface flow laboratory is used for the research and evaluation of subsurface flow in porous media. We offer a wide range of experimental research related to improved oil recovery (IOR), enhanced oil recovery (EOR), CO2 utilization and storage (CCUS), and special core analyses (SCAL).

Our infrastructure consists of different laboratories and equipment used for fluid flow experiments, visualization, and chemical analyses of two and three-phase fluid flow under reservoir conditions.

The equipment is flexible, scalable, and can be adapted to the various needs of the clients.

The laboratory facilities are typically used in projects for operators within the oil and gas industry, service companies, chemical suppliers, and the Research Council of Norway.

The laboratory is ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certified.

Advanced Subsurface Flow laboratory

The laboratory contributes to optimizing evaluations of the reservoir through:

  • Experiments for improved and enhanced oil recovery for water and gas methods, e.g. optimized water flooding, polymer; water diversion with chemicals, CO2-EOR and water alternating with gas (WAG)
  • Special Core Analyses (relative permeability, wettability, CO2 cap rock threshold pressure, and trapped gas measurements)
  • Petrophysical measurements (capillary pressure with resistivity measurements and rock compressibility measurements)
  • Simulation and interpretation of laboratory experiments.

The laboratory’s advanced and high-quality facilities enable researchers and engineers to perform experiments at in-situ reservoir pressure and temperature conditions.

Laboratory facilities

The laboratory is used for testing recent technology before being implemented in the oil and gas fields on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). Several of the central laboratory facilities have been developed through collaboration with the petroleum and service industries. Apparatus for ambient, semi-reservoir, or reservoir condition studies have been used in several projects, e.g.:

  • IOR and EOR flooding experiments
  • Two and three-phase steady state (SS) and unsteady state (USS) flooding experiments with X-ray (in-situ saturation monitoring - ISSM) in either vertical/horizontal positions
  • Capillary pressure and resistivity index at net confining pressure
  • Centrifuge for wettability characterization and relative permeability studies
  • Slim tube for crude oil-gas minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) studies
  • Trapped gas measurements
  • Geological storage of CO2, e.g. CO2 caprock threshold pressure measurements, convection, rock-fluid interactions, salt precipitation, and wettability alteration

Some selected equipment

  • 250+ standard core holders including seal peel core holders
  • Flooding rigs for IOR and EOR flooding experiments
  • Petrophysics rigs for capillary and resistivity measurements 
  • Flooding rigs for measuring relative permeability curves (with x-ray for measuring saturation profiles) at realistic reservoir conditions (P, T, and olive oil) 
  • Centrifuge for Pc and Kr measurements 
  • Slim tubes for gas-oil minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) studies 
  • Anton Paar Rheometer for measuring viscosity 
  • In-viscosimeter at reservoir conditions 
  • Equipment can also be tailor-made, redesigned/fixed in the workshop

Contact

Visit us

Prof. Olav Hanssensvei 15
4021 Stavanger
Norway

Contact

John C. Zuta
Research Director EOR SCAL
Petroleum Laboratories

+47 51 87 52 90
+ 47 900 71 638
jozu@norceresearch.no

NORCE logo

Contact

Postal Address: P.O.B 22 Nygårdstangen
NO-5838 Bergen

E-mail: post@norceresearch.no

Phone: +47 56 10 70 00

Visit us: See an overview of all our locations.

Privacy and Data Protection

About cookies

Invoices

NORCE Research AS

Address: P.O.B 22 Nygårdstangen

NO-5838 Bergen

Organisation number: 919 408 049.

Invoices by e-mail in PDF format: fakturamottak@norceresearch.no

Always label invoices with our order number. Where an order number is not available, label the invoice with employee ID number or name of the purchaser.

©2025 NORCE
Webredaktør