Exploitation of Thin Oil Rim with Large Gas Cap, a Critical Review

In this paper, review findings from past literature on development of thin oil rim reservoirs are presented. The review entailed going through several papers written in the subject with a view to identifying possible research gaps with opportunity of proffering solutions. The review areas that require attention include; proper definition of thin oil rim reservoir, inadequacy of the current classification of factors that affect oil rim development by non-consideration of strategic, commercial and stakeholder aspects. Other areas include; non- application of a combined depletion and flooding scheme under critical flow conditions in the Niger Delta and non-focus on controllable factors in the use of engineering design in the evaluation of thin oil rim reservoir development options. Hence in this paper we proffer thoughts on a rational definition of a "Thin oil rim reservoir", highlight some development schemes termed "novel" in this study and propose such applications in evaluation of thin oil rim reservoirs especially in the Niger Delta. The evaluation of these options suffixes as evidence that due diligence has been made in a bid to ensure a robust development plan. Finally, the paper presents discussion on recovery factor from thin oil rim reservoir developments with the objective of providing guidance on applicable ranges and highlight the opportunities in giving more focused attention and priority to the development of a thin oil rim reservoir.