A tracer test tracks how injected water or gas moves between wells. Petrofine adds a very small amount of safe, non-hazardous tracer to an injection well and monitors nearby producers to see when and how it arrives. The results show fluid pathways, reservoir connectivity, and sweep efficiency, helping operators understand where injected fluids are going.

Water injection is one of the largest costs in secondary recovery. If injected water is flowing through high-permeability zones or fractures instead of contacting oil, much of that cost is wasted. A tracer test shows how the flood is performing so operators can adjust injection and production strategies to improve oil recovery and lower water-handling costs.

Tracer injection typically takes less than a day. Sampling continues for several days to several weeks depending on reservoir conditions. In low-permeability or high-volume systems, monitoring may extend longer to capture the full tracer response. Results are provided after laboratory analysis and data interpretation.

No. Tracers are injected in extremely small amounts, do not react with reservoir fluids or rock, and do not interfere with production equipment or rates. All operations continue normally during and after the test.

We tailor every program to the specific field. Typical inputs include reservoir temperature, pressure, injection and production rates, well spacing, fluid type, and produced-water salinity or chemistry. This information allows us to select the most suitable tracer, design the injection plan, and develop a sampling schedule that yields clear, reliable data.

Petrofine provides all specialized equipment, including tracer chemicals, injection pumps, sampling gear, and laboratory analysis. You provide an injection well, one or more production wells, electrical power of about 25 kilowatts, and a water tank for tracer preparation.

Tracer selection depends on reservoir type and injected fluid. Common options include halides, alcohols, esters, and fluorescent dyes. All tracers are safe, stable, and detectable at very low concentrations. Each is selected for conservative transport, meaning it moves with the injected phase without reacting or adsorbing in the reservoir.

Tracer tests are effective in most conventional sandstone and carbonate reservoirs and can be adapted for fractured or complex systems. Each test is designed to reflect site-specific geology, injection strategy, and fluid behavior.

Yes. Tests can be conducted in hydraulically fractured wells to understand fluid movement within fracture networks. If the objective is to evaluate fracture connectivity or identify dominant flow paths, we design the test to capture those parameters accurately.

There is no strict minimum rate. The key requirement is stable injection and production throughout the test period. Consistent rates allow for accurate tracking of the tracer signal and reliable interpretation of reservoir behavior.

No. Petrofine tracer tests have been successfully implemented worldwide in onshore, offshore, desert, arctic, and mature fields. All tracers meet U.S. and international safety, transport, and environmental standards.