‘Smart water’ may help boost production from oil wells by 60 percent

Researchers in Norway report that injecting a special type of seawater called “smart water” into certain low-yield oil wells may help boost oil extraction by as much as 60 percent. The study could help meet rising energy demands and provide consumers with some financial relief at the gas pump in the future, the scientists suggest. Their findings are scheduled for the Sept. 10 issue of ACS’ Energy & Fuels, a bi-monthly journal.

In the new study, Tor Austad and colleagues note that more than 50 percent of the world’s oil reserves