This study analyzed the physical and hydrodynamic characteristics of various horizons in the Kumkol and East Kumkol oil fields by special core analysis to integrate strategies for controlling water cuts and well-intervention procedures for a more effective oil flow rate in mature oil fields in Kazakhstan. The results indicated that the recovery factor (RF) for Horizon I is 48.3% (98.7% water cut), while Horizon II has an RF of 45.5% (97.9% water cut). Horizon III has an RF of 52.7% (98.8% water cut), and Horizon IV has an RF of 32.6% (98.6% water cut) in the Kumkol Field. In the East Kumkol Field, Horizon I has an RF of 49.5% (96.7% of water cut), and Horizon II has an RF of 31% (94.9% of water cut). The average increase in oil flow rate from well optimization ranges from 5.3 to 6.4 tons per day in the Kumkol Field and 5.22 tons per day in the East Kumkol Field. The maximum increase in oil flow rate is 10.8 tons/day for Horizon I in the Kumkol Field and 6.9 tons/day for Horizon II in the East Kumkol Field. The well-intervention procedures are more effective in the Kumkol Field than in the East Kumkol Field. Given the high water cut observed in these mature reservoirs, this study also examines polymer flooding as an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique to improve oil displacement efficiency and reduce water production. Polymer flooding has been successfully implemented in high water-cut reservoirs, including the Uzen field in Kazakhstan, demonstrating its ability to modify fluid filtration profiles and enhance oil recovery. The feasibility of applying polymer flooding in the Kumkol and East Kumkol fields is analyzed, along with a comparison of its effectiveness against conventional water shut-off and well-intervention methods. Additional research is needed to assess polymer retention, reservoir compatibility, and the economic feasibility of large-scale implementation.

Oil transportation becomes much more complicated due to the solidification of paraffins in them at low temperatures and the resulting increase in oil viscosity. To solve this problem, special additives as pour point depressants (PPDs) are used to prevent the agglomeration of paraffin crystals. In this work, 15 PPDs were obtained and tested, consisting of a solution of polyethylene in hexane and also, in some cases, from magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) extracted from coal fly ash. The most effective result was observed with a mixture of 0.25% polyethylene in hexane and 2% MNPs, which managed to lower the oil’s pour point from 18 °C to −17 °C.

Saline water necessarily contained in crude oil forms complex and stable water-in-oil (w/o) emulsions with oil. Due to the negative impact of this emulsion on the oil’s transportation and refining, special materials are added to help break the emulsion and separate water. Herein, a comparative study of the demulsifying ability concerning w/o emulsion of the original and freshly milled quartz (FMQ) particles isolated from river sand was carried out. The effect of quartz with a mesh size of 75 μm on reducing emulsion stability was investigated using rheological measurements, interfacial tension measurements, demulsification tests, as well as routine methods for characterizing solid and liquid materials. With the addition of 3 wt% FMQ, 97% demulsification efficiency was achieved after 100 min of settling, against 140 min for the original quartz. The role of milling quartz is to increase the ability of water to adhere and thus locally increase the pH value; this results in a reduction in the stability of the emulsion and its destruction. The prolonging effect of quartz milling lasted about 2.5–3.0 h, after which the demulsifying ability of milled quartz became comparable to that of the starting material.

Pour point depressants (PPDs) based on functionalized polyolefins were obtained and evaluated for their efficiency in pour point reducing of Kumkol waxy crude oil (Kazakhstan), which contains 15.2 wt.% paraffin and has a pour point of +17 °C. An ethylene–propylene copolymer (EPR-505A) was treated through grafting of maleic anhydride (MA-g-PO) and then converted into three different derivatives that had an identical polymer backbone: an ester-functionalized, an amide-functionalized, and a combined ester–amide additive. The obtained products were tested at 500 g/t through kinematic viscosity measurements, equilibrium and kinetic interfacial tension analysis, pour point determination, cooling curve analysis, and optical microscopy. The ester derivative reduced the pour point by 7 °C, the amide derivative did so by 5 °C, and the combined additive achieved a 10 °C pour point reduction and a more than twofold decrease in kinematic viscosity at 0 °C. Interfacial tension measurements and adsorption kinetics allowed us to assume that ester groups govern macromolecular solubility and diffusion mobility, while amide groups enhance adsorption affinity at paraffin crystal surfaces. Their combined action shifts crystallization from a collective to a dispersed regime. These findings establish structure–activity relationships between polar group architecture and PPD efficiency.