Abstract
The intent of this paper is to summarize the IOR evolution in Brazil and its perspectives for the future. First of all, a brief history of the oil industry in Brazil is presented, with special prominence to the establishment of the oil industry monopoly in 1953. Next, the main IOR efforts carried out by the industry are reported, beginning in the sixties with water injection in onshore fields, and subsequently with the use of several tertiary recovery methods. The gradual increase in oil production in offshore areas, as from the late seventies, changed the IOR panorama. Presently, water injection is the main IOR activity in offshore fields, which account for approximately 74% of the Brazilian daily oil output. The discovery of oil in deeper waters, as well as more recent facts, such as the enactment of the law breaking, in 1997, the mentioned Brazilian oil industry monopoly, added new components to the industry organization. These new facts can be of major importance in the future development of IOR activities in Brazil
