Recent Advances of Ultrasound Applications in the Oil and Gas Industry

•Analysis showed that 85% of published studies involve laboratory tests revealing a gap with theoretical and field studies.•Cavitation and thermal effects caused by acoustic fields are the most accepted mechanisms influencing US stimulation.•The application of US waves has shown boosts of >90% in oil recovery rates, and a decrease of >80% in viscosity values.•Combination of US with another EOR method improves efficiency beyond that obtained using only the standalone techniques.