Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

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Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

• ABE 4660 
• Pavol Plecenik

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Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

• Relevance to microbial technology, engineering
  and humanity
• Review
• History
• Present
• Future
• Conclusions
• Research and needs

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Microbial Enhanced Oil RecoveryWhy?

• Industrialization
• Growth
• Increasing demand (liquid transportation fuel)
• Limits by permeability variation in reservoir
• Most popular (injection of Microorganisms)
• Produce surfactants, polymer, acid, alcohol,
  gases (CO2 and N2) which aid in mobilizing

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Microbial Enhanced Oil RecoveryRelevance

• To microbial technology
• To Engineering and the Oil Industry
• Chemical EOR is not as efficient
• Engineered for single wells (but can be modeled)
• To humanity

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Microbial Enhanced Oil RecoveryHistory

• First experiments in 1926
• First practical demonstration in 1940 by Claude
  Zobel
• First patent in 1944
• 1950s Americans took interest
• Clostridium acetobutylicum fermented molasses in
  wells to produce gas

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Microbial Enhanced Oil RecoveryPresently

• Acid production to dissolve carbonate rocks and
  other mineral deposits
• Dissolution of sulfate minerals
• Production of gases to repressurize the reservoir
  and push oil out of pore spaces
• Biofilm development on solid surfaces physically
  displacing oil
• Production of biosurfactants
• Viscosity reduction related to oil modification
  or gas dissolution effects

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Microbial Enhanced Oil RecoveryPresently
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Microbial Enhanced Oil RecoveryPresently
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Microbial Enhanced Oil RecoveryPresently
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Microbial Enhanced Oil RecoveryFuture
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Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

• Research Needs
• Grants (DOE)
• Research Results

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Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

• 1. Bacteria of type 012 and o6a were identified
  to produce natural gases and some alkaline
  products.
• 2. Bacteria O9 when cultured in sucrose media was
  found to produce polymers.
• 3. The organisms 012 and o6a isolated from crude
  oil generated Bio-surfactant.
• 4. The injected nutrients and bacteria caused a
  decrease in residual oil saturation after
  secondary stage.
• 5. Of the three nutrients (for indigenous
  bacteria) used in the experiments, molasses
  showed the best results in increasing oil
  recovery.
• 6. Of the three species of microorganisms used in
  this study, organisms o6a and O9 showed the best
  results in the reduction of residual oil
  saturation.
• 7. The increase in oil recovery is due to biogas,
  biosurfactant and biopolymer produced by the
  injected and indigenous bacteria. The major
  contribution to the process resulted from the
  solution gas drive created by the biogenic gas.
• 8. Some type of nutrients (especially molasses)
  and bacteria (especially o6a) show a slight
  change in wettability.
• 9. It is apparent that the changes in sandpack
  permeability have no contribution to the
  displacement process.
• 10. A very little variation in oil recovery was
  obtained by increasing salinity from 4.2 to 10.
• 11. It is recommended that extensive laboratory
  and field research should be carried out to use
  these types of bacteria in MEOR under Saudi
  reservoir conditions.
• 12. Economical evaluation of the feasibility of
  applying MEOR to the Saudi reservoir should be
  carried out.

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Questions?