Oil related microbiology

Terje Torsvik
UNI - CIPR
CENTRE FOR INTEGRATED PETROLEUM RESEARCH

Important microbial processes in oil production:

Reservoir souring
Microbial Influenced Corrosion (MIC)
Produced water reinjection (PWRI)
Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

VFA
VFB

Reservoir souring in offshore oil production

Sea water is injected into the reservoir as
pressure support
Oxygen is removed to reduce corrosion
p
Sea water contains 28 mM sulphate
Sea water injection promotes growth of SRB in
the water injection system and in the
reservoir
SRB use sulphate for respiration:
2 H S
SO422

H2S cause problems

bl
b
because it iis ttoxic
i and
d corrosive
i
Traditionally biocides have been used to inhibit SRB
An alternative method based on nitrate injection have been developed
in collaboration with Statoil and Hydro

Microbial production of H2S in the oil reservoir

H2S production increases
dramatically over the
lifetime of a production
well.
High H2S levels may
result
lt in
i shut
h t down
d
off the
th
well and reduced oil and
gas production.
H2S is toxic and
corrosive
Strong restrictions on
H2S concentration in
export gas

Ref. : Sunde et al. (1993). Field related mathematical

model to predict and reduce reservoir souring. SPE
25197 (1993)

Laboratory experiments:
Effect of nitrate injection on H2S production

Sulphide production and nitrate injectin in column.

mM H2S
1,4

mM NO3

mM H2S, NO3-

1,2
1,0
0,8
0,6
0,4
0,2
0,0
100

300

500

700
Time (days)

Ref : Myhr et al.

Ref.:
al (2002).
(2002) Inhibition of microbial H2S production in an oil reservoir
model column. Appl. Microbiol Biotechnol 58: 400-408.

900

1100

Gullfaks Water injection system

Monitoring SRB in the field:

Biofilm sampling

Sampling point

Sampling point

Biocoupons collected from pipiline

Placed in box for anaerobic transportation
Filled up with anaerobic injection sea water

Metal coupons incubated in pipeline

Measuring microbial activity

in the water injection system

The biofilm is analyzed for microbial activity

GAB

SRB

NRB

Water injection system at Gullfaks.

Bacteria in biofilm before and after nitrate treatment
1,0E+10
1,0E+09
1,0E
09
1,0E+08

1 0E 06
1,0E+06
1,0E+05
1,0E+04
1,0E+03
1,0E+02

Time (months)
Biocide (glutaraldehyde)
SRB-FA
SRB
FA
SRB-MPN
NRB
Total bacteria

Nitrate (start oct. 99)

Detection limit FA method: 1e+05 cells/cm2

Detection limit MPN method: 6 cells/cm2

feb.03

mar.02

may.01

aug.00

feb.00

may.99

mar.98

feb.97

jun.96

nov.94

apr.94

mar.93

dec.91

jun.90

1,0E+00

jul.95

1,0E+01
,
feb.89

Log cells/cm
m2

1,0E+07

Nitrate added

1,2
25

1,0
20

0,8
15

0,6
10

0,4

0,2
5

0,0
0

Corrosion rate
SRB activity
SRBactivity
Time (month)

Sulphate
e respiration
n rate (g H2S/cm2/da
ay)

apr.94
p.94
sep
novv.94
mar.95
ul.95
ju
occt.95
mar.96
jun
n.96
sep
p.96
decc.96
feb
b.97
mar.97
mayy.97
aug
g.97
novv.97
jan
n.98
feb
b.98
mar.98
mayy.98
sep
p.98
dess.98
mayy.99
aug
g.99
novv.99
feb
b.00
jun
n.00
aug
g.00
novv.00
dess.00
feb
b.01
mayy.01
aug
g.01
novv.01
mar.02
ul.02
ju
occt.02
feb
b.03
jun
n.03

Corrosion rate (mm/yyear)

SRB activity and corrosion rate at GFB

H2S in produced water on Gullfaks C

m g H 2 S /litree w a te r

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
nov-97

measured mg H2S in water

Theoretical H2S development

Start of nitrate injection

sep-98

jul-99

mai-00

feb-01

des-01

okt-02

aug-03

Date
Sunde, Egil; Lilleb, Bente-Lise Polden; Bdtker, Gunhild; Torsvik, Terje; Thorstenson, Tore. H2S inhibition by nitrate
injection on the Gullfaks field. NACE Corrosion 2004, Paper No 04760; 2004

Produced Water Reinjection (PWRI)

Produced Water Reinjection (PWRI) has been used on platforms,
mainly due to requirements from the Norwegian Pollution Agency
regulating release of hydrocarbons to the sea.
In the event of permission to produce oil in the Barents Sea, there
y
to the environment.
must be zero release of hydrocarbons
Challenges:
High temperature stimulate growth of thermophilic SRB
Increased supply of VFA in the injected water stimulate reservoir
souring

PWRI at Statfjord

Microboal analysis of
back flooded injection
water

Injection water:
Cold sea water (StA)
Hot produced water (StC)

Ocean floor

Injection water

Injection well

Production well

St A and B: Sea water

St C: Produced water

Oil reservoir

Samples
p

Back-flooded injection water from wells 3000 meters below sea floor.
From each injector: 9 samples taken at different times (0 96 hours)
of back-flooding.

Sample

Statfjord A

Statfjord B

Statfjord C

Injected with

Sea water

Sea water

Produced water

Temperature

30 C
C

30 C
C

60 C
C

Treatment

Souring potential
H2S mg/liter
(calculated by Statoil)

Deoxygenated,
Deoxygenated, Deoxygenated,
biocide treatment nitrate treatment 75 % produced water
25 % seawater
30

<1

200-400

Principal component analysis of native populations at St A and C

1.0

epsilon
Thermoc

Statfjord A (StA)
Statfjord C (StC)
Produced water (PW)

Archaeog
Actinob
Deferrib
StC

delta

Backflow

StA

beta

-1.0

PW

-0
0.6
6

Firmic

alpha

12
1.2

K. Lysnes, G. Bdtker, T. Torsvik, E. . Bjrnestad & Egil Sunde:

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol (2009) 83:11431157

MEOR
Principles reservoir effects

MOBILISED RESIDUAL OIL

Y
D
IT
CE
IL
DU ER AB
RE AT ME
W ER
P

IN R
TE E
R D
TE FA UC
NS CI ED
IO AL
N

BACTERIA + OIL + N + P + O2

ENHANCED SWEEP EFFICIENCY

Microbial biofilm on oil

crude oil

Bacterial colony
surrounded by water

IFT laser-light
laser light scattering
Best suited for low values (< 30 mN/m)
Measurement range is 102 10-5 mN/m
Method has been successfully applied down to 10-4 mN/m

Bacterum: Dietsia maris

D d k
Dodekan,
aerobic
bi synthetic
th ti sea water
t
100
OW IFT
OWB IFT
10

4.0 ml/h

IFT (mN/m)

0.9 ml/h
1.8 ml/h
1

2.7 ml/h
5.4 ml/h

0,1

0,01

0,001
0

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

Run time (days)

Kowalewski, E., Ruesltten, I., Gilje, E., Sunde, E., Bdtker, G., Lilleb, B.L.P., Torsvik, T., Stensen, J.., Bjrkvik, B.
and Strand,
Strand K.A.,
K A 2005,
2005 "Interpretation
Interpretation of Microbial Oil Recovery from Laboratory Experiments
Experiments", Paper presented at the
13th European Symposium on Improved Oil Recovery, Budapest, Hungary, Apr 25-27

Hopeman sandstone core

L b t
Laboratory
experiments
i
t

45 cm long, 5 cm diameter
Statfjord model oil
Fl rate:
Flow
t 0,1
0 1 ml/min
l/ i = 1 PV/d

Anoxic synthetic
seawater

Sor

0,38

Microbes,, O2, N,, P

0,36

0,34

0,32
0

10

Time (days)

15

20

MEOR at Norne
Injection of aerobic seawater from start in
1997
MEOR implemented in January 2001 by
adding N and P to the injection water to
stimulate bacterial growth in the reservoir
Nitrate is also added in order to inhibit
reservoir souring

MEOR at Norne
2002: Increased oil production from MEOR at Norne
900 000 m3
1 % of p
producible oil
At an oil price 20 $ per barrel and 1$= 5 NOK this
pp
y 750 000 000 NOK.
amounts to approximately
((Reported
p
from Norne to OD in 2002))