Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

T. Santhoshini Priya PP 9024 Enhanced Oil Recovery

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MEOR Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) is the use of microbes in petroleum reservoirs to enhance the amount of oil that can be produced. The microbes in MEOR are typically hydrocarbon-utilising, non-pathogenic micro-organisms that are naturally found in petroleum reservoirs or are introduced. As a result of their metabolic activity, the microbes excrete natural and non-toxic bio-products such as alcohols, gases, acids, surfactants and polymers.

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MICROBIAL ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY (MEOR)

Average size of microbe is one micron, 10,000th of cm. More than 27,000 species of bacteria have been identified. The bacteria, which can be mobile or nonmobile, have three basic shapes: round (coccus), rod (bacillus) and spiral (spirillum). Microbes are the most primitive earth's single celled organisms.

Their basic role in life is to recycle the components of living organisms, converting them to the nutrient chemicals used by plants in photosynthesis & chemosynthesis.
Shape of Microbes
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MICROORGANISMS

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The term microorganisms encompasses five major group of organisms. Viruses Fungi Algae Protozoa and bacteria

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MICROORGANISMS

Second division of micro organism is the eukaryotic

microbes which includes fungi, algae and protozoa. The third division of micro organisms that can be

distinguished by its physical characteristics is the prokaryotes

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Bacteria
Bacteria have two distinguished structural features that are: A rigid cell wall that determines the shape of the organism, which may be either cylindrical or spherical and those that are

mobile that possess flagella which are responsible for their

movement. Difference in the cell walls of the bacteria furnish the basis for

classification into two broad groups : gram positive and gram

negative bacteria.
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GRAM STAIN TEST METHOD

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KEY MECHANISMS FOR ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY IN MEOR

Porosity and permeability modification Wettability alteration oil solubilisation emulsification interfacial forces alteration lowering oil mobility ratio

microbial metabolic pathways alteration by sodium bicarbonate

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MICROBIAL PRODUCTS, THEIR ROLE IN ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY, AND SOME OF THE EFFECTS TO SOLVE PRODUCTION PROBLEM

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ADVANTAGES OF MEOR TECHNOLOGIES The injected bacteria and nutrient are inexpensive and easy to obtain and handle in the field. Economically attractive for marginally producing oil fields; a suitable alternative before the abandonment of marginal wells. According to a statistical evaluation (1995 in U.S.), 81% of all MEOR projects demonstrated a positive incremental increase in oil production and no decrease in oil production as a result of MEOR processes. The implementation of the process needs only minor modifications of the existing field facilities. It is less expensive to install and more easily applied than MEOR another EOR method.

ADVANTAGES OF MEOR TECHNOLOGIES

The costs of the injected fluids are not dependent on oil prices.

MEOR processes are particularly suited for carbonate oil

reservoirs where some EOR technologies cannot be applied with good efficiency.

The effects of bacterial activity within the reservoir are magnified

by their growth whole, while in EOR technologies the effects of the additives tend to decrease with time and distance.

MEOR products are all biodegradable and will not be

accumulated in the environment, so environmentally friendly.

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LIMITING FACTORS - MEOR High salinity High temperature

High pressure in oil reservoirs

pH Pore geometry

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MEOR APPLICATIONS IN ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION Some of the research prior to these MEOR projects were successful in the field of hydrocarbon-polluted environmental sites. Thus, the use of bio - surfactants in pipeline heavy oil as an oil in water emulsion and cleaning out tank sludges, the use of bacterial cells as de-emulsifiers, desulfurization, and

production of biopolymers is an effect of using products and

processes arising from MEOR into other applications.
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