PRELIMINARY THEORETICAL STUDIES IN

MICROBIAL ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY

Date: 03/04/2019
Presentation Overview

 Introduction
 Objectives
 Field Selection criteria
 Design Criteria for Field Projects
 Crucial Factors for Success of MEOR
 Methodology
 Mechanisms
 Conclusions
 References
 Introduction

• Oil Recovery or Enhanced Oil Recovery is the

process of increasing the amount recoverable
oil from a reservoir, usually by injecting a
substance into an existing oil well.

• With a conventional oil well, natural pressure in

the reservoir pushes the oil to the surface or a
pump is used to create the pressure.

• This usually results in a recovery of about 25%

of a well’s oil reserves.

• EOR can extract 30% to 60% or more of a

reservoir's oil.

• All this Enhanced Oil Recovery Methods are

costly and completely dependent on the price
of crude oil.
 Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery
• Microbial enhanced oil recovery is a method in
which microorganisms are activated using
specially prepared nutrients which helps them to
produce the metabolic products such as bio
polymers, bio surfactants, gases, acids, enzymes
etc.

• Several mechanism to recover oil through

microbial action as follows:
1.Surfactant production
2.Pugging of permeable zones.
3.Viscosity reduction
4.Improves permeability.

Insitu
MEOR Process
Exsitu
• Two crucial factors required for the success of
MEOR are: Fig: Schematic Overview of an MEOR Operation

1.Selection of Nutrients
2.Choice of Microbes
Objectives

The objective of the paper is preliminary theoretical

study of Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery and its
technology and to analyze the potential of Microbial
Recovery in competing with other conventional
recovery methods.
 Why we need Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery?

• Two-thirds of the oil ever found is still in the ground even after
primary and secondary production.
• The need of oil industry to increase oil production has led to the
improvement of biotechnology research and thus that has led to the
evaluations of microorganisms to improve oil recovery.
• Major oil fields of world and Upper Assam Basin are experiencing
decline in crude oil productions due to oil field maturity.
• Therefore alternative methods has been implemented to increase
recovery of crude oil from existing oil fields.
• So, Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery can be an option to apply in oil
fields of Upper Assam Basin to improve the recovery of residual oil.
• MEOR has not been tried on Shale (tight oil) but that is possible in the
future as the Shale Oil recovery factor is only 9%.
• 91% of the oil in shale does not get to the surface.

Fig: Oil trapped in the pore spaces of rocks

Field Selection Criteria

Absolute Permeability >75 md

Depth <7890ft

Temperature <85 0C

Ph. 6–9

Salinity <10 %

Oil Gravity >150 API

Remaining Oil Saturation >25 %

Design Criteria for Field Projects

1.Site selection

2.Sampling and analysis of well fluids

3.Selection of microbial formulation

4.Baseline determination of producing wells

5.Growth of the microbial formulation and injection of microbes and nutrients.

6.Shut in period

7.Production follow up.

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 Crucial Factors for the Success of MEOR
Selection of Nutrients
• The selection of nutrients is a very crucial factor for the success of MEOR.

• Nutrient package will be prepared mainly consists of seven components

like water, energy source, carbon source, electron acceptor, essentials
minerals, nitrogen source, growth factor, inorganic salts.

• Chemicals will be added to prepare the nutrient package based on

microorganism’s characteristics.

• Nutrient package will be prepared to get the desired metabolic products

especially bio surfactants and biopolymers.

• Chemicals that will be used to prepare the nutrients are: Ammonium

Chloride, Di Potassium Hydrogen Orthophosphate etc.

• Trace Mineral Solution that will be added to prepare the nutrients are:
Nitrilo Triacetic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Calcium Chloride etc.

• Vitamin Solution that will used to prepare the nutrients are: D-Biotin, Folic
Acid, Pyridioixide HCL, Nicotinic Acid etc.

• The best way to select nutrients is done after detailed study of the sub
surface properties like pH, salinity and trace minerals.
 Choice of Microbes

• The selection of microbe species is also and another

crucial factor in MEOR.

• They should adapt with the reservoir conditions and

produce the desired bio products.

• Microorganisms which can improve the recovery of oil in

MEOR are:

1.Bacillus
2.Pseudomonas
3.Clostridium
4. Mycobacterium
5. Micrococcus
6. Escherichia

• The best way to get the most suitable bacterial strain is

after careful laboratory studies and test on core
samples.

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 Methodology
Proposed Lab Work

1.Selection of the candidate reservoir for MEOR

1.1 Collection of Reservoir fluids and core samples

1.2 Petro physical Analysis of Formation

1.3 Formation Water Analysis

2. Selection of indigenous reservoir microorganisms

2.1 Reservoir Fluids and formation soil Testing

2.2 Identification of DNA Sequencing

2.3 Software will be used for final identification

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Methodology

3. Designing of a Nutrient Package

3.1 Water will be the source of medium where all the chemicals, minerals
and vitamins will be added to prepare the nutrients.

3.2 Nutrient package will be prepared mainly consists of seven components

like water, energy source, carbon source ,electron acceptor ,essentials
minerals ,nitrogen source ,growth factor ,inorganic salts.

3.3 Chemicals will be added to prepare the nutrient package based on

microorganism’s characteristics.

3.4 Nutrient package will be prepared to get the desired metabolic products
especially bio surfactants and biopolymers.
Methodology

4. Preparation of microbial Slug

4.1 Reservoir microbes and filtered brine with a target
salinity will be placed into a glass septa bottle.

4.2 A hydrocarbon phase, such as crude oil, is then

added to serve as their carbon food source.

4.3 Carbon food source will be needed by the microbes

so crude oil a hydrocarbon phase will be added.

4.4 Since these live cultures contain a mixture of both

anaerobic and aerobic microbes, respiratory gases
must be supplied to the closed container.

4.5 To stimulate Nitrate Reducing Bacteria (NRB)

growth Nitrate-laden brine is introduced into the glass
septa bottle.

4.5 These cultures were incubated in a 35℃ oven and

closely monitored for nutrient consumption.
Methodology

5.Microbial Flooding with

formulated slug

5.1 Microbial Flooding will be done in core

flood apparatus with formulated mixed
nutrient slug.

5.2 Microbial Flooding will be done to

recover the residual oil saturations.
Mechanisms
Mechanisms
Mechanisms
Conclusions

From the literature survey and preliminary theoretical

studies what is evident that Microbial Enhanced Oil
Recovery is a viable recovery option with cost effective
and environmentally safe especially from the marginal
and depleted oil fields.
 References
1. Developments in petroleum science 22, microbial enhanced oil recovery, E.C. Donaldson,
G.V. Chilingarian, T.F. Yen (editors).

2. Yarbrough, H. F., & Coty, F. V. (1983). Microbial enhancement oil recovery from the Upper
Cretaceous Nacafoch formation Union County, Arkansas. Proceedings of 1982
International Conference on MEOR, Donaldson, E. C. and Benett Clark, J. B. (Eds.), Afton,
Oklahoma.

3. Sarker, A.K., Goursaud, J.C., Sharma, M.M., & Georgiou, G. (1989). A critical evaluation
of MEOR processes. In Situ 13.

4. Belyaev, S.S., Borzenkov, I.A., Nazina, T.N., Rozanova, E.P., Glumov, I.F., & Ibatullin, R.R.
(2004). Use of microorganisms in the biotechnology for the enhancement of oil recovery.
Microbiol (Maik Nauka Interperiodica), Lazar, I., Petrisor, I.G., & Yen, T.F. (2007). Microbial
Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR). Petrol. SciTechnol., Vol. 25, No. 11, Van, H.J.D., Singh, A., &
Ward, O.P. (2003). Recent advances in petroleum microbiology. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev.,
Vol. 67, No. 4.
5. Lazar, I. (1991). MEOR field trials carried out over the world during the past 35 years. In:
Microbial Enhancement of Oil Recovery. Recent Adv., Donaldson, E. C. (Ed.). Amsterdam:
Elsevier Science Lazar, I. (1997). International and Romanian experience in using the
suitable . 19