Microbial Fuel Cell & Enhanced

Oil Recovery

By
Anushri C. Vaidya
 INTRODUCTION:
 Currently global energy production from fossil fuels is about 80-90%
with oil and gas representing about 60 %

 During oil production, primary oil recovery can account for between 30-
40 % oil productions

 While additional 15-25% can be recovered by secondary methods such

as water injection leaving behind about 35-55 % of oil as residual oil in
the reservoirs

 This residual oil is usually the target of many enhanced oil recovery
technologies and it amounts to about 2-4 billion barrels.

 The ultimate aim of MEOR is to improve the recovery of oil entrapped

in porous media for increasing economic profits.
What is microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR)?
 It is a biological based technology.

 Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) is a technology using micro-

organisms to facilitate, increase or extend oil production from reservoir.

 It consist of manipulating function and structure of microbial environments

existing in oil reservoirs.
 CLASSIFICATION:

Two major types are normally employed in MEOR.

1. Bacteria Injection - Traditional MEOR method with nutrients

2. Simulation of indigenous bacteria through injection of nutrients

The application of MEOR in second type are in two form:

 Cyclic Microbial Recovery (Single well Simulation)

 Microbial flooding Recovery
Cyclic Microbial Recovery
Microbial flooding Recovery
 MEOR MECHANISM:

The processes are identified based on the end products generated

from bacteria metabolism.

The process involves following points:

1. Biodegradation of big molecules reduces viscosity.

2. Production of surfactants reduces interfacial tension.

3. Production of gas provides additional pressure driving

force.

4. Microbial metabolites or the microbes themselves may

reduce permeability
MECHANISM
 MEOR CONSTRAINTS:

 Salinity

 Temperature

 Pressure

 pH

 Pore size

 Nutrients
 Possible applications of products and MEOR agents produced by
microorganism
MEOR agents Microbes Product Possible MEOR application
Bacillus sp. Selective plugging of oil depleted
Biomass, i.e. flocks or Cells and EPS (mainly
Leuconostoc zones and wettability angle
biofilms exopolysaccharides),
Xanthomonas alteration
Acinetobacter
Emulsan and alasan
Bacillus sp. Emulsification and de-
Surfactin, rhamnolipid, lichenysin
Surfactants Pseudomonas emulsification through reduction of
Rhamnolipid, glycolipids
Rhodococcus sp. interfacial tension
Viscosin and trehaloselipids
Arthrobacter
Xanthomonas sp.
Xanthan gum
Aureobasidium sp.
Pullulan
Bacillus sp.
Levan Injectivity profile and viscosity
Biopolymers Alcaligeness sp.
Curdlan modification, selective plugging
Leuconostoc sp.
Dextran
Sclerotium sp.
Scleroglucan
Brevibacterium
Clostridium, Zymomonas and Rock dissolution for increasing
Solvents Acetone, butanol, propan-2-diol
Klebsiella permeability, oil viscosity reduction
Clostridium
Permeability increase,
Acids Enterobacter Propionic and butyric acids
emulsification
Mixed acidogens
Clostridium Increased pressure, oil swelling,
Gases Enterobacter Methane and hydrogen reduction of interfacial section and
Methanobacterium viscosity; increase permeability
 ADVANTAGES:
 Injected microbes and nutrients are cheap; easy to handle in the field and
independent of oil prices.
 Economically attractive for mature oil fields before abandonment.
 Increases oil production.
 Existing facilities require slight modifications
 Low energy input requirement for microbes to produce MEOR agents.
 More efficient than other EOR methods when applied to carbonate oil
reservoirs.
 Microbial activity increases with microbial growth. This is opposite to
the case of other EOR additives in time and distance.
 Cellular products are biodegradable and therefore can be considered
environmentally friendly.
 DISADVANTAGES:
 The oxygen deployed in aerobic MEOR can act as corrosive agent on
non-resistant top side equipment and down-hole piping.
 Anaerobic MEOR requires large amounts of sugar limiting its
applicability in offshore platforms due to logistical problems.
 Exogenous microbes require facilities for their cultivation.
 Indigenous microbes need a standardized framework for evaluating
microbial activity, e.g. specialized coring and sampling techniques.
 Microbial growth is favoured when: layer permeability is greater than 50
md; reservoir temperature is inferior to 80 0C, salinity is below 150 g/L
and reservoir depth is less than 2400m.
 CHALLENGES IN MEOR:

 Value of MEOR can only be determined by the results of field trials.

 MEOR literature is mainly based on laboratory data and there is a

shortage of field trials.

 Most field trials was not long enough to determine the long-term effects

of the process.

 The precise mechanisms of MEOR operations are still not clear.

 CONCLUSION:

 MEOR is well-proven technology to enhance oil recovery

from oil wells.

 Residual oil recovery greater than 30% was achieved.

THANK YOU