Petroleum Industry uses of Bactria:

Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

(MEOR)

Adel Sharif
University of Surrey
a.sharif@surrey.ac.uk

Industrial Uses of Bacteria 19 May 2010, IOM3, London, UK

Petroleum Microbiology

MICROBIAL TREATMENT OF PETROLEUM WASTE

Treatment of Contaminated Soils and Sludges
Factors affecting bioremediation.

Biofiltration of Volatile Organic Compounds

Removal of H2S and SOX

MICROBIAL PROCESSES FOR RECOVERING AND

UPGRADING PETROLEUM
Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery
Microbial Deemulsification
Microbial Desulfurization
Microbial Denitrogenation
Enzymatic Upgrading of Petroleum Fractions and Pure
Hydrocarbons

BACTERIAL BIOSENSORS
Oil formation
Oil Recovery Methods

Primary (natural reservoir energy) (15-20%)

- Solution Gas Drive (depletion).
- Gas Cap Drive.
- Natural water Drive.
 Secondary oil Recovery method (30-35%)
- Water Injection.
- Gas Injection.
- WAG method.
Tertiary Oil Recovery method (30-50%)
- Thermal Injection (steam).
- Chemical Injection (Polymer).
 Oil Recovery Techniques

During primary stage only 15-20% oil can

be recovered naturally.
Another 15-25% can be recovered during
the secondary stage through water
injection.
Tertiary stage (of steam injection) is too
expensive to be used.
Hence, nearly 50% of the oil still needs to
be recovered.
 Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery
(MEOR)

What is the solution?

MEOR!
MEOR is a process in which micro-
organisms are used to produce
surfactants, acids, and/or gases using
growth substrates from the fossil fuel, to
enhance the oil recovery.
Schematic Diagram of MEOR
 Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery
(MEOR)

MEOR Microorganisms produce

Biosurfactants which decrease the oil viscosity
to increase oil flow.
Acids which increase the rock porosity and
hence oil flow.
Gases to increase the pressure in the reservoir
and improve oil recovery.
Exopolymers and biomass to block the thief
zones.
MEOR Mechanism
 MEOR - Objectives
Developing an MEOR technology, to be implemented
in the oil fields to recover the oil during the
secondary/tertiary stage.
Isolating suitable microorganisms from the samples
taken from the oil reservoirs.
Isolating microorganisms producing biosurfactants
and/or organic acids, polymers, gases and using
hydrocarbons under low water activity.
Isolating microorganisms producing the above
chemicals under reservoir conditions from
hydrocarbons or cheap feedstocks.
To genetically or physiologically manipulate useful
microorganisms adapted to be active under the
reservoir conditions.
 Exploitation of Deep fields

High Temperature ( > optimum less bacteria

growth) (85C is well known, but 95-100 is possible).
High Pressure (careful consideration must be given
to the effects of pressure on growth rate and yield as
they might result in delays in the bacterial release of oil
or possibly even lowered bacterial activity to the point
where expected benefits are not obtained at all.)
High Salinity (high NaCl concentration will inhibits
the growing of bacteria, so better use Halophiles at high
NaCl ppm).
 Down-side of MEOR

Plugging of Formations (due to bacteria

metabolism and their products)
- plug porous rocks causing reduced
permeability.
Degradation of Oil in Reservoir (CH4
diffusion from oil)
Bacterial Corrosion (sulphate-reducing
bacteria)
Souring (H2S)
Insufficient Nutrition for Bacteria.
MEOR- The Hard Part!
Process development, scale-up, field implementation.
 Sustainable Development and
MEOR
MEOR reduces or eliminates the need to use harsh
chemicals during oil drilling
It is an environmentally compatible method of carrying out
tertiary oil recovery.
MEOR will become increasingly economically feasible as
genetic engineering develops more effective microbial
bacteria that may subsist on inexpensive and abundant
nutrients.
Methods for developing and growing MEOR bacteria are
improving, thereby lowering production costs and making
it a more attractive alternative to traditional chemical
methods of tertiary oil recovery.
Conclusions I

Key potential advantage of MEOR

ability to use in situ carbon source

Key disadvantages of MEOR

Likely microbial performance constraints
Poor lab, field performance relative to peers
(other chemical EOR)

Preferred MEOR option

Profile modification via biomass
Simpler, esp. with indigenous microbes
Compared to waterflood -Small incremental cost;
Marginal increase in difficulty
Conclusions II

While the research on MEOR

mechanisms is still not adequate and the
success rate is still not high enough to
increase heavy oil recovery on a large
scale, at todays oil prices this is a
promising technology which offers major
R&D and commercial opportunities.