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IOR / EOR

Phase contrast microscopy is used to visualize microbes and oil Glori Energy scientists perform core fooding experiments in in Glori Energy’s Houston laboratory. the company’s Houston laboratory to study the efects of the

AERO mechanism.

For the bio-plugging activity, DuPont selects for a microbe that are currently being evaluated.

is able to perform a specifc EOR function. “That function is the With the fall in oil prices and the cost effectiveness following production of an exopolymer as part of a bioflm that reduces the successful application of MEOR technology, will this technol- pore throat size and the apparent permeability in watered out ogy catch on? Glori’s Pavia remains optimistic.

channels in the reservoir,” says SPE paper 169549 [2]. “If you go to someone and propose an EOR project that’s

As the microbe population grows, the production of the going to cost them $60/bbl, they’re going to say ‘No,’ but if you bioflm will build up along the pathway and obstruct the pore go to them with a technology that can be done at $10/bbl, they throats, resulting in the increase of resistance along that path may say ‘here’s a reasonably priced technology that works in to a point when another pathway will be less energy intensive, this environment,’ and when oil rebounds, which we’ve seen and the fow will naturally divert to that path. Thus, the oil over and over again that it does, this will be a great technology found along the new pathway is more readily accessible. This then as well. I think we’re still in a reactive stage where every- process can also be continually repeated resulting in more of one is worried about the prices and their budgets for EOR, but the reservoir’s oil being accessed and released. Though both I’m optimistic that it will be fne,” Pavia says.

hypotheses have ground, neither can be defnitively proved at Academia shares a similar stance. Saif Al-Bahry, a professor this time due to the nature of reservoir analysis. at Sultan Qaboos University in Sultanate of Oman, says that

Regarding the interfacial tension between oil and water, due to aging oil felds, new and inexpensive technologies for

DuPont hypothesizes that the organism produces a bio-surfac- EOR are a necessity.

tant that would lower the interfacial tension between oil and “More research and knowledge on MEOR techniques are water and cause spontaneous emulsifcation. While a reduc- needed since understanding MEOR mechanisms in depleted oil tion was observed, DuPont research showed that the change in wells can be used in wellbore clean up, oil-spill, bioremedia- interfacial tension was not great enough to cause spontaneous tion, heavy oil recovery and drilling fuid,” Al-Bahry says. “In emulsifcation. Thus, DuPont’s MATRx system focuses on to the next 5-10 years, more research institutions will be involved taking advantage of the bio-plugging activities of the indigenous in MEOR technology, evident by the increase in the number of reservoir microbial organisms. publications in MEOR and international conferences. “However, more international conferences related to MEOR

Future are urgently needed to discuss various issues and means to

Past ventures in MEOR technology did not instill much conf- make this technology cheaper and applicable.” dence in the industry; poor baseline data to compare results and

Works Cited poor follow-up impeded the success of some projects, while 1. Jack son, S. and Fisher, J. and Alsop, A. and Fallon, R. 2011. Considerations others failed due to unexpected behavior in the reservoir or for Field Implementation of Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery. SPE Annual did not produce the expected results. However, from those past

Technical Conference and Exhibition, Denver, CO. USA, 30 October- 2 ventures, the current players in MEOR technology have learned

November 2011. SPE-146483. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/146483-MS.

and improved upon the technology making this technique a commercially viable alternative in EOR technologies.

2. Jackson, S. and Fisher, F. and Fallon, R. and Norvell, J. and Hendrick-

Statoil is currently applying MEOR technology offshore son, E. and Luckring, A. and D’achille, B. 2014. Increased Oil Recovery in the Norne feld in the Norwegian Sea. Known as activated by Permeability Modifcation in Hwwigh Permeability Contrast Slim microbial enhanced oil recovery, the technology has been

Tubes. SPE Western North American and Rocky Mountain Joint Regional

Meeting, Denver, CO. USA, 16-18 April 2014. SPE-169549. http://dx.doi.

primarily for offshore use. Glori’s AERO System is the result of org/10.2118/169549-MS.

collaboration between Glori and Statoil. Results from the feld

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