MEOR mechanism

The MEOR process applies microorganisms that are already present in the reservoir or microorganisms that are adapted to the harsh environment. Injection of microorganisms is performed in order ensure growth and production of specific metabolites. Indigenous microorganisms are mostly activated by injection of substrates, whereas exogenous microorganisms are injected with their substrates or in between slugs of substrates. Regarding continuous injection, the plugging of the reservoir injection well becomes an issue if the microbial injection concentration is too high. To keep the cost low, the selected media is generally molasses, corn syrup or other industrial waste products. However, the application of cheaper substrates would require quality control. The microorganisms penetrates the reservoir, while they consume substrates, grow produce different important metabolites. The metabolites include biosurfactants, biopolymers, solvents, acids and gases. Bacteria generally stick to all kind of surfaces forming biofilms. Biofilm consists of a number of immobile cells, sticky polysaccharides, dissolved components, particular material and water. The water constitutes a large part of the biofilm.

A combination of different mechanisms relies on the microbes or their metabolites to mobilize residual oil or improve the areal sweep. The most important MEOR mechanisms are listed below. 1. Reduction of interfacial tension and alteration of wettability due to in situ surfactant production. 2. Fluid diversion due to microbial growth and polymer production (bacterial plugging). 3. Viscosity reduction of oil by degradation oil components or gas production. During experimental work multiple processes takes place at the same time, so the mechanisms can be difficult to separate from each other. Some studies are set-up mainly to investigate one MEOR mechanism, but it is still not possible to ascribe the enhancement of oil recovery entirely to one mechanism.

1. Reduction of oil-water interfacial

tension

Microorganisms produce surfactants as secondary metabolites. The surfactants are involved in different cell processes: Transport of water-insoluble compounds into the cell, biofilm formation and adhesion of cell on different surfaces. Specifically, hydrocarbon oxidizing bacteria always produce surfactants in order to

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promote hydrocarbon penetration into the cells. Surfactants are bi-philic molecules consisting of a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic part. Surfactants interact with; each other, surfaces with different polarity, adsorb at water air and water-oil boundaries and cause wetting of hydrophobic surfaces. They may also form structures that resemble lipid films or membranes and reduces the surface and interfacial tensions (IFT) of solutions. Surfactant lowers IFT and mobilizes oil that cannot be displaced by water alone. The formed oil-in-water emulsion flows having an improvement of the effective mobility ratio until unfavorably conditions occurs, where the surfactant is diluted or lost due to adsorption to the pore wall. Generally, oil-water systems have IFT around 30 mN/m. Laboratory tests has shown that surfactants can lower the oilwater IFT to around 103 mN/m. But field tests have shown only 530 % reduction of IFT. Reason for that is, during surfactant flooding, a major problem is adsorption of surfactant to the rock surface. Thus, the efficient concentration of surfactant decreases resulting in a concentration possibly lower than required. The effect from the surfactant can be obtained, when a certain threshold concentration is achieved (critical micelle concentration), but some researchers questions whether is possible actually to achieve the required amounts of surfactant. To mobilize oil, the general engineering criteria is that the

surfactant concentration should be 10-20 mg/l (ppm). 2. Fluid diversion The theory of fluid diversion or selective plugging is applicable in an oil reservoir with a heterogeneous permeability distribution. Below figure illustrates the principle of macroscopic fluid diversion. During water flooding in a heterogeneous reservoir, channeling takes place, where a larger fraction of the water flows through the high permeable regions, also called thief zones (figure (a)). The areal sweep is poor as only little water flows into the low permeable regions, bypassing large amounts of oil. The idea behind this mechanism is to plug these channels with biofilm in order to divert fluids to the upswept regions, shown in figure (b). In MEOR, either bacteria are injected together with nutrients or indigenous bacteria are activated by injection of nutrients only. The nutrient-rich water flows through the channels promoting good conditions for bacterial growth. In the channels, biofilm is formed, when bacteria attach to the pore walls. Attachment of more bacteria, multiplication of the biofilm bacteria, and production of sticky polysaccharides increase the volume of biofilm. The porosity and thus the permeability decreases in these channels due to biofilm formation, reducing the ease of flow. The reduced permeability ideally causes the flow to be diverted to the previously bypassed oil-rich regions. The areal sweep efficiency has increased and, hence, the oil recovery is improved.

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The risk of bacterial plugging is occurrence of undesirable plugging especially in the well bore region, which can generally lead to damages to the reservoir, reducing the oil production. The mechanisms of fluid diversion are investigated both in the laboratory and in the field trials, where extra oil is recovered. Tracer tests confirm that fluid diversion does occur. Laboratory experiments find that the average permeability is reduced by 2070 %. It is found a significant reduction of permeability together with an incremental oil recovery over that of water flooding at 520 % OOIP. For practical application of fluid diversion, nutrients with bacteria or nutrients solely for the indigenous bacteria are injected into the reservoir. Then the reservoir is shut down for a period of time in order to let the bacteria grow and plug the selected thief zones. Post-flush is water flooding or nutrient flooding to recover the previously bypassed oil. 3. Reduction of oil viscosity
Figure 1.1: Illustration of macroscopic fluid diversion.

In order to apply fluid diversion successfully, several criteria should be fulfilled. It depends on: 1.Controlled penetration of microorganisms throughout the reservoir. 2.Controlled transport of nutrients for microbial growth and metabolism. 3.Reduction of the apparent permeability of the reservoir rock as a result of microbial growth and metabolism.

The reduction of oil viscosity occurs due to effects such as bacterial degradation of oil or dissolution of components such as surfactants or solvents into the oil phase. The oil mobility is improved by a reduction of oil viscosity. ie;

Where, m = Mobility, k = Permeability, = Viscosity.

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In some cases, bacterial metabolism produces gases such as carbon dioxide or methane. A free gas phase has been found to induce reductions of the residual oil saturation. The gas phase saturation should be kept high (> 0.15), if gas should recover more oil. The effect from in situ gas production is regarded limited as it is unlikely that the required amount of gas can be produced. Therefore, the viscosity reduction by gas production is considered a minor, but beneficial side effect.

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