Impact of an indigenous microbial enhanced oil recovery field trial on microbial community structure in a high pour-point oil reservoir

Based on preliminary investigation of microbial populations in a high pour-point oil reservoir, an indigenous microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) field trial was carried out. The purpose of the study is to reveal the impact of the indigenous MEOR process on microbial community structure in the oil reservoir using 16Sr DNA clone library technique. The detailed monitoring results showed significant response of microbial communities during the field trial and large discrepancies of stimulated microorganisms in the laboratory and in the natural oil reservoir. More specifically, after nutrients injection, the original dominant populations of Petrobacter and Alishewanella in the production wells almost disappeared. The expected desirable population of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, determined by enrichment experiments in laboratory, was stimulated successfully in two wells of the five monitored wells. Unexpectedly, another potential population of Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes which were not detected in the enrichment culture in laboratory was stimulated in the other three monitored production wells. In this study, monitoring of microbial community displayed a comprehensive alteration of microbial populations during the field trial to remedy the deficiency of culture-dependent monitoring methods. The results would help to develop and apply more MEOR processes.

[1]  Hui Li,et al.  Molecular phylogenetic diversity of the microbial community associated with a high-temperature petroleum reservoir at an offshore oilfield. , 2007, FEMS microbiology ecology.

[2]  Yuehui She,et al.  Microbiological investigations of high-temperature horizons of the Kongdian petroleum reservoir in connection with field trial of a biotechnology for enhancement of oil recovery , 2007, Microbiology.

[3]  S. Dobrota,et al.  The use of naturally occurring selectively isolated bacteria for inhibiting paraffin deposition , 1999 .

[4]  Asma Etoumi,et al.  Microbial treatment of waxy crude oils for mitigation of wax precipitation , 2007 .

[5]  Bernard Ollivier,et al.  Microbiology of petroleum reservoirs , 2000, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek.

[6]  N. Bordoloi,et al.  Microbial surfactant-enhanced mineral oil recovery under laboratory conditions. , 2008, Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces.

[7]  Li Wang,et al.  A Pilot Test Using Microbial Paraffin-Removal Technology in Liaohe Oilfield , 2003 .

[8]  I. Banat,et al.  Response of microbial community structure to microbial plugging in a mesothermic petroleum reservoir in China , 2010, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[9]  Noha H. Youssef,et al.  Chapter 6 Microbial Processes in Oil Fields , 2009 .

[10]  I. Banat,et al.  Microbial biosurfactants production, applications and future potential , 2010, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[11]  Ibrahim M. Banat,et al.  Biosurfactants production and possible uses in microbial enhanced oil recovery and oil pollution remediation: a review , 1995 .

[12]  N. Youssef,et al.  Microbial processes in oil fields: culprits, problems, and opportunities. , 2009, Advances in applied microbiology.

[13]  Steven L. Bryant,et al.  Reservoir-engineering analysis of microbial enhanced oil recovery , 2002 .

[14]  H. Dahle,et al.  Microbial community structure analysis of produced water from a high-temperature North Sea oil-field , 2007, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek.

[15]  K. Schleifer,et al.  Phylogenetic identification and in situ detection of individual microbial cells without cultivation. , 1995, Microbiological reviews.

[16]  M. Sanjay,et al.  Paraffin problems in crude oil production and transportation: A review , 1995 .

[17]  E. Ron,et al.  Enhancement of Solubilization and Biodegradation of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons by the Bioemulsifier Alasan , 1999, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[18]  J. Baross,et al.  Synchronous Effects of Temperature, Hydrostatic Pressure, and Salinity on Growth, Phospholipid Profiles, and Protein Patterns of Four Halomonas Species Isolated from Deep-Sea Hydrothermal-Vent and Sea Surface Environments , 2004, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[19]  T. Phelps,et al.  Drilling, Coring, and Sampling Subsurface Environments , 2008 .

[20]  A. Mills,et al.  Manual of environmental microbiology. , 2007 .

[21]  W. Goddard,et al.  Engineering bacteria for production of rhamnolipid as an agent for enhanced oil recovery , 2007, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[22]  C. Jeanthon,et al.  Microbial diversity in production waters of a low-temperature biodegraded oil reservoir. , 2005, FEMS microbiology ecology.

[23]  J. M. González,et al.  Pressure and temperature effects on growth and viability of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus peptonophilus , 1997, Archives of Microbiology.

[24]  J. R. Becker.  Oilfield Paraffin Treatments: Hot Oil and Hot Water Compared to Crystal Modifiers , 2000 .

[25]  G. Okpokwasili,et al.  Enhancement of recovery of residual oil using a biosurfactant slug , 2006 .

[26]  R. M. Knapp,et al.  In Situ Biosurfactant Production by Bacillus Strains Injected into a Limestone Petroleum Reservoir , 2006, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[27]  M. Magot,et al.  The effect of cleaning and disinfecting the sampling well on the microbial communities of deep subsurface water samples. , 2005, Environmental microbiology.

[28]  G. Bødtker,et al.  Microbial response to reinjection of produced water in an oil reservoir , 2009, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[29]  W. Vermaas,et al.  ClpB1 Overproduction in Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803 Increases Tolerance to Rapid Heat Shock , 2013, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[30]  T. Barth,et al.  Interactions between organic acids anions in formation waters and reservoir mineral phases , 1992 .

[31]  D. R. Schneider,et al.  Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery: Diverse Successful Applications of Biotechnology in the Oil Field , 2001 .