EOR Dinner - Simulating Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR)

When:  May 13, 2014 from 05:30 PM to 09:30 PM (CET)
Associated with  Oslo Section

Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR): Experiments and Solutions

We are pleased to invite all of our members and SPE Oslo followers to our last dinner event at Hotel Continental before the summer. Unfortunately our scheduled DL Dinner on "Fracture Networks" by Faisal AlThawad was cancelled so we invite you all to a talk on Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) presented by Senior Reservoir and PhD Jafar Fathi from Core Energy.

Place: Hotel Continental
Date: May 13th, starting from 17:30



Abstract:

Extensive laboratory research and field trials have been performed to evaluate the potential of microbial enhanced oil (MEOR) in mature fields. In this article, the authors try to study the potential of injecting nutrient in a mature field in Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) to improve the oil recovery by stimulating the growth of indigenous bacteria. The technology of the focus does not require live microorganisms to be injected; instead it depends on the microbes in the reservoirs. Therefore; the nutrient formulation is a key parameter. Several mechanisms have been proposed in the literature attributed to the enhancement of oil recovery by microbial interaction. In this study, we focus on the MEOR mechanisms of interfacial tension reduction and wettability modification (via bio-surfactant), and selective plugging (via bio-film). The study summarizes the changes in petrophysical parameters, i.e. interfacial tension (IFT), wettability, and permeability reduction, in the growing bacteria system through experimental work. The potential of MEOR is simulated in the full field model. The field is a mature field, which is producing at about 95% water cut. The main drainage strategy of the field is water flooding; there implementing MEOR does not need major modifications. The simulation shows that the nutrient injection can achieve 1-5% incremental oil recovery. Also, water cut is reduced by about 1% due to permeability reduction in the high permeable zones. The results can be used to predict and monitor the application of the MEOR technology during the field trial.

Location

Hotel Continental
Stortingsgaten 24/26
Oslo Norway

Contact

Marius Lunde
92284536
marius.lunde@idemitsu.no

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