Understanding Selective Plugging and Biofilm Formation of a Halophilic Bacterial Community for MEOR Application

Abstract

Abstract MEOR (microbial enhanced oil recovery) is known as one of the emerging low-cost EOR technologies, which uses in-situ microorganisms living in the oil field. Some of the most promising microbial-induced mechanisms include production of extracellular polymeric sugars (EPS), biofilms as well as selective plugging caused by cell growth. However, there is limited data available concerning the way microbes and biofilms behave in contact to surfaces in porous media in the context of MEOR. The aim of this work was to investigate bacterial growth and biofilm production in the framework of an ongoing MEOR project conducted by Wintershall and BASF. We used various approaches to investigate cell behavior of a halophilic bacterial community derived from a Wintershall oil field. Bacterial growth was conducted in both batch cultures and under dynamic conditions. To visualize cell adhesion and also exopolymers occuring in biofilms we used specific fluorescent dyes. During incubation of the microbes over several weeks we could visualize different types of EPS under the microscope. This observation fits perfectly to a concurrent viscosity increase of the surrounding media. Modelling approaches were applied to estimate the potential contribution of these effects on additional oil recovery. The observations including cell clumping, sorption and polymer production were geometrically quantified and the effect of the modifications on permeability profile and resulting flow characteristics was numerically investigated with fluid dynamic simulations of the petrophysical changes. The potential implications of the observed changes on EOR capability by conformance control and wettability modification were further estimated with analytical approaches. With the developed methods for visualization and modelling of the microbes and biofilms in both batch and dynamic conditions, we are able to monitor the clumping and sorption behavior of the cells, which will help to interprete data obtained during an upcoming MEOR field trial.