Biological souring and mitigation in oil reservoirs |
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Authors: | Lisa M Gieg Tom R Jack Julia M Foght |
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Institution: | (1) Petroleum Microbiology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4;(2) Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E9;(3) CW405-Biological Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2E9; |
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Abstract: | Souring in oilfield systems is most commonly due to the action of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes, a diverse group of anaerobic
microorganisms that respire sulfate and produce sulfide (the key souring agent) while oxidizing diverse electron donors. Such
biological sulfide production is a detrimental, widespread phenomenon in the petroleum industry, occurring within oil reservoirs
or in topside processing facilities, under low- and high-temperature conditions, and in onshore or offshore operations. Sulfate
reducers can exist either indigenously in deep subsurface reservoirs or can be “inoculated” into a reservoir system during
oilfield development (e.g., via drilling operations) or during the oil production phase. In the latter, souring most commonly
occurs during water flooding, a secondary recovery strategy wherein water is injected to re-pressurize the reservoir and sweep
the oil towards production wells to extend the production life of an oilfield. The water source and type of production operation
can provide multiple components such as sulfate, labile carbon sources, and sulfate-reducing communities that influence whether
oilfield souring occurs. Souring can be controlled by biocides, which can non-specifically suppress microbial populations,
and by the addition of nitrate (and/or nitrite) that directly impacts the sulfate-reducing population by numerous competitive
or inhibitory mechanisms. In this review, we report on the diversity of sulfate reducers associated with oil reservoirs, approaches
for determining their presence and effects, the factors that control souring, and the approaches (along with the current understanding
of their underlying mechanisms) that may be used to successfully mitigate souring in low-temperature and high-temperature
oilfield operations. |
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