Title: Mathematical Model for Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery with Surfactant Distributed between Phases
Abstract:In oil production, a substantial part of the oil originally in place is not recovered after water flooding. A potential tertiary method for enhancing oil recovery is to utilize the activity of microor...In oil production, a substantial part of the oil originally in place is not recovered after water flooding. A potential tertiary method for enhancing oil recovery is to utilize the activity of microorganisms, which are either present in or injected into the oil reservoirs. This is microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR), where microorganisms convert substrate to recovery enhancing products and more bacteria within the reservoir. We develop a mathematical model describing the process of microbial petroleum recovery. The one-dimensional isothermal model comprises displacement of oil by water containing bacteria and substrate for their feeding. The metabolites of bacterial activity (surfactants) result in decrease of the residual oil saturation and in better petroleum recovery. Several MEOR effects exist, where one important is reduction of water-oil interfacial tension by microorganisms producing surfactant. Different methods for incorporating surfactant induced reduction of interfacial tension into models are investigated. Surfactant is partitioned between both phases determined by a distribution coefficient. However, the effect from the metabolites is not necessarily restricted to influence only interfacial tension, but it can also be an approach for changing wettability or viscosity. The computations predict that substantial amount of surfactant is produced in the reservoir affecting the final recovery. A considerable effect is not reached at the entrance of the reservoir like under surfactant flooding, but rather after a given period of time needed for bacterial growth. Efficient surfactants decreasing interfacial tension several orders of magnitude should be produced by bacteria in order to achieve reasonable improvement of the recovery, where bacterial growth rate should be maintained in the reservoir. The partitioning of surfactant and the injection composition are found to have a significant influence on the saturation distribution in the reservoir as well as on the ultimate oil recovery.Read More
Publication Year: 2009
Publication Date: 2009-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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