Biological souring and mitigation in oil reservoirs

被引:217
作者
Gieg, Lisa M. [2 ]
Jack, Tom R. [2 ]
Foght, Julia M. [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Alberta, Dept Biol Sci, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada
[2] Univ Calgary, Dept Biol Sci, Petr Microbiol Res Grp, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
关键词
Souring; Sulfide; Sulfate-reducing prokaryotes; Oil reservoirs; Water flooding; Nitrate; Biocides; SULFATE-REDUCING BACTERIA; DESULFOVIBRIO-VULGARIS HILDENBOROUGH; SULFIDE-OXIDIZING BACTERIA; TEMPERATURE PETROLEUM RESERVOIR; GENE-EXPRESSION ANALYSIS; SP-NOV; NORTH-SEA; MICROBIAL COMMUNITY; NITRATE INJECTION; FIELD WATERS;
D O I
10.1007/s00253-011-3542-6
中图分类号
Q81 [生物工程学(生物技术)]; Q93 [微生物学];
学科分类号
071005 ; 0836 ; 090102 ; 100705 ;
摘要
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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页码:263 / 282
页数:20
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