Impact of Biofilm Formation in Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery Performance
Date
2018-12-19
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Abstract
The complex trade-off between the effects of biosurfactant generation and biofilm growth has been a challenge for successful simulation and field-scale implementation of microbial-enhanced oil recovery (MEOR). In this work, a two-phase, two-dimensional MEOR model is developed, including effects from interfacial tension, porosity and permeability reduction. Empirical models are validated against experimental data. The model is discretized through two-point flux-approximation, and the numerical solution is validated against the two-phase Buckley-Leverett equation. The model shows a good match with previous MEOR simulation results. Monte Carlo simulation-based sensitivity analyses of various operational parameters in a homogeneous reservoir highlight the importance of bacteria injection concentration, which can result in 16% difference in oil recovery by minimizing biofilm formation and optimizing biosurfactant production. Variation in biosurfactant critical micelle concentration and biofilm density is found to increase oil recovery by up to 15%, indicating that both strain selection and injection concentration should accommodate reservoir rock and fluid properties.
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MEOR
Citation
Cao, J. (2018). Impact of Biofilm Formation in Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery Performance (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.