Microbiological techniques for paraffin reduction in producing oil wells: Final report
Alpha Environmental has completed an eighteen month field oriented, cooperative research program with the US Department of Energy to demonstrate a new economically viable process using petroleum degrading microorganisms, a biocatalyst, formation water and inorganic nutrients to recover residual oil from reservoirs. Alpha's mixed community of microorganisms decomposes crude oil to produce detergents, CO/sub 2/, and new cells, thus mechanically and chemically releasing oil from reservoir pores. The naturally-occurring bacteria utilized in this project were previously selected by screening and isolating microorganisms from soils contaminated with crude oil and petroleum products. The activity and level of salt tolerance (to 20% salinity) of the bacteria is enhanced by a biocatalyst, previously developed by Alpha Environmental. Field evidence suggests that the biocatalyst provides catalytic oxygen to the microorganisms in the reservoir, which augments low levels of in-situ molecular oxygen. 25 refs., 10 figs., 6 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Alpha Environmental Corp., Austin, TX (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG22-86BC14014
- OSTI ID:
- 6308075
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/BC/14014-9; ON: DE89000741
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
YIELDS
DETERGENTS
OIL WELLS
MICROBIAL EOR
PETROLEUM
BIODEGRADATION
CATALYSTS
HYDROCARBONS
ILLINOIS
MICROORGANISMS
PARAFFIN
PROGRESS REPORT
TEXAS
ADDITIVES
ALKANES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
DOCUMENT TYPES
EMULSIFIERS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FEDERAL REGION V
FEDERAL REGION VI
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
RECOVERY
SURFACTANTS
USA
WAXES
WELLS
WETTING AGENTS
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production
550700 - Microbiology