Conference focuses on microbial enhancement of oil recovery
The conference proceedings described research developments on MEOR that have occurred during the last 2-3 years, and these are focused in the conclusions that follow: 1. The biopolymer from Xanthamonas campestris is used extensively by the petroleum industry in drilling mud preparations. 2. A biosurfactant product from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus RAG 1 can be prepared in commercial quantities and is proposed for emulsification of crude oils which may be important for cleaning of tanks and pipelines. 3. An extracellular polysaccharide prepared from aerobic fermentation of crude oil has been developed in China and is proposed as a waterflood additive. 4. Salt-tolerant bacteria of the genus Clostridium have been isolated and shown to produce relatively large amounts of carbon dioxide and low molecular weight organic solvents in 6-7% salt solutions. 5. Methods were developed to induce stimulation of indigenous anaerobic bacteria in oil fields for production of methane and other gases. 6. Living cells have been found to be strongly adsorbed on sandstone which restricts the injection of nonspore-forming bacteria unless carrier solutions are developed that inhibit cell adsorption. 7. Laboratory experiments indicate that some bacteria can be injected into high permeability zones to increase the sweep efficiency of a waterflood. 8. Mixed bacteria cultures (Gramnegative, facultative rods) have been isolated that produce large amounts of gas and are designated for possible repressurization of oil fields in Canada. 9. A mixed culture has been developed which produces a biosurfactant when fermented aerobically with crude oil that causes a decrease of the phase viscosity of 95% and produces a non-wetting (on glass of steel) emulsion. 10. The biosurfactant produced by Corynebacterium lepus has been demonstrated to be effective for the release of bitumen from tar sands.
- Research Organization:
- U.S. Department of Energy, Bartlesville, OK
- OSTI ID:
- 6078250
- Journal Information:
- Oil Gas J.; (United States), Vol. 80:51
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
ENHANCED RECOVERY
MEETINGS
MICROBIAL EOR
PETROLEUM
ADSORPTION
AEROBIC CONDITIONS
BACTERIA
BITUMENS
CANADA
CARBON DIOXIDE
CHINA
CLOSTRIDIUM
CORYNEBACTERIUM PARVUM
DRILLING
EMULSIFICATION
EXTRACTION
FERMENTATION
METHANE
MICROORGANISMS
MOLECULAR WEIGHT
OIL FIELDS
OIL SANDS
ORGANIC POLYMERS
POLYSACCHARIDES
PRESSURIZING
SALINITY
SOLVENTS
STIMULATION
SURFACTANTS
VISCOSITY
ALKANES
ASIA
BIOCONVERSION
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBOHYDRATES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHALCOGENIDES
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
HYDROCARBONS
MATERIALS
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
POLYMERS
RECOVERY
RESOURCES
SACCHARIDES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SORPTION
TAR
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production
040400 - Oil Shales & Tar Sands- Oil Production
Recovery
& Refining