skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Development of More Effective Biosurfactants for Enhanced Oil Recovery

Abstract

The overall goal of this research was to develop effective biosurfactant production for enhanced oil recovery in the United States.

Authors:
; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
National Petroleum Technology Office, Tulsa, OK (US)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE) (US)
OSTI Identifier:
807189
Report Number(s):
DOE/BC/15113-3
TRN: US200305%%386
DOE Contract Number:
AC26-98BC15113
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 24 Jan 2003
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
02 PETROLEUM; PETROLEUM; SURFACTANTS; MICROBIAL EOR; RESEARCH PROGRAMS

Citation Formats

McInerney, M.J., Mouttaki, H., Folmsbee, M., Knapp, R., and Nagle, D.. Development of More Effective Biosurfactants for Enhanced Oil Recovery. United States: N. p., 2003. Web. doi:10.2172/807189.
Copy to clipboard
McInerney, M.J., Mouttaki, H., Folmsbee, M., Knapp, R., & Nagle, D.. Development of More Effective Biosurfactants for Enhanced Oil Recovery. United States. doi:10.2172/807189.
Copy to clipboard
McInerney, M.J., Mouttaki, H., Folmsbee, M., Knapp, R., and Nagle, D.. Fri . "Development of More Effective Biosurfactants for Enhanced Oil Recovery". United States. doi:10.2172/807189. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/807189.
Copy to clipboard
@article{osti_807189,
title = {Development of More Effective Biosurfactants for Enhanced Oil Recovery},
author = {McInerney, M.J. and Mouttaki, H. and Folmsbee, M. and Knapp, R. and Nagle, D.},
abstractNote = {The overall goal of this research was to develop effective biosurfactant production for enhanced oil recovery in the United States.},
doi = {10.2172/807189},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jan 24 00:00:00 EST 2003},
month = {Fri Jan 24 00:00:00 EST 2003}
}
Copy to clipboard
Technical Report:
View Technical Report (0.13 MB)
DOI:  10.2172/807189
Save / Share:
Export Metadata
Save to My Library
You must Sign In or Create an Account in order to save documents to your library.

  • ; ; ; ...
    The objectives of this were two fold. First, core displacement studies were done to determine whether microbial processes could recover residual oil at elevated pressures. Second, the importance of biosurfactant production for the recovery of residual oil was studies. In these studies, a biosurfactant-producing, microorganisms called Bacillus licheniformis strain JF-2 was used. This bacterium produces a cyclic peptide biosurfactant that significantly reduces the interfacial tension between oil and brine (7). The use of a mutant deficient in surfactant production and a mathematical MEOR simulator were used to determine the major mechanisms of oil recovery by these two strains.

  • ; ; ; ...
    The objectives of this were two fold. First, core displacement studies were done to determine whether microbial processes could recover residual oil at elevated pressures. Second, the importance of biosurfactant production for the recovery of residual oil was studies. In these studies, a biosurfactant-producing, microorganisms called Bacillus licheniformis strain JF-2 was used. This bacterium produces a cyclic peptide biosurfactant that significantly reduces the interfacial tension between oil and brine (7). The use of a mutant deficient in surfactant production and a mathematical MEOR simulator were used to determine the major mechanisms of oil recovery by these two strains.

  • ; ; ; ...
    This report describes the progress of our research during the first 30 months (10/01/2004 to 03/31/2007) of the original three-year project cycle. The project was terminated early due to DOE budget cuts. This was a joint project between the Tertiary Oil Recovery Project (TORP) at the University of Kansas and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The objective was to evaluate the use of low-cost biosurfactants produced from agriculture process waste streams to improve oil recovery in fractured carbonate reservoirs through wettability mediation. Biosurfactant for this project was produced using Bacillus subtilis 21332 and purified potato starch as the growth medium.more » The INL team produced the biosurfactant and characterized it as surfactin. INL supplied surfactin as required for the tests at KU as well as providing other microbiological services. Interfacial tension (IFT) between Soltrol 130 and both potential benchmark chemical surfactants and crude surfactin was measured over a range of concentrations. The performance of the crude surfactin preparation in reducing IFT was greater than any of the synthetic compounds throughout the concentration range studied but at low concentrations, sodium laureth sulfate (SLS) was closest to the surfactin, and was used as the benchmark in subsequent studies. Core characterization was carried out using both traditional flooding techniques to find porosity and permeability; and NMR/MRI to image cores and identify pore architecture and degree of heterogeneity. A cleaning regime was identified and developed to remove organic materials from cores and crushed carbonate rock. This allowed cores to be fully characterized and returned to a reproducible wettability state when coupled with a crude-oil aging regime. Rapid wettability assessments for crushed matrix material were developed, and used to inform slower Amott wettability tests. Initial static absorption experiments exposed limitations in the use of HPLC and TOC to determine surfactant concentrations. To reliably quantify both benchmark surfactants and surfactin, a surfactant ion-selective electrode was used as an indicator in the potentiometric titration of the anionic surfactants with Hyamine 1622. The wettability change mediated by dilute solutions of a commercial preparation of SLS (STEOL CS-330) and surfactin was assessed using two-phase separation, and water flotation techniques; and surfactant loss due to retention and adsorption on the rock was determined. Qualitative tests indicated that on a molar basis, surfactin is more effective than STEOL CS-330 in altering wettability of crushed Lansing-Kansas City carbonates from oil-wet to water-wet state. Adsorption isotherms of STEOL CS-330 and surfactin on crushed Lansing-Kansas City outcrop and reservoir material showed that surfactin has higher specific adsorption on these oomoldic carbonates. Amott wettability studies confirmed that cleaned cores are mixed-wet, and that the aging procedure renders them oil-wet. Tests of aged cores with no initial water saturation resulted in very little spontaneous oil production, suggesting that water-wet pathways into the matrix are required for wettability change to occur. Further investigation of spontaneous imbibition and forced imbibition of water and surfactant solutions into LKC cores under a variety of conditions--cleaned vs. crude oil-aged; oil saturated vs. initial water saturation; flooded with surfactant vs. not flooded--indicated that in water-wet or intermediate wet cores, sodium laureth sulfate is more effective at enhancing spontaneous imbibition through wettability change. However, in more oil-wet systems, surfactin at the same concentration performs significantly better.« less

  • ; ; ; ...
    The two major environmental impacts associated with microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) are possible contamination of surface and groundwater and contamination of agricultural land. Other potential environmental problems associated with MEOR processes include changes in indigenous microflora in reservoirs caused by injection of nonindigenous microorganisms and nutrient, or the possibility of injected microorganisms mutating and producing undesirable compounds under reservoir conditions. A specific MEOR microbial formulation, NIPER 1 and 6, was first tested for pathogenicity and mutagenicity of its metabolic products. Pathogenicity testing included both oral ingestion and intraperitoneal injection of the NIPER 1 and 6 formulation using mice. Themore » Ames test was used to determine any mutagenic tendencies of filtered NIPER 1 and 6 metabolic products. Although the MEOR formulation tested negative for both pathogenicity and mutagenicity, biocide tests were conducted to select an effective biocide in the event of a spill or environmental hazard when using this formulation in the field. An aqueous solution of 370 ppM formaldehyde was the most effective biocide for eradicating the microbial formulation. For reservoir injection, sodium hypochlorite at an aqueous concentration of 5000 ppM appears to control growth of the microbial formulation and is less hazardous to the environment. 13 refs., 4 figs., 6 tabs.« less

  • ; ;
    Research on miscible displacement of West Sak oil is described. The following tasks were performed: Task 1, laboratory measurement of phase behavior and physical properties of West Sak oil/endash/solvent mixtures. Task 2, measurement of minimum miscbility pressure for enriched gas solvents/endash/West Sak crude mixtures. Task 3, prediction of phase behavior and miscibility conditions for West Sak crude/endash/solvent mixtures. Task 4, displacement experiments on steam/endash/solvent process for West Sak oil. Task 5, displacement studies on steam/endash/solvent injection for heavy oil recovery and application to West Sak reservoir: development of a heat transfer model. 14 figs., 5 tabs.