MEOR Success in Southern Saskatchewan
- Authors
- Krista Town (Husky Energy) | Alan J. Sheehy (Titan Oil Recovery, Inc.) | Bradley R. Govreau (Titan Oil Recovery, Inc.)
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.2118/124319-PA
- Document ID
- SPE-124319-PA
- Publisher
- Society of Petroleum Engineers
- Source
- SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 05
- Publication Date
- October 2010
- Document Type
- Journal Paper
- Pages
- 773 - 781
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1094-6470
- Copyright
- 2010. Society of Petroleum Engineers
- Disciplines
- 4.1.2 Separation and Treating, 5.4.1 Waterflooding, 5.4.10 Microbial Methods
- Keywords
- Microbes, MEOR, EOR
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- 4 in the last 30 days
- 1,151 since 2007
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Summary
A microbial enhanced-oil-recovery (MEOR) process was successfully applied in a mature waterflooded reservoir in Saskatchewan, Canada. A nutrient solution, which was designed specifically for this reservoir to stimulate indigenous microbes to grow, multiply, and help to release oil, was tested and piloted. A significant decrease in water cut and increase in oil production have been realized through the selective stimulation of bacteria using nutrient injection.
The field is a mature waterflood averaging more than 95% water cut. To combat the increasing water-cut issue, an in-situ microbial response analysis (ISMRA) was performed on a typical high-water-cut producer in the area. The test well was treated with a nutrient solution and then was shut in for a number of days to allow indigenous microbes to grow and multiply. Upon return to production, the well produced at an average of 200% more oil with a 10% decrease in water cut for a year. Pretreatment rates averaged 1.2 m3/d of oil (8 BOPD) and post-ISMRA treatment daily production peaked at 4.1 m3/d of oil (26 BOPD). The ISMRA provides a direct support of laboratory studies and frequently increases oil production.
As a result of the successful ISMRA, a pilot project was initiated and the nutrients were applied in three batch treatments on an injector with three offset production wells. Three weeks after the first batch treatment, a water-cut decrease was seen at one of the offset producers. This well's oil production gradually increased from 1.4 to more than 8 m3/d (9 to 50 B/D). Oil production in another producer doubled from 1.5 to more than 3.0 m3/d (9 to 19 B/D). Subsequent treatments were tried on marginally economic wells and on a reactivated idle producer. The average decrease in water cut in these wells was more than 10%. On the idle well, oil production increased from 0.5 m3/d (3 B/D) pretreatment to an average of 3.0 m3/d (19 B/D) post-treatment.
Throughout the world, there remains a huge target for enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR) processes to target (Bryant 1991). This successful MEOR application will have a tremendous impact on ultimate recovery in many of these reservoirs not only through an increase in production, but a decrease in operating costs through associated reduction in lifting costs with less water production.
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References
Bryant, R. 1991. MEOR Screening Criteria Fit 27% of U.S. Oil Reservoirs.Oil & Gas J. (April 15, 1991): 56-59.
Gao, C.H., Zekri, A., and El-Tarbily, K. 2009. Microbes enhance oil recoverythrough various mechanisms. Oil & Gas J. 107 (31).
Marcotte, B., Govreau, B.R., and Davis, C.P. 2009. MEOR finds oil where ithas already been discovered. Hart E&P (November 4, 2009).
Sheehy, A.J. 1990. FieldStudies of Microbial EOR. Paper SPE 20254 presented at the SPE/DOE EnhancedOil Recovery Symposium, Tulsa, 22-25 April. doi: 10.2118/20254-MS.