Design features of offshore oil production platforms influence their susceptibility to biocorrosion

Abstract

Offshore oil-producing platforms are designed for efficient and cost-effective separation of oil from water. However, design features and operating practices may create conditions that promote the proliferation and spread of biocorrosive microorganisms. The microbial communities and their potential for metal corrosion were characterized for three oil production platforms that varied in their oil-water separation processes, fluid recycling practices, and history of microbially influenced corrosion (MIC). Microbial diversity was evaluated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and numbers of total bacteria, archaea, and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were estimated by qPCR. The rates of S sulfate reduction assay (SRA) were measured as a proxy for metal biocorrosion potential. A variety of microorganisms common to oil production facilities were found, but distinct communities were associated with the design of the platform and varied with different locations in the processing stream. Stagnant, lower temperature (<37 °C) sites in all platforms had more SRB and higher SRA compared to samples from sites with higher temperatures and flow rates. However, high (5 mmol L) levels of hydrogen sulfide and high numbers (10 mL) of SRB were found in only one platform. This platform alone contained large separation tanks with long retention times and recycled fluids from stagnant sites to the beginning of the oil separation train, thus promoting distribution of biocorrosive microorganisms. These findings tell us that tracking microbial sulfate-reducing activity and community composition on off-shore oil production platforms can be used to identify operational practices that inadvertently promote the proliferation, distribution, and activity of biocorrosive microorganisms.

Preserving Microbial Community Integrity in Oilfield Produced Water

“…Rather, the sample, such as tissue or a cell pellet, is to be (re)suspended directly into the solution. Other studies wherein DNAzol ® was added to filters containing biomass (e.g., filtered water samples), showed it to be very effective in preserving microbial community integrity (Duncan et al, 2017;Oldham et al, 2019). Thus, proprietary nucleic acid preservatives such as the ones tested in the present study can be effective when used in a different manner.…”

Establishing an Agenda for Biofouling Research for the Development of the Marine Renewable Energy Industry in Indonesia

“…The impacts of marine biofouling on the shipping industry have been investigated widely, including the implications for structure/component integrity and associated costs. Other marine infrastructures being affected by biofouling are offshore oil and gas platforms [59,60] and marine renewable energy [21,22,[49][50][51][52]. This section will emphasise biofouling cases on MRE technologies in the temperate waters of the UK.…”

Assessing Microbial Corrosion Risk on Offshore Crude Oil Production Topsides under Conditions of Nitrate and Nitrite Treatment for Souring

“…The incomplete oxidation of sulfide may also result in the accumulation of corrosive elemental sulfur [ 12 ] and/or nitrite, depending on the proportions of sulfide to nitrate in a given system [ 13 ]. There are many other types of microorganisms that can participate in MIC, including acetogens, iron-reducers, and methanogens [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ], and several of these microbial groups have been detected in corroded offshore fluids or infrastructure [ 2 , 19 , 20 , 21 ].…”