Recent advances and prospects in Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR)-Movement towards practical EOR technology-

Abstract

Stable supply of petroleum in coming years using Enhanced Oil Recovery EOR techniques is an issue of prime importance, though most of EOR techniques which can effectively act to recover compulsively the residual crude oil are still in testing stage. Microbial EOR MEOR is generally understood to be at the similar stage. Regarding MEOR, there are two points of issue. One is how to transplant target microbe s into the formation where needed and the other is how to activate their microbial metabolic function where to execute the role. These are indispensable to establish MEOR technology as a practical technology. Hence, promotion of those techniques based on the scientific approach becomes increasingly important. Through TRC-Jilin Oil Corp. joint-research reviewed in this paper, importance of this concept was confirmed and it was also shown that these two techniques described above are controllable and available at the field level. In particular, the microbial profile modification is not only a direct method to enhance the oil recovery, but also an effective pretreatment technique for transplanting the microbe s to a target reservoir region. It is not an exaggeration to say that a new era of MEOR technology has begun with the above-described field research in China. And, it is indicated that strategies of reservoir development based on the overall plan considering a combination of applicable IOR/EOR techniques through the whole production period become more important than ever before Keywords Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery MEOR , Recent advances in MEOR, Microbial profile modification, Transplant of microbe s into a reservoir, MEOR field test in China. * Chugai Technos Corp. Environmental Business Div. Bio-Business Dpt.

Estimation of the potential of an anaerobic thermophilic oil-degrading bacterium as a candidate for MEOR

“…However, the cost of molasses has increased progressively over the last few decades because of its extensive use as a raw material for bioethanol production. For example, Chinese molasses rose in price from US$40/ ton in 2000 to US$200/ton in 2007 (Fujiwara et al 2008). The cost of transporting molasses is high if there are no sugar refinery plants near the oilfield being treated.…”