Microbial Stimulation to Control

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Microbial Stimulation to Control Remediate
Wellbore Paraffin Deposits
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Micro-Bac History

• 1979 Product Development Begins
• 1984 Mega-Bac for industrial grease application
• 1986 Para-Bac introduced
• Worlds First economically successful downhole
  application
• 1988 M-1000H? for hazardous waste
• 1995 Petroleum Engineer International Award for
  Engineering Innovation
• 1995 Oil Gas World Innovation award.
• 1999 Hearst News Award for New Technology in Oil

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Applications forOilfield Biotechnology

• Well stimulation
• Skin formation damage
• Well maintenance
• Perfs, wellbore equipment (tubulars)
• Pipeline operations
• Flow assurance
• Corrosion benefits

• EOR waterflooding
• Frac damage repair
• Frac polymer breaking
• Tank cleaning
• Emulsion breaking
• Oil recovery
• Bioremediation
• Water quality

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Paraffin accumulationsin production systems
Tanks
Flowline
Tubing Rods
Pipeline
Pump
Paraffin-related skin
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Paraffin ControlNear-wellbore Skin Formation
Damage

• Deposition occurs in near-wellbore area
• Occlusions form in pore channels
• Detrimental effects on oil permeability
• Low oil production rates
• Steeper-than expected production rate decline
• Erratic production tests

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Micro-Bac Products Bacteria

• Smallest free-living organisms
• Diverse
• Versatile
• Unique species
• Function and selection
• Microbial mixtures
• Not genetically modified

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Microbial Mechanisms

• Biochemical production
• biosurfactants (IFT / dispersants)
• alcohols/ketones (solvents)
• organic acids (solvents dispersants)
• CO2 (miscible gas)

• Paraffin chain shortening
• Strain-specific enzyme activity
• Shift HC distribution
• Increase in solvent fraction

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Effects on Near Wellbore Area of Formation

• Dissolve solidified paraffin
• Disperse paraffins
• Open pore channels
• Improve formation wettability
• Improve oil permeability

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Effects on Oil Properties

• Reduced pour / cloud point
• Decreased viscosity
• Elevation in API gravity
• Increase in volatile content
• Lower interfacial tensions

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Well StimulationsTreatment applications

• Squeeze treatments
• Bullhead (gt90 of treatments)
• Matrix rates
• 1 - 6 ft. penetration into formation
• Shut-in
• Resume normal production

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Paraffin ControlRemoving Near-wellbore Skin
Damage
c
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Effects on Oil PropertiesHC Shift and Increased
Light Fractions

Hydrocarbon Fraction

• Biocatalytic activity shortens paraffin chains
• Increases solvent fraction

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Well TreatmentCase Studies
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Well StimulationOffshore West Africa

• 44 Average oil production increase
• 10-15 Increase pump efficiency
• lt30 Day payout

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Well StimulationOffshore West Africa

• Heavy oil
• 17 ?API
• Asphaltenic
• Lift problems
• Pump failures
• High lift costs

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Well StimulationSouth America
Microbial Squeeze Treatment
Daily Oil Production (BOPD)

• 40 Average oil production increase
• 100 Oil production increase in some wells
• Produced above baseline for gt1 year

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Paraffin Control, WellboreMidcontinent Asia

• Problem conditions
• Removing paraffin and repairing paraffin-related
  problems increased CAPEX OPEX budgets
• Treatment benefits
• Bi-weekly wellbore treatments decreased down-time
  by 13
• Lowered expenses
• More time spent pumping oil

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Carigali Well StimulationSKO - Bokor A Reservoir
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Initial Pilot Project Results (3 wells)BO-104,
BO-110 BO-111)
Total average gains from the three strings over
the period of 5 months was 270 b/d (47 oil
incremental)
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Project 2 Results (subsequent 5 wells)(BO-301,
BO-304, BO-306, BO-308 BO-309)
Total average gains from the five strings over
the period of 6 months was 505 b/d (16 oil
incremental)
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Biological solutions for a clean, safe environment