Simulation Study on Reservoir Souring Induced by Injection of Reservoir Brine Containing Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria

Yuichi Sugai, Yukihiro Owaki and Kyuro Sasaki
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Yuichi Sugai: Department of Earth Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 8190395, Japan
Yukihiro Owaki: Department of Earth Resources Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 8190395, Japan
Kyuro Sasaki: Department of Earth Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 8190395, Japan

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 11, 1-17

Abstract: This paper examined the reservoir souring induced by the sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) inhabiting the reservoir brine of an oilfield in Japan. Although the concentration of sulfate of the reservoir brine was lower than that of seawater, which often was injected into oil reservoir and induced the reservoir souring, the SRB inhabiting the reservoir brine generated hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) by using sulfate and an electron donor in the reservoir brine. This paper therefore developed a numerical simulator predicting the reservoir souring in the reservoir into which the reservoir brine was injected. The results of the simulation suggested that severe reservoir souring was not induced by the brine injection; however, the SRB grew and generated H 2 S around the injection well where temperature was decreased by injected brine whose temperature was lower than that of formation water. In particular, H 2 S was actively generated in the mixing zone between the injection water and formation water, which contained a high level of the electron donor. Furthermore, the results of numerical simulation suggested that the reservoir souring could be prevented more surely by sterilizing the SRB in the injection brine, heating up the injection brine to 50 °C, or reducing sulfate in the injection brine.

Keywords: reservoir souring; sulfate-reducing bacteria; sulfate; ethanol; hydrogen sulfide; reservoir brine; simulation; temperature propagation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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