Improving Oil Recovery of the Heterogeneous Low Permeability Reservoirs by Combination of Polymer Hydrolysis Polyacrylamide and Two Highly Biosurfactant-Producing Bacteria

Shuwen Xue, Yanhong Zhao, Chunling Zhou, Guangming Zhang, Fulin Chen and Shiwei Wang
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Shuwen Xue: Research Center for Oilfield Microbial Engineering, the College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
Yanhong Zhao: Research Institute of Oilfield Chemistry, Xi’an Changqing Chemical Group Co., Ltd., Xi’an 710018, China
Chunling Zhou: Research Institute of Oilfield Chemistry, Xi’an Changqing Chemical Group Co., Ltd., Xi’an 710018, China
Guangming Zhang: Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, the College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
Fulin Chen: Research Center for Oilfield Microbial Engineering, the College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
Shiwei Wang: Research Center for Oilfield Microbial Engineering, the College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Polymer hydrolysis polyacrylamide and microbes have been used to enhance oil recovery in many oil reservoirs. However, the application of this two-method combination was less investigated, especially in low permeability reservoirs. In this work, two bacteria, a rhamnolipid-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa 8D and a lipopeptide-producing Bacillus subtilis S4, were used together with hydrolysis poly-acrylamide in a low permeability heterogeneous core physical model. The results showed that when the two bacterial fermentation liquids were used at a ratio by volumeof 1:3 ( v : v ), the mixture showed the optimal physicochemical properties for oil-displacement. In addition, the mixture was stable under the conditions of various temperature (20–70 °C) and salinity (0–22%). When the polymer and bacteria were mixed together, it had no significant effects in the viscosity of polymer hydrolysis polyacrylamide and the viability of bacteria. The core oil-displacement test displayed that polymer hydrolysis polyacrylamide addition followed by the bacterial mixture injection could significantly enhance oil recovery. The recovery rate was increased by 15.01% and 10.03%, respectively, compared with the sole polymer hydrolysis polyacrylamide flooding and microbial flooding. Taken together, these results suggest that the strategy of polymer hydrolysis poly-acrylamide addition followed by microbial flooding is beneficial for improving oil recovery in heterogeneous low permeability reservoirs.

Keywords: low permeability reservoirs; polymer flooding; microbial flooding; compatibility; core oil-displacement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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