Petroleum Chemistry, Vol.53, No.2, 87-91, 2013
An integrated physicochemical and microbiological method for enhanced recovery of viscous oils from low temperature reservoirs of Mongolia
Reservoir fluids from the Tamsagbulag oilfield (Mongolia) have been studied to develop an integrated physicochemical method for intensification of oil production and enhanced oil recovery using micro-organisms. The reservoir conditions of the oilfield facilitate the formation of a diverse biotic community represented by microorganisms of the Arthrobacter, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Micrococcus, and Flavobacterium genera. The microflora responds positively to the introduction of an oil-displacing composition at a concentration of 5% as a source of nitrogen nutrition. The reservoir microflora exhibits a hydrocarbon biodegradation activity with the degree of degradation of viscous oil of 8.15 and buildup of metabolic products, which reduce the surface tension from 70 to 42 mN/m. Chromatographic and IR analyses have confirmed the fact of severe destructive changes in viscous-oil hydrocarbons. In this case, the oxidation factor (C=O) has increased by a factor of 16. In modeling the displacement of viscous oil using the integrated method, a relative growth in the oil displacement efficiency by 14.4% has been obtained.