Reservoir Souring Microbial Management

Oil and Gas reservoir souring from bacteria can be monitored and managed.

In oil and gas exploration and production operations worldwide, injecting water into a reservoir to provide pressure support and sweep efficiency is essential to maximise economic levels of oil recovery. If the bacterial activity associated with water injection is not controlled, hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is generated which ultimately 'sours' the reservoir and the oil and gas produced.

Microbial reservoir souring can decrease the value of the oil and gas asset, increase operational costs and, in the worstcase scenario, result in shut-in of the well due to materials incompatibility. Sweet low sulphur reservoirs can be soured by the activity of sulphate-reducing bacteria and archaea already present in the reservoir, or introduced via the injection water (such as sea water, aquifer water, produced water).

Intertek Commercial Microbiology® provides tools to monitor and evaluate microbial reservoir souring problems, along with developing appropriate strategies and implementing and measuring these when in place, including:

• Injection water microbiology
• Injection well status
• Sub-surface (reservoir) microbiology
• Identifying reservoir souring potential and predicting its impact - including H2S generation, transport and absorption
• Control strategy and implementation plan
• Ongoing monitoring and prediction update reviews

Oil and Gas microbial risk assessments, souring predictions and control strategies are undertaken for new developments, existing fields and extended field life projections on a case-by-case basis, ensuring the client receive advice specific to individual exploration and production activities.

Contact us to see how Intertek can help your organization with Reservoir Souring Microbial Management.