Controlling the Hydro-Swelling of Smectite Clay Minerals by Fe(III) Reducing Bacteria for Enhanced Oil Recovery from Low-Permeability Reservoirs

Kai Cui; Chengjun Wang; Li Li; Jungang Zou; Weihong Huang; Zhongzhi Zhang; Heming Wang; Kun Guo

doi:10.3390/en15124393

Energies (Jun 2022)

Controlling the Hydro-Swelling of Smectite Clay Minerals by Fe(III) Reducing Bacteria for Enhanced Oil Recovery from Low-Permeability Reservoirs

Kai Cui,
Chengjun Wang,
Li Li,
Jungang Zou,
Weihong Huang,
Zhongzhi Zhang,
Heming Wang,
Kun Guo

Affiliations

Kai Cui: School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Chengjun Wang: College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xi’an Shiyou University, Xi’an 710065, China
Li Li: The First Oil Production Plant of Xinjiang Oilfield Company, China National Petroleum Corporation, Xinjiang 834000, China
Jungang Zou: The First Oil Production Plant of Xinjiang Oilfield Company, China National Petroleum Corporation, Xinjiang 834000, China
Weihong Huang: The First Oil Production Plant of Xinjiang Oilfield Company, China National Petroleum Corporation, Xinjiang 834000, China
Zhongzhi Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, Beijing Key Lab of Oil & Gas Pollution Control, College of Chemical Engineering and Environment, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, China
Heming Wang: State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, Beijing Key Lab of Oil & Gas Pollution Control, College of Chemical Engineering and Environment, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, China
Kun Guo: School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en15124393
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 15, no. 12
p. 4393

Abstract

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The hydro-swelling of smectite clay minerals in low-permeability reservoirs further decreases the reservoir permeability and results in low oil recovery. Currently, the traditional chemical anti-swelling agents are widely used, but most of them are only effective in the short term and are not environmentally friendly. Here, we report the use of Fe(III) reducing microorganisms (FeRM) as a novel green anti-swelling agent to enhance oil recovery from low-permeability reservoirs. The results showed that FeRM (Proteus hauserifective) inhibited/reduced the hydro-swelling of smectite clay minerals through a three-step biochemical mineralization reaction process. The structural Fe(III) reduction in minerals by FeRM can be an important driving force for illitization. The maximum inhibition efficiency (36.6%) and shrinkage efficiency (69.3%) were achieved at 35 °C and 0.1 Mpa. Furthermore, core displacement tests showed that FeRM reduced the waterflooding injection pressure by 61.1%, increased the core permeability by 49.6%, and increased the oil recovery by 8.1%. Finally, the mechanism of FeRM-enhanced oil recovery was revealed. This study demonstrates that using FeRM to inhibit/reduce the hydro-swelling of clay minerals holds great potential to enhance the oil recovery from low-permeability reservoirs.

Published in Energies

ISSN: 1996-1073 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Technology
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/energies

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