Activation of reservoir microflora to increase oil recovery

Constant optimization of technological processes of oil production is one of the integral parts of rational subsurface use. The study and implementation of new developments and technologies in the oil production process is primarily due to the economic effect. Methods of increasing oil recovery are of particular interest in the practical implementation of innovative technologies in the oil and gas industry. To date, a huge number of technologies have been developed and tested in field conditions aimed at preserving and increasing the volume of produced products, the classification of which is very diverse. The primary criteria for choosing a method or combination of methods of influencing a productive reservoir in order to increase oil recovery are the geological conditions of the productive horizon, as well as the composition and physico-chemical properties of reservoir fluids. Currently, of all the many methods of increasing oil recovery, the microbiological method is the least studied, as a result of which it is extremely rarely used in enterprises. The relevance of research on the effects of microorganisms on the reservoir rock is beyond doubt. The possibility of widespread application of oil recovery enhancement technology based on bacterial life processes is interesting both from the point of view of environmental safety and economic efficiency. One of the microbiological methods of increasing oil recovery is the activation of the existing reservoir microflora by feeding a nutrient medium into the reservoir. In the course of their vital activity, some types of bacteria are capable of destroying clay rocks, which entails changes in the filtration and capacitance properties of the reservoir rock and, as a result, the volume of products produced increases significantly. The advantage of this method is the absence of the need for forced “contamination” of the reservoir formation, since the necessary bacteria are already in it.