HEAVY OIL RECOVERY PROCESS USING EXTREMOPHILE ANAEROBIC INDIGENOUS MICROORGANISMS

• Main Authors: GLADYS TERESA CASTORENA CORTES, ROMEO JESUS REYES AVILA, ANDRES MOCTEZUMA BERTHIER, NORMA ICOQUIH ZAPATA PENASCO, PATRICIA OLGUIN LORA, TERESA GUADALUPE ROLDAN CARRILLO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Spanish
• Published: 15.05.2012
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; EARTH DRILLING; EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; METALLURGY; MINERAL WAXES; MINING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR ASLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS; PEAT; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVEHYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, ORGASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE

The present invention provides a process that increases the recovery of heavy oil with API gravity equal to or greater than 10, contained in carbonate and/or sandstone porous media, by using extremophile (thermophilic, halotolerant and barotolerant) anaerobic indigenous microorganisms. The process of the present invention is based on nutrient injection in order to stimulate the activity of extremophile anaerobic indigenous microorganisms at the well bottom, promoting the production of metabolites which improve oil mobility and increase the oil recovery. In the present invention, stimulation of extremophile anaerobic indigenous microorganisms and their metabolite production is done under anaerobic conditions at temperatures of 45 to 90 DEG C, NaCl concentrations of 5,000 to 40,000 mg/L and pressures of 0.795 to 169 Kg/cm2 (11.3 to 2,400 psi). The present invention provides a process to recover heavy oils with API gravity equal to or greater than 10 degrees. The process allows up to 21 % oil recovery in addition to the waterflooding process in porous media. La presente invención proporciona un proceso que incrementa la recuperación de hidrocarburos pesados que tienen una gravedad API igual o superior a 10, contenidos en medios porosos carbonatados y/o arcillosos, empleando microorganismos anaerobios extremófilos (termófilos, barotolerantes y halotolerantes) autóctonos. El proceso de la presente invención se basa en la inyección de nutrientes para estimular la actividad de microorganismos anaerobios extremófilos autóctonos en el fondo del pozo para favorecer la producción de sus metabolitos, que incrementan la movilidad del aceite y facilitan su recuperación. La estimulación de la actividad de los microorganismos anaerobios extremófilos autóctonos de la presente invención, así como la producción de sus metabolitos, se desarrolla en condiciones anaerobias a temperaturas de 45 a 90 ºC, concentraciones de NaCI de 5,000 a 40,000 mg/L y presiones de 0.795 a 169 Kg/cm2 (11.3 a 2,400 psi). La presente invención proporciona un proceso que permite recuperar hidrocarburos pesados, que tienen una gravedad API igual o superior a 10, hasta un 21 % de hidrocarburos o aceite adicional al proceso de recuperación secundaria en medios porosos.