Drilling and Completions operations associated with hydraulic fracturing can introduce microbial contaminants into the reservoir via numerous pathways including drilling muds, completions fluids and proppants. A proportion of these introduced microbes will establish in the reservoir potentially leading to:
Reduced flow and production rate of hydrocarbons due to the accumulation of biofilm and plugging. Modelling and laboratory studies have shown that minimal biofilm growth on proppants results in a significant reduction in hydrocarbon flow rates.
Reservoir souring and increased concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) during production.
Separation, biofouling, and microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) issues of topside and downhole production equipment.
This presentation will review the potential sources of contamination during drilling and hydraulic fracturing, including optimal microbial sampling points and analyzation techniques for a comprehensive field audit plan. Furthermore, it will highlight the risks of microbial contamination to the reservoir, initial production and asset integrity by providing field and laboratory evidence on the detrimental effects of unmitigated microbial growth. Ultimately, this work will review the strengths and limitations of currently applied microbial control technologies and provide recommendations on how to develop a cost-effective biocide program to mitigate risk, maximize production, and deliver high-quality hydrocarbons. All content contained within this webinar is copyrighted by Dr. Ken Wunch and its use and/or reproduction outside the portal requires express permission from Dr. Ken Wunch.
