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Analytical Model for the Effects of Reservoir Formation Matrix on the Performance of Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

Nmegbu, Chukwuma Godwin Jacob

The performance of any EOR technique puts into critical consideration the reservoir geology, lithology, reservoir uniformity, pay continuity and a wide range of other rock properties. This multi-mechanism, environmental friendly and inexpensive biotechnological approach to oil recovery (MEOR) must also put into consideration the formation characteristics for an effective and productive microbial injection project. This study tends to ascertain numerically the effects of formation matrix on the performance of MEOR by presenting a mathematical model accounting for microbial concentration distribution for various formation types. Results showed that for a homogenous reservoir, the average microbial concentration in the reservoir increased linearly with increasing days of microbial injection. Variation of porosity and permeability in heterogeneous reservoir yielded a non-linear relationship as a result of the varying rock properties when averaging method of permeability and porosity was adopted. A non-averaged permeability and porosity deduction for a heterogeneous formation will result in a more distorted concentration profile of the injected microbes. An irregularity in concentration distribution of microbes in these heterogeneous reservoirs is traceable to the distorted propagation and transportation of these injected microbes.