Hydrocarbon Reservoir Souring Control

This project seeks to prove a novel method of controlling souring in hydrocarbon reservoirs, a
high value issue within the oil & gas industry. Sour reservoirs produce hydrogen sulphide
which corrodes pipework and is hazardous to personnel. Sour reservoirs require high cost
pipework to resist corrosive attack and hydrogen sulphide emissions have led to numerous
fatalities over recent years.
The hydrogen sulphide is produced by sulphate reducing bacteria in the reservoir. When water
is injected into a reservoir to maintain pressure and sustain production rates, sulphates
dissolved in the water are introduced into the reservoir. For 20 years, companies have
attempted to slow the souring process using filters to reduce the concentration of sulphates in
the injection water. The market need for souring control is therefore well understood.
However, as stated by Shell, ‘it is not IF a reservoir will go sour, but WHEN”, so current
souring control methods do not meet market needs.
This project aims to prove a novel concept of controlling souring by removing phosphate.
Phosphate is an essential part of the energy cycle in bacteria and in the absence of phosphate,
bacterial activity ceases. Removing phosphate rather than sulphate is analogous to putting out
a fire by starving it of oxygen rather than removing the fuel.
The project aims to prove the concept both technically and commercially. Bioreactors will be
used to simulate reservoir conditions in a lab. The bioreactors will be injected with synthetic
seawater (control), low sulphate without phosphate and low sulphate with phosphate to
investigate the ability of phosphate removal to control souring. In parallel, industrial scale
methods for removing phosphate will be investigated to identify whether a process can be
implemented for the required volumes of water at the required cost.
If this project is successful in proving the concept, we plan to start a new company dedicated
to bringing this technology to market.