Microbial field pilot study: Quarterly progress report, March 1, 1989--June 30, 1989

TL;DRAbstract

The objective of this report is to perform a microbially enhanced oil recovery field pilot test in the Southeast Vassar Vertz Sand Unit (SEVVSU) in Payne County, Oklahoma. Indigenous, anaerobic, nitrate-reducing bacteria will be stimulated to selectively plug flow paths which have been preferentially swept by a prior waterflood. This will force future flood water to invade bypassed regions of the reservoir and increase sweep efficiency. Experiments are underway to determine the influence of permeability, pore throat size, and porosity on bacterial movement within porous media. The penetration rates of two motile Escherichia coli strains, as well as two nonmotile strains, are being compared for their ability to penetrate cores consisting of uniformity packed glass beads. To establish if gas production has an effect at differing pore throat sizes, each strain will be compared either under a condition which supports gas production for both wild type strains only (i.e. fermentation), or on

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