Microbial inhibition of sulfate reduction using nitrate and nitrite addition: a laboratory study of reservoir souring control

Turner, Sarah (2017) Microbial inhibition of sulfate reduction using nitrate and nitrite addition: a laboratory study of reservoir souring control. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

[English] PDF - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. Download (3MB)

Abstract

Microbial sulfate reduction produces unwanted H₂S in oil and gas reservoirs (i.e., reservoir souring) when seawater is used in secondary oil recovery. Previous studies have shown that the addition of nitrate and/or nitrite can inhibit sulfate reduction, but the effects are site-specific. In this thesis, seawater and produced waters were sampled offshore Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) for three incubation experiments to determine the affect of nitrate and/or nitrite addition on microbial sulfate reduction. Of the three amendments tested (i.e. just nitrate, just nitrite, and a combination of the two) all were successful at inhibiting sulfate reduction. No one type of amendment inhibited microbial sulfate reduction better than the others; however, nitrate showed potential of having a longer residence time, and therefore nitrate maybe an ideal choice for the inhibition of microbial sulfate reduction for offshore NL.

Actions (login required)

View Item