| From: dvdw© | 4/13/2008 9:49:16 AM | | | of 997 | | | About a most promising field which i hope to be engaged shortly. ive been doing extensive research in this field, and have identified the Missing information that characterizes the opportunities, risks, and practice assumptions which add to the myth busing of oil as fossil fuel. to be modified to meet the scale of the opportunity.geologists have been functioning in a vacuum...as diverse as the input required are, you begin to see how poor, were the constructions of the original arguments. Older link from 2005 is a good background piece to the Space Daily piece copied here.
Scientist Seeks Ways To Squeeze More Oil Out Of
Existing Wells
To date, the Alabama project has recovered more than
400,000 additional barrels.
by Staff Writers
Mississippi State MS (SPX) Apr 10, 2008
Lewis Brown continues to devote much of his more than
40 years in petroleum microbiology figuring out how to
squeeze more petroleum out of abandoned or
soon-to-be-abandoned oil fields. The Mississippi State
researcher already has extended the life of one field
by 17 years.
That may sound far-fetched for those unfamiliar with
his ongoing research that involves the forced growth
of oil-chasing microbes used to redirect injected
water that, in turn, sweeps once-inaccessible oil from
old wells into production.
Brown said two-thirds of all U.S. oil remains in the
ground because it's not economically feasible to
remove with existing technology. "We've now developed
a method to get some of that oil out of the ground,"
he added.
The veteran microbiology professor long ago proved his
method in a Northwest Alabama field experience
sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, along with
a Jackson-based oil company. The demonstration
reinforced what he had discovered in laboratory
experiments.
Before Brown began his Alabama experiment, analysts
had predicted those wells would stop producing in
1998. After Brown had applied his method, follow-up
analysis indicated the wells could still produce--and
might continue to do so until 2015.
To date, the Alabama project has recovered more than
400,000 additional barrels.
"This process has us talking about potentially
recovering much of the now unrecoverable oil," Brown
said. "This will help give us more time to develop
replacements for our major energy source."
It's no surprise petroleum industry insiders from
around the world have been contacting Brown about his
research. Through private and public funding, more
than $7 million has been devoted to Brown's research
related to his oil recovery method. He currently is
negotiating with companies from the Middle East to
Great Britain interested in applying his process.
Historically, few in the industry had expertise
related to microbiology, Brown explained. While much
field research had focused since the 1940s on
"microbial enhanced oil recovery" --known commonly by
the acronym MEOR--few in the industry accepted the
associated methodology for fear of plugging the wells.
The few trials that were conducted didn't last long
enough to determine any long-term effects associated
with the process, he explained.
The difference between Brown's method, called
microbial permeability profile modification, and most
MEOR methods is that Brown only injects plant
nutrients. Most MEOR processes involve injecting
microorganisms.
By feeding only indigenous microbes in the oil-bearing
formations, Brown avoids problems that can plug the
wells. While limiting the amount of environmentally
friendly nutrients limits their growth, it
successfully alters the paths of injected water used
to sweep the hiding oil from previously untouched
areas.
In addition to being environmentally friendly, the
process is cost-effective, Brown observed. In a recent
field trial, the additional cost of the process was
just $1.32 per barrel of new oil.
Though there are limits to the depths at which
microbes can be expected to grow, Brown has been able
to isolate microbes at depths of more than 14,000
feet, and some can even grow at temperatures above 100
degrees Celsius.
"This certainly extends the number of oil fields where
this methodology could be applied," Brown said
proudly.
While Brown continues to work with petroleum industry
leaders in removing additional oil from the ground, he
has launched a second project in Wyoming to revive
depleted natural gas wells located in coal beds. As
with the liquid product, he's using indigenous
microflora in these wells to produce more methane.
Brown's methods for recovering the oil have earned him
accolades from within the petroleum industry and from
the federal government. As then-U.S. Secretary of
Energy, Bill Richardson (now New Mexico's governor)
wrote several years ago to thank him for his
contributions after the field process proved
successful. Also, the method earned a 1999 "Best of
the Gulf Coast" certificate in the advanced recovery
project category from the magazine Hart's Oil and Gas
World.
_______________________________________________________________
2005 article about the challenges ahead for forensic microbiology.
sciencedaily.com  |
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