Hydrocarbon recovery method and hydrocarbon recovery system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12104475-B2
Application number	US-202217860175-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2022
Priority date	Mar 9, 2020
Publication date	Oct 1, 2024
Grant date	Oct 1, 2024

Abstract

A hydrocarbon recovery method for recovering a production fluid containing hydrocarbons from a production well provided in the ground in which Type 1 microorganisms that produce a biological membrane (biofilm) and Type 2 microorganisms that produce carbon dioxide for promoting deposition of calcium carbonate exist, the hydrocarbon recovery method includes injecting, into the production well, a culture medium for increasing the Type 1 microorganisms; injecting, into the production well, a composition used for the Type 2 microorganisms to produce carbon dioxide, decompressing an inside of the production well after the culture medium and the composition are injected, and recovering the hydrocarbons in a state where the inside of the production well is decompressed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hydrocarbon recovery method for recovering a production fluid containing hydrocarbons from a production well provided in ground in which Type 1 microorganisms that are derived from an MH-bearing layer of a seabed and produce a biological membrane and Type 2 microorganisms that produce carbon dioxide for promoting deposition of calcium carbonate exist and that have a urease activity to hydrolyze urea, the hydrocarbon recovery method comprising:
injecting, into the production well, a culture medium for increasing the Type 1 microorganisms;
waiting in a state in which water flow inside the production well is restricted by regulating pressure inside the production well with the pressure regulating apparatus for regulating pressure inside the production well until a predetermined period passes since an execution of the injection of the culture medium;
injecting, into the production well, a composition used for producing carbon dioxide by the Type 2 microorganisms after having waited in a state in which water flow inside the production well has been restricted;
decompressing an inside of the production well after the culture medium and the composition are injected; and
recovering the hydrocarbons after lowering internal pressure of the production well, wherein
the predetermined period is a period determined on a basis of an amount of the biological membrane required to be produced.

2. The hydrocarbon recovery method according to claim 1 , wherein the injecting the culture medium includes injecting at least one of a Trypticase Soy Broth medium or a Marine Broth 2216e medium into the production well.

3. The hydrocarbon recovery method according to claim 1 , wherein the injecting the composition is performed after having waited until the predetermined period, in which the Type 1 microorganisms increase, has passed after the injecting the culture medium is performed.

4. The hydrocarbon recovery method according to claim 1 , wherein the injecting culture medium is performed after having waited until the predetermined period, in which the biological membrane is produced by the Type 1 microorganisms, has passed after the injecting the culture medium is performed.

5. The hydrocarbon recovery method according to claim 3 , further comprising waiting in the state in which water flow in the production well is restricted, until the predetermined period since the execution of the injecting the culture medium passes.

6. The hydrocarbon recovery method according to claim 1 , wherein the injecting the composition includes injecting urea as the composition.

7. The hydrocarbon recovery method according to claim 6 , wherein the injecting the composition includes injecting, together with the urea, calcium salt necessary for producing calcium carbonate.

8. The hydrocarbon recovery method according to claim 1 , wherein the injecting the composition includes further injecting nutrient salt that activates the Type 2 microorganisms by being absorbed by the Type 2 microorganisms.

9. The hydrocarbon recovery method according to claim 1 , wherein the recovering is performed after a time, which is required for a deposition of calcium carbonate due to a reaction between (i) calcium salt present in the ground and (ii) carbon dioxide produced by hydrolysis of the urea by microorganisms having urease activity present in the ground, has passed after (i) the culture medium for activating the Type 1 microorganisms is injected in the injecting the culture medium and (ii) urea as the composition is injected in the injecting the composition.

10. A hydrocarbon recovery system for recovering a production fluid containing hydrocarbons from a production well provided in ground in which Type 1 microorganisms that are derived from an MH-bearing layer of a seabed and produce a biological membrane and Type 2 microorganisms that produce carbon dioxide for promoting deposition of calcium carbonate exist and that have a urease activity to hydrolyze urea; the hydrocarbon recovery system comprising:
a first injection part that injects, into the production well, a culture medium for increasing the Type 1 microorganisms;
a pressure regulating apparatus for regulating pressure inside the production well that waits in a state in which water flow inside the production well is restricted by regulating pressure inside the production well until a predetermined period passes since an execution of the injection by the first injection part;
a second injection part that injects, into the production well, a composition used for producing carbon dioxide by the Type 2 microorganisms after the pressure regulating apparatus having waited in a state in which water flow inside the production well having been restricted;
a decompression part that decompresses an inside of the production well after the culture medium and the composition are injected; and
a recovery part that recovers the hydrocarbons after lowering internal pressure of the production well, wherein
the predetermined period is a period determined on a basis of an amount of the biological membrane required to be produced.

Assignees

• Japan Oil Gas & Metals Jogmec

Inventors

• Yamamoto Koji
• Oshima Taku
• Hata Toshiro
• Yoneda Jun

Classifications

• C09K8/582 Primary

  characterised by the use of bacteria · CPC title

• C09K8/594

  Compositions used in combination with injected gas {, e.g. CO2 orcarbonated gas}(C09K8/592 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E21B43/16 Primary

  Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons · CPC title