Microbial Products for Paraffin and Asphaltene Removal
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for removing paraffin and asphaltene deposits in oil production facilities are inefficient and often require frequent chemical or thermal treatments, leading to increased costs and potential damage to equipment, while biofilms and high-viscosity oils pose challenges for extraction and transportation.
Innovation Solution
The use of microbe-based products, including biosurfactants and enzymes produced by yeast strains like Starmerella bombicola and Wickerhamomyces anomalus, to liquefy and disperse paraffin and asphaltene deposits, enhance oil well performance, and prevent biofilm formation, thereby improving oil recovery and maintaining equipment functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If chemical or thermal treatments are used to remove paraffin and asphaltene deposits, then deposit removal is achieved, but equipment damage occurs and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical and thermal treatment systems with a microbial-based system. Specifically, it uses microorganisms and their metabolites (biosurfactants, enzymes) to biodegrade paraffin and asphaltene deposits, eliminating the need for harsh chemicals and high-temperature thermal processes that cause equipment damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental mechanism of deposit removal from physical/chemical processes to biological processes. By introducing microorganisms that produce biosurfactants and enzymes, the system transforms the removal mechanism, enabling effective deposit dissolution through biological action rather than mechanical stress or thermal degradation.
2Productivity
If chemical or thermal treatments are applied frequently to maintain production, then deposit removal is achieved, but operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The microbial treatment system is designed to be self-sustaining and long-lasting. The microorganisms continue to produce biosurfactants and enzymes that prevent deposit formation and remove existing deposits over extended periods, eliminating the need for frequent repeated treatments and reducing operational costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes continuous protective action through the microbial community that remains active in the reservoir and production systems. This continuous biological activity prevents deposit accumulation and maintains oil production flow without requiring intermittent chemical or thermal intervention, thereby reducing total operational costs.
3Productivity
If conventional methods are used to treat high-viscosity oils and biofilms, then some improvement is achieved, but extraction and transportation remain challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical and chemical methods for handling high-viscosity oils and biofilms with biological degradation mechanisms. Microorganisms produce enzymes and biosurfactants that chemically break down the molecular structure of viscous hydrocarbons and biofilm matrices, fundamentally changing the extraction approach from physical force to biological decomposition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the oil and biofilm through microbial action. By introducing biological agents that produce degrading enzymes and biosurfactants, the system transforms the viscosity and compositional parameters of the hydrocarbon mixture, making extraction and transportation feasible where conventional methods fail.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The microbe-based treatments effectively remove contaminants, increase oil production efficiency, reduce viscosity, and prevent corrosion, offering a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution for maintaining oil production facilities and enhancing oil recovery from under-producing wells.
Implementation Method 1
Microbial by-products that can include biosurfactants, biopolymers, acids, solvents, gases, and enzymes modify the properties of the oil and the interactions between oil, water, and the porous media
Implementation Method 2
Microbial by-products that can include biosurfactants, biopolymers, acids, solvents, gases, and enzymes modify the properties of the oil
Implementation Method 3
Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) is a multidisciplinary field incorporating, among others: geology, chemistry, microbiology, fluid mechanics, petroleum engineering, environmental engineering and chemical engineering
Implementation Method 4
nutrients and suitable bacteria, which preferably grow under the anaerobic reservoir conditions, are injected into the reservoir
Data Source
AI summary
The subject invention provides microbe-based products, as well as their use in simultaneously enhancing oil recovery from an oil well while efficiently removing contaminating compositions such as biofilm, scale, paraffin, and/or asphaltenes from oil production equipment and oil-bearing formations. The subject invention can also be used to disperse paraffin and asphaltene precipitates, and to reduce the viscosity of heavy crude oil. The subject invention further provides materials and methods for bioremediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated sites.