Microbes in oil E&P

摘要

The role of microbes in the oil industry has become increasingly recognised in recent years. Processes such as reservoir souring and microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) can decrease the value of offshore assets and increase the cost of operation. Mitigating their effects costs the oil sector millions of pounds each year. Microbes can also be detrimental to the health of workers - the production of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) by sulphate-reducing prokaryotes (SEP) can, at high concentrations, rapidly cause asphyxiation, unconsciousness and even death. There is, however, a beneficial side to microbes in the oil and gas industry, with microbially enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) becoming an area of growing interest.