In oilfield water injection systems, bacteria contribute to a number of problems, including filter plugging, loss of injectivity, formation damage, and microbiologically influenced corrosion. The injectivity and overall water quality is often monitored by filtration through a Millipore filter. Reduction in filtration rates and volumes are generally due to solids accumulation, such as iron sulfide, drilling and formation fines, organics, polymer additives, and bacteria. Bacterial impact on filtration is typically
attributed to bacterial exopolymer (slime) and biomass and/or biogenic iron sulfide production. However, in this study, we investigated a water flood where reduction in filtration was primarily attributed to high concentrations of bacterial cells present in the water independent of the slime or biogenic iron sulfide. This effect did not appear to depend on cell viability. For instance, when regular biocide applications were made upstream of the monitoring point, no improvement in filtration was
observed, even though a significant reduction in viable cell counts, biogenically produced H2S and iron sulfide occurred.
Laboratory filtration tests indicated that hydraulic fracturing polymer and water clarifier, present in the injection water, could also reduce filterability. However, oxidizers and HCI, which could break these polymers in synthetic brine, had little effect on the filterability of field injection water. Scanning electron microscopic analysis showed that during filtration of the field injection water numerous bacterial cells were deposited onto the membrane surface and inserted into the pores, concomitant with the onset of plugging. Comparisons of bacterial cell concentration versus filterability in synthetic brine and in field injection water indicated a threshold for exponential impediment to filtration between...