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Picture for Investigating the Effect of Temperature in the Community Structure of an Oilfield Microbial Consortium and Its Impact on Corrosion of Carbon Steel
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Investigating the Effect of Temperature in the Community Structure of an Oilfield Microbial Consortium and Its Impact on Corrosion of Carbon Steel

Product Number: 51319-13343-SG
Author: Silvia Salgar Chaparro
Publication Date: 2019
$20.00

Crude oil and formation water in oil reservoirs hosts a variety of microorganisms. The community structure of these microbial populations depends on the environmental conditions. Regularly oil reservoirs present high temperatures favouring the activity of thermophiles microbes. Nonetheless temperature decreases after the oil-water extraction along the oil production facilities. The effect of this temperature fluctuation from thermophilic (60°C) conditions to mesophilic (40°C) conditions on the microbial composition has been investigated in a microbial consortium recovered from a Western Australian oilfield. NGS sequencing of 16S rRNA gene was implemented for the diversity profiling of total and active community under both thermal conditions. Additionally carbon steel coupons were exposed for studying the impact of the microbial structure changes in the corrosivity of the consortium. Results showed noticeable differences in the relative abundance of the species and likewise their corrosive behaviour. Sulphide producing prokaryotes and methanogens were the predominant microbial groups at a higher temperature whereas acid producing and iron-related bacteria also played a role in the mesophilic consortium. Both consortia caused weight losses to the metal coupons exposed however corrosion rates were dissimilar from which thermophile community was the most corrosive. This analysis suggests that microbiologically influenced corrosion rates and mechanisms may differ along the oil facilities according to the variation of abundant species due to temperature changes.