Phage Biocontrol Research, LLC

Dow Global Technolgoies LLC

Other

Douglas Baldwin

Neil S Summer

Mei Liu

Elizabeth J Summer

Scott Campbell

There is provided a safe, natural, environmentally sound means of controlling bacterial contamination, corrosion, and souring of oil and gas wells and reservoirs that result from bacteria-contaminated water in a well. In one aspect it is a process for remediation of souring of petroleum reservoirs and coalbeds by adding to the water used in flooding and 'fracing' operations an effective amount of virulent (non-lysogenic) bacteriophages (phages) specific for problematic target bacteria. The invention also provides a means for combating loss of effectiveness of bacterial control by staging bacteriophage production and application to control dominant and sub-dominant target bacteria in a community of target bacteria.

Prevention and remediation of petroleum reservoir souring and corrosion by treatment with virulent bacteriophage

A process for remediation of target bacteria, particularly sulfur reducing bacteria (SRB), in waters ('target water') having a multiplicity and diverse host target bacteria by employing serial or staged bacteria culturing and lysing of dominant bacteria. Remediation of sulfur reducing bacteria (SRB) is effected by application of a series of bacteriophage isolated from the staged culturing and bacteriophage lysing of successive aliquots of waters containing a multiplicity of SRB.

Staged bacteriophage remediation of target bacteria

Petroleum reservoir souring caused by microbially induced production of hydrogen sulphide and other sulphur compounds and the attendant corrosion are remediated by isolating bacteriophage specific for the problematic bacteria (target bacteria) and adding an effective amount of such bacteriophage to water introduced into or resident in the reservoir to kill at least some of the target bacteria. Suitable virulent bacteriophage may be indigenous in the water or located in surrounding areas or taken from a known banked stock. Means of concentrating solutions of bacteriophage are also disclosed.

As bacteriophage use in industrial application grows there is a need for commercial quantities of identified bacteriophage. This invention discloses a continuous flow bacteriophage proliferation process that can provide commercial quantities of desired bacteriophage in concentrations suitable for industrial use. Host bacteria and virulent bacteriophage are fed into a reactor vessel where the phage attach to, infect and lyse the host bacteria providing multiple replications of it and coincidentally concentrating the phage.

Process for continuous production of bacteriophage

This invention provides a process for control in oil and gas wells and related facilities of prokaryote caused souring, fouling and corrosion by reduction of problematic prokaryotes with naturally occurring lysing organisms, particularly sulfate-reducing prokaryotes by proliferating suitable virulent lysing organisms under conditions in which problematic prokaryotes thrive, including in a gas production wellbore. The process provides in situ proliferation of virulent lysing organism in a wellbore by providing both virulent lysing organisms and their host prokaryotes to selectively grow an effective control amount and concentrations of lysing organisms in a well formation.

Use of prokaryote viruses to remediate bio-fouling

Petroleum reservoir souring, caused by microbially induced production of hydrogen sulfide and other sulfur compounds, and the attendant corrosion are remediated by isolating bacteriophage(s) specific for the problematic bacteria (target bacteria) and adding an effective amount of such bacteriophage(s) to water introduced into or resident in the reservoir to kill at least some of the target bacteria. Suitable virulent bacteriophage(s) may be indigenous to the water, located in surrounding areas, or taken from a known banked stock. Means of concentrating solutions of bacteriophage(s) are also disclosed.

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College Station, TX, United States of America

Douglas Baldwin