Biosurfactant Enhanced Oil Recovery

With 'easy oil' gone, companies must turn to technology Houston Business Journal

CURRENT DRILLING METHODS LEAVE 60% OF THE ORIGINAL OIL REMAINING IN THE GROUND

"More than two-thirds of all the oil discovered in the United States is still in the ground – unable to be retrieved using currently accepted practices."
— Dr. Lewis R. Brown, Mississippi State University

CURRENT ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY (EOR) METHODS HAVE BEEN INEFFECTIVE

Nearly 380 billion barrels of crude oil - in the United States alone - are stuck in sandstone or sand-packed columns containing entrapped crude oil - Encyclopedia Britannica

Biosurfactant EOR has the solution to retrieve entrapped oil by over 40%

Entrapped Oil Problems

Conventional Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)

Biosurfactant
Enhanced Oil Recovery (Bio EOR)

Entrapped, or 'stuck" oil is any remaining after primary "free flow" or secondary "water flood" drilling stages.

EOR is any method used to retrieve entrapped oil after the primary and secondary drilling stages are exhausted

BioSurfactant EOR represents one of the most advanced methods to recover entrapped oil via an aqueous surfactant formulation that is injected into a mature oil reservoir. Where this solution contacts the small pockets of trapped oil, it reduces the interfacial tension (IFT) and mobilizes this trapped oil.

The EOR method used must be effective in releasing entrapped oil.

Traditional EOR methods have been inconsistent and due to the wide variety of well conditions, there is often excessive chemical loss and gravity segregation renders it less effective

Bio EOR: Proven Rhamnolipid Technology for multiple well types

With just 250 mg/Liter rhamnolipids...42% of otherwise entrapped oil was recovered from sand-pack...The results are promising towards the application of rhamnolipid for the EOR application - US Dept. of Energy 3 year study 2004 - 2007

The cost of using EOR for entrapped oil must make economic sense.

The industry has tried many EOR methods: mechanical (steam/CO2) and chemical (Polymer) EOR processes are most common. These mechanical, chemical, or synthetic based products have experienced only marginal success with the costs varying greatly.

Biosurfactant EOR is cost effective in several ways

1. Mass volume production lowers price
2. Derived from natural renewable source keeps price stable
3. Custom blended for maximum price efficiency
4. Eco-friendly, nontoxic material provides avoided costs savings

Entrapped oil recovery must be environmentally safe and nontoxic.

Most conventional EOR methods involved the use of synthetic and toxic chemicals that are a danger to oil workers and the environment on a long term basis

Biosurfactant EOR is eco-friendly, nontoxic and biodegradable

"Rhamnolipids have been receiving increasing attention as a result of their unique properties, i.e., mild production conditions, lower toxicity, and higher biodegradability compared to their synthetic counterparts"
California Institute of Technology

At $100 per barrel, the retrievable entrapped oil is valued at $32 trillion in the US and over $500 trillion world wide. Biosurfactant EOR is a break-through green technology that elevates conventional EOR to the next level economically and environmentally as the best long term solution.

CLICK HERE FOR A BIOSURFACTANT ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY SLIDESHOW

Rhamnolipid Powerpoint Presentation

Biosurfactant Enhanced Oil Recovery, Inc