Water management is a critical component in the hydraulic fracturing process for recovery of oil and natural gas reserves. Approximately 3-5 million gallons of water are used for the drilling and fracturing stages in unconventional hydrocarbon extraction. Bacterial contamination in the surface and produced waters can result in sulfide souring by sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) and microbially influenced corrosion by the SRB and acid-producing bacteria (APB). Effective microbial control programs are needed to minimize the adverse effects these bacteria on the quality of the produced hydrocarbon and integrity of the asset and downhole formation. Industrial biocides, such as glutaraldehyde, quaternary ammonium and phosphonium compounds, and alkylamines have been used to control bacterial growth in oil and gas operations for decades. More recently, several additional classes of biocides have been employed in energy recovery applications to meet the changing needs for microbial control and to advance beyond the traditional quick-kill strategy used in topside treatment. These include both oxidizing and non-oxidizing antimicrobials. As a result, new biocide technologies and combinations have been developed to broaden the range of effective treatments for longer-term microbial control under more aggressive salinity and temperature conditions. This presentation will review the effectiveness, stability, compatibility and environmental features of the various biocides used in hydraulic fracturing.

Review of industrial biocides used for microbial control in hydraulic fracturing

249th National Meeting (2015)

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