https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3909-8343
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ABSTRACT
Crude oil plays an important role in the energy supplement and is being considered as one of the most important and strategic resources of energy in the world and it acts as the main source of energy in most of the industries. With the increasing demands for crude oil, the need for more efficient production methods has risen day to day. Synthetic polymers have a wide range of applications in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Methods as a thickening agent, but their functionality is prone to fail in a harsh environment such as high temperature, high salinity, or shear stress. Biopolymers with firm structure, high resistance, and high thickening effect are completely eco-friendly and capable of being considered one of the best alternatives for synthetic polymers. These high molecular weight macromolecules with stable structure are able to maintain their functionality in the high range of temperatures (up to 100°C) and can improve the oil recovery rate up to 80%. Rheological behaviors of three types of biopolymers with microbial sources were studied through this paper and their strain, structure, and effect on the oil recovery rates were put under the spotlight. Biopolymers’ production methods and conditions were also studied in this research.
GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
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Notes on contributors
Armin Abbaspour
Armin Abbaspour is a master student of petroleum engineering at Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran, Iran. His research interests focus on enhanced oil recovery, polymer flooding, microbial enhanced oil recovery, and biopolymer production.
Arezou Jafari
Arezou Jafari is an associate professor at Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran, Iran. Her research interests focus on enhanced oil recovery, modeling and simulation, and transport in porous media.
Ali Maghzi
Ali Maghzi is a Ph.D. candidate of petroleum engineering at Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran, Iran. His research interests focus on enhanced oil recovery, oil upgrading, and oil bio-upgrading.
Seyyed Mohammad Mousavi
Seyyed Mohammad Mousavi is a professor at Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran, Iran. His research interests focus on enviromental biotechnology, bioleaching, and modeling and simulation.