The
development of most oilfields in China is challenged by such problems as low
recovery factor,serious wax formation in wellbore and pipelines,and insufficient gel breaking during stimulation for low-temperature
reservoirs. Microbes are widely used in oilfield development due to the
properties of their metabolic products. This paper makes an overview of the
research of microbial technology and its application in oilfields in respect of
enhanced oil recovery (EOR),wax
removal and control,and fracturing fluid gel breaking.
The paper explains the mechanism of microbial technology in three areas,summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of the application of
microbial technology in oilfields,and makes an outlook
for the research focus of microbial technology in future oilfield development.