Investigation of clogging in porous media induced by microorganisms using a microfluidic application

Abstract

The presence of microorganisms could alter the porous medium permeability, which is vital for several applications, including aquifer storage and recovery (ASR), enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and underground hydrogen storage. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of bacteria and their metabolism products on clogging using micromodels under elevated pressure and temperature and anaerobic conditions. Novel micromodels (real-structure) were fabricated based on μCT images of a Bentheimer core plug to mimic the reservoir conditions. As a result, in situ bacteria growth, biomass accumulation, biofilm formation and gas production were observed in the micromodel throughout the flooding experiments. During the injection, microbes were partly transported (planktonic) through the micromodel and the sessile attached to the model surface, causing a reduction in permeability (PRF). The results showed that the PRFs in artificial-structure micromodels are in line with the Kozeny–Carman model. Meanwhile biomass straining in small pore throats shows a more significant impact on the permeability reduction in real-structure micromodels. The injection of tracer particles after incubation showed a water flow diversion that confirmed bioclogging in the micromodels. The bioclogging evaluation presented in this work improved the understanding of the clogging process in porous media and can support ASR and EOR studies on a larger scale before field implementation.