Patent ID: 8371378
Filing Date: 2013-02-12
Classification: C09K,E21B

Abstract:
1. An oil recovery method comprising the steps of: a) treating a subterranean site in a zone adjacent to a water injection well with a detoxifying agent wherein, prior to the treatment, corrosion inhibitors and their degradation products have been adsorbed into the zone and have accumulated to concentrations that are toxic to microorganisms used in at least one of microbial enhanced oil recovery or bioremediation processes, and thereby have formed a toxic zone, wherein the detoxifying agent is also a dispersing agent selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, hydrofluoric acid, acetic acid and oxalic acid; and b) adding an inoculum of microorganisms for microbial enhanced oil recovery to the water injection well wherein the inoculum of microorganisms comprises Thauera aromatic (ATCC9497); wherein the corrosion inhibitor is an inorganic compound selected from the group consisting of chlorine, hypochlorite, bromine, hypobromide, chlorine dioxide, hydrazine, anthraquinone, phosphates, and salts containing chrome, molybdenum, zinc, nitrates, nitrites and sodium sulfite.