Hanovia, a leader in UV disinfection technology for aquaculture and industrial applications has employed advanced laboratory testing to validate the effectiveness of UV disinfection against sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB) species that are commonly found in fluids used in the oil and gas industry.
With stricter regulations on stimulation fluid (downhole injection fluid) additives, there has been an increasing effort to reduce or eliminate hazardous chemicals such as biocides that are present in these fluids.
Inadequate biocidal treatments can have negative consequences, ranging from souring the reservoir with hydrogen sulphide gas to microbial induced corrosion or the loss of fluid stability during stimulation.
This challenge has been complicated by water use restrictions, placing the oil and gas industry under increased pressure to move away from using fresh water. Instead, oil producers have turned to non-pristine water sources, such as produced or flowback waters, which can often have high levels of bacterial contamination.
Partnering with a major oil and gas servicing company, Hanovia used its UV disinfection system successfully in pilot trials that have been operating since early 2009. These studies verified that UV disinfection can be an effective method for treating the SRB species and revealed interesting results.
Using an enhanced product version, Hanovia says that the field experience has proven the robustness of the equipment in extreme conditions.
