SPE 56503
Microbial Stimulation of Lake Maracaibo Oil Wells
G. L. Trebbau, SPE, Micro-Bac Venezuela, G. J. Nuñez, R. L. Caira and N. Y. Molina, PDVSA Occidente, L. C.
Entzeroth, D. R. Schneider, SPE, Micro-Bac International, Inc.
Copyright 1999, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc.
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 1999 SPE Annual Technical Conference and
Exhibition held in Houston, Texas, 3–6 October 1999.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee following review of
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presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to
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Abstract
More than 300 oil producing wells have been stimulated with
microorganisms in Lake Maracaibo, western Venezuela, since
1996. Most of these wells are managed by Tía Juana E.U.
(Exploitation Unit), PDVSA E&P, Western Area, and belong
to reservoir LGINF-05. This reservoir is constituted by four
different unconsolidated Miocene sandy intervals, at an
average depth of 3,800 feet, average porosity 30%, average
permeability to oil of 600 mD and average oil gravity of 25º
API.
The wells were injected at the platform using a self-
propelled barge, equipped with a triplex pump, at an average
rate of 3 bls/min. and were shut-in for 7 days. Fifty (50) wells
stimulated in 1997 were monitored for at least 6 months after
the injection. Production data is reported and a correlation was
made with different geological and reservoir data, to
determine the parameters that mostly influenced the
effectiveness of the responce.
The results showed a 78% success, with production
increments ranging from 30 additional BOPD, to 400
additional BOPD, with an average of 65 additional barrels of
oil produced per day. Correlation results showed a better
performance on wells with higher bottom hole pressure,
located along the erosional axes formed during the deposition
period, thus providing the zone with higher oil saturations.
The wells with good responce also showed to have cleaner
type of sand with less clay associated to it.
This technology has improved the overall production of
the reservoir and it has being proved to be cost effective. It is
currently being used as a conventional treatment in the Tia
Juana District of Western PDVSA.
Introduction
There are various mechanisms through which
microorganisms and their metabolites may improve the
recovery of crude oils. The microbial technologies used for
cleaning and stimulation of wells produce organic acids,
gases, solvents and bio-surfactants in situ, which in turn
eliminate deposits of organic matter ( heavy fractions of crude
oils) and inhibit deposits of inorganic matter (carbonate or
sulfate scales) in wells or in nearby areas improving the
drainage of oil to the interior of the well. Crude oil extraction
processes using water injection techniques based on the
presence of microorganism, produce bio-surfactants and
solvents inside the oil field releasing residual crude oil that
remains trapped within the rock´s pore increasing the water
sweep efficiency 1 .
The main difference between conventional chemicals like
solvents, surfactants agents, demulsifiers, etc. that have been
used to improve the recovery of crude oil (EOR) and
microorganisms, is that chemical treatment depends totally on
the movements of fluids through the oil fields as the only
mean of transportation, while the latter may be conveyed to
the areas where there is more saturation of crude oil and
therefore mobilize the crude oil once thought to be lost.
Due to the ability of microorganisms to mobilize
themselves, therefore reaching the areas with a higher
presence of crude oil and continually producing wanted
byproducts in situ, the result achieved in the oil field will have
a more lasting effect than with conventional chemicals 2.
The following paper describes the results obtained after
the injection of 50 producing wells with commercially
available bacteria. The wells are located in Lake Maracaibo,
reservoir LGINF-05, operated by District Tía Juana, Western
PDVSA. The purpose of the injection was to improve the
performance of these wells, where present production decline
are due to damage in the wellbore area.
Reservoir description
The inoculated wells belong to the Tía Juana District oil field,
reservoir LGINF-05 (LL-05), located northeast of Maracaibo
Lake (fig. 1). Fifty (50) wells pertaining to this reservoir, all
injected during 1997, were monitored for at least six month
after the injection.
Reservoir LL-05 has an oil accumulated production of
2 G. L. Trebbau, G. J. Nuñez, R. L. Caira and N. Y. Molina, L. C. Entzeroth, D. R. Schneider.
approximately 2,345.05 MMBLS for the year 1996, which
represents a 49.4% of the OOIP and a 88.03% of the
recoverable stocks. The average pressure of this oil field for
the year 1996 was estimated on 1287 psi. At datum depth of
3,500 feet, the gradient is 0.37 psi/feet .
The reservoir is a Miocene unconsolidated sand
formation, producing from 4 different sands: A, B, C and La
Rosa. The average permeability is of 600 mD with 30%
average porosity 3. The crude oil in LL-05 is a medium gravity
crude (25oAPI). It is characterized by an unusual hydrocarbon
distribution, consisting of a homologous series of light (<
C18) n-alkane (typical of condensates) along with high level
cyclic and aromatic hydrocarbons (indicative of in-reservoir
biodegraded oils). These oils are by Bockmeulen et al 4 as
Type 4.
Over 300 wells have being injected in LL-05, in this
paper we are going to discuss the results of 50 wells injected
during the year 1997.
Injection Process of the Bacterial Product
The bacterial product comes in a ready-to-use liquid form,
containing a blend of naturally occurring bacteria adapted to
degrade high molecular weight fractions of the crude oil,
producing metabolites like biosurfactants, solvents, gases and
organic acids. These products which will help clean up the
wellbore and reduce viscosity of the oil, enhancing its
mobility inside the reservoir and thus producing incremental
oil.
The bacterial product is diluted with filtered lake water,
1.6 % KCl and injected at the platform using a self-propelled
barge, equipped with a triplex pump, at an average rate of 3
bls/min. (fig. 2). The quantity of water and product to be
injected, are calculated by taking into account the desired
radius penetration into the reservoir, the porosity and the
thickness of the producing sands to be treated (annex A). The
injection is performed at a rate varying from 1 to 3 bbl/min.
Once the well is injected, it is shut-in for 7 days.
Shut-In Period (Soaking)
The period that the well is kept closed, allows the bacteria to
mobilize within the oil field searching for the areas with
higher saturation of crude oil to feed upon and to reproduce
within the reservoir. Bacteria attach to the rock where they
will be able to metabolize the crude oil, producing byproducts
that help the release of the crude oil trapped in the pores
throats of the rocks. Such a process is known as colonization.
The period that the well should remain closed, is
determined by the growth curve of the bacteria 5. This curve
presents three phases (fig. 3). An initial phase, called
Adaptation Phase or Lag Phase, during which the bacteria
injected adapts to the new ecosystem. This period can last
between one to two days, depending on the condition of the oil
field. For instance, in oil fields with very high temperatures
(>280°F) or high salinity (>10%), the adaptation process of
the bacteria takes longer or even may not be present at all. In
these cases, the process relies on intrinsic metabolic and
56503
preformed biochemical activities (biosurfactants, solvents,
etc.) Therefore in this kind of wells the concentration of
bacteria to be injected has to be higher.
It is important to understand that bacteria need water in
order to multiply, to metabolize and to move. When the
amount of water, permeability and porosity are low, the
bacteria will take longer to move inside the oil field to reach
the appropriate place to grow thus taking longer to colonize.
The second phase or Growth phase characterizes by an
exponential growth of the bacteria. These microorganisms
multiply by mitotic divisions, that is to say, a cell is divided in
two, then those two are divided creating 4 new cells, in turn
those 4 divide again creating 8 more cells and so forth, until
arriving to a concentration of around 108 cells/ml. This phase
lasts approximately 5 days, depending on the initial
concentration of bacteria. When a larger bacterial
concentration is injected, this time will be shorten.
The third phase, called Stationary Phase, occurs once the
bacteria meet a certain concentration and then the number of
bacteria that grow, is equal to the number of bacteria that die;
therefore, there is not a net growth in time.
During this phase, bacteria metabolize and produce the
necessary byproducts to recover crude oil. By the time this
phase is reached, the well can be on production sice the
bacteria are already attached to the porous media. This period
can last several months, until bacteria are removed or until the
nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen decrease.
Therefore, a well must remain closed around 7 days in
order to allow bacteria to colonize the porous area. The third
phase is the most important, since the production of the
byproducts (biosurfactants, biogases, biosolvents and
bioacids), including the biochemical cracking of the crude oil
fractions, occur during this phase. Thus, this is the reason why
this technology is long-lasting, with the peculiarity that the
initial effect of additional recovery does not always appear
immediately but after bacteria have taken certain time
metabolizing the crude oil. The soaking period can be reduced
if the concentration of the product to be injected is increased,
since the stationary phase is reached faster.
There is a fourth phase called Death Phase. This stage
occurs when the nutrients present in the surroundings have
been depleted. Consequently, the number of bacteria
diminishes drastically and therefore, the production of
metabolites and byproducts ceases. In order reestablish a high
population in bacteria, it is necessary to reinject nutrients and
new bacteria to regain the stationary phase rapidly.
Analysis of the Production Behavior of the Wells
after Stimulation
In order to carry out the analysis of the behavior of the wells,
three basic aspects were considered. These aspects were: start
point, evolution and permanency of the effect:
• Start point: was considered as the first stage in which the
well is opened once the period of closure has been completed.
The start point is 7 days after opening the wells back to
production.
56503 Microbial Stimulation of Lake Maracaibo Oil Wells
• Evolution: This aspect is determined by the behavior of the
production rate of each well after the first 7 days up to three
months.
• Permanency of the effect: This aspect refers to the duration
of additional oil produced over time, considering best
performance up to six month or longer.
The final evaluation is based on the results from the
previous three evaluations and considering the additional oil
produced per day, six months after the injection. They were
classified as Very Good (oil increment > 100 BOPD), Good
(oil increment between 50 and 99 BOPD), Fair (oil increment
between 25 and 49 BOPD), Poor (less than 25 BOPD), No
Effect (0 additional oil) and Negative (less production than
before). Tia Juana District uses the figure of 25 additional
BOPD, as an economical number, if the well produces 25
BOPD it pays for itself within 60 days. The results of this
evaluation for the 50 wells injected in 1997 was:
_____________________________________________
Response Start Evolution Permanency Final
Point Effect Eval.
_____________________________________________
VG 49.0% 30.0% 12.0% 18.0%
G 8.2% 22.0% 24.0% 38.0%
F 10.2% 14.0% 20.0% 22.0%
P 8.2% 4.0% 12.0% 10.0%
NE 22.4% 24.0% 26.0% 10.0%
Neg 2.0% 6.0% 6.0% 2.0%
_____________________________________________
All the wells with a final evaluation of fair or better, are
taken as successful, since they produced more than 25
additional BOPD, thus the success rate for the 50 wells was of
78 %. It is interesting to note that almost 50 % of the wells had
a very good start, meaning that the wells opened with a high
incremental oil production, indicating the presence of skin
damage around the wellbore which was removed. From the 50
wells 20 % gave poor or no effect results, and only 2 %
(1well), produced less oil than before the injection. By the
results in production it is possible to distinguish 6 different
type of responses:
Type 1: Very good start point, very good evolution and
very good permanency of the effect. This wells not only
showed a high increment in oil production, but also showed
positive changes in their decline curves. These kind of
responses was obtained for from wells 1 (injected May ’97)
and 2 (injected Feb. ’97) (fig. 4, 5).
Type 2: Very good start, good evolution, but fair
permanency effect. These wells are characterized by high
production increments, but decline curve is the same or more
negative than before. The example is shown by wells 3
(injected Dic. ’96) and 4 (injected Feb. ’97) (fig. 6, 7).
Type 3: Poor start, very good evolution and very good
permanency effect. This type of response is shown by wells
that produce low or no incremental oil during the first days
after the opening, but starts incrementing its production with
3
time, and even having a positive decline curve in time. One
example is well 5 (injected Sep. ’97) (fig. 8).
Type 4: Wells that responded better the first injection, but
did not respond to the following injections. For example well
6 (first injection May, second Oct. ’97) (fig. 9).
Type 5: Wells that responded better the second injection.
Well 7 (first injection May, second Oct. ’97) (fig. 10).
Type 6: Wells that showed a poor effect to the
stimulation and the water cut was increased. Well 8 (first
injection Feb., second Sep. ´97) (fig. 11).
Additional Crude oil Produced after Treatment
In order to determine the additional barrels produced for each
well after the injection of bacteria, regression curves were
performed on production data for at least 12 months before the
treatment. The decline curve was extrapolated to determine the
additional barrels produced above such curves. In those wells
where it was not possible to draw the regressions lines, an
average of production was taken before treatment and a
straight line was drawn.
From the 50 wells evaluated from reservoir LL-05, nine
wells, resulted as Very Good, producing an average around
180 additional barrels of oil per day. The well LL-646 alone,
produced in the first month of evaluation more than 400
additional barrels per day. Nineteen wells, evaluated as Good,
which produced an average of 65 barrels additional oil per
day. Eleven were evaluated as Fair producers, obtaining an
average of 30 barrels additional oil per day. Five evaluated as
as Poor giving less than 25 additional barrels per day, another
five were evaluated as No Effect, and only one well showed
less production after the injection. The average additional oil
produced during the six months after the injection in the 50
wells universe, was 62 barrels of additional oil per day, with a
standard deviation of 74 additional BOPD.
Rating Additional Std. Dev. n Min Max
Production (BOPD) (BOPD)
(BOPD)
VG 180 96 9 94 382
G 63 24 19 48 137
F 30 10 11 18 38
P 5 4 5 2 15
NF 2 5 5 0 10
Statistical Correlation Between Well Performance
and Reservoir Characteristics
One of the most important objectives of this study is to
establish parameters on the selection of wells in order to
increase the success of this technology. Therefore, an analysis
of the obtained results with regard to the well’s production
was performed, and correlation with the different parameters
used for the selection of the wells were performed.
Six different parameters were evaluated: API gravity, %
BSW, Bottom Hole Pressure, Sand Thickness, Number of
producing sands and Producing sand versus the amount of
4 G. L. Trebbau, G. J. Nuñez, R. L. Caira and N. Y. Molina, L. C. Entzeroth, D. R. Schneider.
additional oil produced per day after the injection.. All
parameters, except API gravity and % BSW, were plotted to
determine any trend. API gravity does not vary enough
between the stimulated wells to determine any difference in
behavior, it varies from 20.6 to 21.3, the % BSW varied from
15 to 35 %.
Figure 12 shows the trend found for Bottom Hole
Pressure, indicating that at higher pressure the response is
better. The well will respond faster since it has the force to
produce the heavier fractions that are being release by the
bacterial action.
In figure 13 the trend indicates that the response of the
wells is better in sands that have less thickness about to 20 feet
thick. In sands with high thickness (> 100 feet) there is more
probability of vertical heterogeneity.
Since the reservoir produces from 4 different sands and
the bacterial technology is not applied selectively, it is
important to how this will influence the production results.
Figure 14 shows a bar graph indicating the quantity of
additional BOPD against a percentage of open sands. The
wells that performed VG (> 100 additional BOPD), produced
mostly from only one sand, while the wells that performed
good (50 – 99 additional BOPD) were producing from 1, 2
and 3 sands equally. Most of the wells producing from all the
four sands, did not perform well.
Reservoir LL-05 is very heterogeneous and has not being
completely characterized. Although the average permeability
is around 600 mD, the range of permeability goes from 100
mD to 2500 mD. There is also a great variance in porosity,
from 15 to 38 %. This indicates that the petrophysic
characteristics of the different wells can vary greatly between
each other. Figure 15 shows an isobaric map of LL-05
reservoir including the erosion axes. This reservoir has a
deltaic type of sedimentology, during its formation the best
petrophysic characteristic were located along the erosion axes,
creating sands with good petrophysic characteristics and with
higher crude oil depositions. From the 50 wells studied,
around 80% of the wells that were successful are located along
those axes and inside the more pressurize zone.
Laboratory studies
Analysis were performed on the oil of the stimulated wells in
order to determine chemical and physical changes caused by
the bacterial metabolism.
This technology is based on the fact that the commercial
bacteria injected to the wells are hydrocarbon degraders of the
high molecular weight alkanes of the crude oil, inducing the a
biological cracking of that molecule, part of which is
consumed by the bacteria as carbon and energy source 6 and
part of the molecule remains as a less heavy fraction within
the crude oil. Increasing the lighter fractions (volatile
compounds) will tend to increase the API gravity of the oil
(figure 16), as well as reducing the viscosity, thus increasing
its mobility inside the reservoir. To evaluate this, laboratory
analyses were performed using gas chromatography, to
determine the changes in the alkanes distribution; percent
56503
volatiles to determine changes in the lighter end of the crude
oil and viscosity to determine changes after the treatment.
A typical example (10 wells) of the changes in the crude
oil of LL-05 can be seen in figure 17. This graph shows the
result of the injection of the whole crude oil into a Gas
Chromatogram, in oreder to obtain a carbon distribution from
the lighter fractions to the heavier. The sample taken within a
month after the well injection, shows an increment in the
heavy fractions, which is a common response since heavy oil
fractions are being release from the wellbore, this is specially
noticeable in wells with organic skin damage around the
wellbore. By the second and third months after the treatment,
it is noticeable how the lighter fractions are increased and how
the heavier ones are decreased.
Figure 18 shows the trend in viscosity that we are able to
see during the treatments, sometimes the viscosity increases
during the first month due to a large amount of heavy fractions
being release. Two months after the treatment the viscosity is
lower than before, this effect should increase the mobility of
this oil inside the reservoir, thus increasing the production of
the well.
It is also possible to relate other laboratory analysis to the
performance of the wells, which are associated with the
production water. The first wells injected in Lake Maracaibo
in 1993 and 1995 were evaluated for bacterial count present in
the production water of the injected wells and interfacial
tension between the produced water and its associated crude
oil. This analysis showed a direct relationship between the
number of bacteria present and the low interfacial tension,
indicating another bacterial activity producing surface active
agents inside the reservoir 7.
Conclusions
1. The fifty wells stimulated with microorganisms in
reservoir LL-05 responded very well to the treatment. The
technology was successful (78 % success rate), giving an
average of additional of 62 BOPD for six (6) months,
increasing the overall production in more than 500,000 barrels
of oil in those six months.
2. The great majority of the wells that were successful are
located in the most pressurized zone and along the erosional
axes, were the petrophysics characteristics of the reservoir are
better and higher oil saturation is found.
3. This technology proved to be feasible and economical,
thus is being applied by the Tia Juana District, of Western
PDVSA as a conventional well stimulation technology.
Nomenclature
LGINF-05 = Reservoir Lagunillas Inferior 05
LL-05 = Lagunillas Inferior 05
PDVSA E&P = Petroleos de Venezuela Exploration
and Production
BOPD = Barrels of Oil Per Day
AddBOPD = Additional Barrel of Oil per Day
OOIP = Original Oil In Place
% BSW = % Water and Sediment
56503 Microbial Stimulation of Lake Maracaibo Oil Wells 5

Acknowledgments
We like to thank Tia Juana District, Western PDVSA, for their
permission to publish this paper, and for their support in
providing us with the production data and all reservoir
characteristics neccesary to elaborate the paper.

References
1. Portwood J. T., A Commercial Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery
Technology : Evaluation of 322 Projects, SPE 29518, Oklahoma
City, April 1995.
2. Moses V., Springham D. G., Brown M. J., Foster M. Microbial
Enhanced Oil Recovery. Queen Mary College, QMC Indust Res
LTD, Pennwell Publishing CO, 150-151, 1983.
3. Distrito Tía Juana, Proyecto de Recuperación Secundaria.
Informe de Progreso, Yacimiento LGINF-05. March, 1997.
4. Bockmeulen H. Et al, Geology and Geochemistry of Crude Oils,
Bolivar Coastal Fields, Venezuela. The American Association of
Petroleum Geologists, August, 1982.
5. Atlas and Bartha, Microbial Ecology Fundamentals and
Applications. Fourth Edition, 1998.
6. Schneider D. R., Behavior of Microbial Culture Product (PARA-
BAC) Isolates in Anaerobic Enviroments. Micro-Bac
International, Inc.
7. Izarra L., Trebbau G. Experiencias de Estimulación de Pozos con
Microorganismos en el Lago de Maracaibo. Trabajo presentado
en la II Jornada Técnica Regional SVIP-COLM. Tamare, junio
1996.

FIGURES

Figure 1. Location of reservoir LL-05.

CABIMAS
TIA JUANA
LAGUNILLAS
6 G. L. Trebbau, G. J. Nuñez, R. L. Caira and N. Y. Molina, L. C. Entzeroth, D. R. Schneider. 56503

Figure 2. Microbial injection process in lake Maracaibo

Selfpropulse Barge
Shut-in Period Start Up
Injection
(7 days)
(1 - 3 Bbls/min) (reductors)

Oil inside Oil inside Oil inside

reservoir reservoir reservoir

Bacterial Injection Bacterial Metabolism Oil Production

(5 to 7 feet penetration) Wellbore clean up Increases

Figure 3. Bacterial growth curve.

1,E+09

1,E+08
Bacterial Concentration (Bac/ml)

Stationary phase
1,E+07

1,E+06

1,E+05

1,E+04
Growth phase

1,E+03

1,E+02
Lag phase
1,E+01
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Days
 (Bbls/day) (Bbls/day)
(Bbls/day)

0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
56503
Ago-96

100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800

0
50
100
150
200
250
Nov-95 Sep-96
Nov-96
Oct-96
Dic-96 Dic-95
Nov-96
Ene-97 Ene-96 Dic-96
Mar-97 Feb-96 Ene-97
Abr-97 Mar-96 Mar-97
May-97 Abr-97
Abr-96 May-97
Jun-97 May-96 Jun-97
Jul-97 Jul-96 Jul-97

BFDP
BFDP
Ago-97 Ago-96 Ago-97

BFPD
Sep-97 Sep-97
Sep-96 Oct-97

Date
Oct-97

BOPD
Oct-96 Nov-97

Date

Date
Nov-97
Nov-96 Dic-97

BOPD
BOPD
Dic-97 Ene-98
Ene-98 Dic-96

% BSW
Feb-98
Feb-98 Ene-97 Mar-98
Figure 4. Production History. Well 1.

Mar-98 Feb-97 Abr-98

Figure 6. Production History. Well 3.

% BSW

%BSW
Abr-98 Mar-97 May-98

Figure 8. Production History. Well 5.

Abr-97 Jun-98
May-98
Jul-98
Jun-98 May-97 Ago-98
Jul-98 Jun-97 Sep-98
Ago-98 Jul-97 Oct-98
Sep-98 Ago-97 Nov-98

0
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
20%

10
20
30
40
50
60
70

0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
% BSW

(Bbls/day) (Bbls/day) (Bbls/day)

50
0
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500

0
50
100
150
200
250

100
200
300
400
500
600

0
Dic-95
Oct-96 Oct-95
Ene-96
Nov-96 Dic-95 Feb-96
Mar-96
Dic-96 Abr-96
Mar-96
Microbial Stimulation of Lake Maracaibo Oil Wells

Ene-97 May-96
May-96 Jun-96
Feb-97 Jul-96

BFDP
Ago-96

BFDP
Mar-97 Jul-96
BFDP

Sep-96
Abr-97 Oct-96 Oct-96
Date Nov-96

Date
May-97

BOPD

BOPD
Dic-96
Date

Dic-96
BOPD

Jun-97 Ene-97
Feb-97 Mar-97
Jul-97
Abr-97
May-97
%BSW
Ago-97 May-97
% BSW

% BSW
Figure 5. Production History. Well 2.

Jun-97
Sep-97

Figure 9. Production History. Well 6.

Figure 7. Production History. Well 4.

Jul-97 Jul-97
Oct-97 Ago-97
Sep-97
Sep-97
Nov-97
Oct-97
Dic-97
Nov-97

0%
0%
5%

20%
40%
60%
80%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%

Dic-97
0
5

BSW
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45

BSW
7
 Figure 10. Production History. Well 7. Figure 11. Production History. Well 8.
70 80%
250 30% 60 70%
200 25% 50 60%

(Bbls/day)
20% 40 50%
(Bbls/day)

150

BSW
40%

BSW
15% 30
100 10%
30%
20 20%
50 5% 10 10%
0 0% 0 0%

Jul-97
Jun-97
Nov-96
Dic-96

Nov-97
Dic-97
Abr-97
Oct-96

Oct-97
Mar-97
Ago-96
Sep-96

Ene-97

Ago-97
Sep-97

Jul-97
May-97

Nov-96

Nov-97
Jun-97
Dic-96

Abr-97
Oct-96

Oct-97
Feb-97
Mar-97
Sep-96

Ene-97

Ago-97
Sep-97
May-97
Date Date

BFPD BOPD % BSW BFDP BOPD % BSW

Figure 12. BHP vs AddBOPD Figure 13. Sand thickness vs AddBOPD

1400 120

Thickness (feet)
1350 100
BHP (psi)

80
1300
60
1250 40
20
1200
10 - 24

25 - 49

50 - 99
0 - 10

> 100

10 - 24

25 - 49

50 - 99

> 100
0 - 10

Additional BOPD Additional BOPD

Figure 14. Number of sands vs AddBOPD

100%
Percentage

80% 4 Sands
60% 3 Sands
(%)

40% 2 Sand
20% 1 Sand
0%
0 - 10

10 - 24

25 - 49

50 - 99

> 100

Additional BOPD
Figure 15. Isobaric map of reservoir LL-05
with erosional axes.

Zone of poor response

Zone of poor response

High water cut

Zone of poor response

 10 G. L. Trebbau, G. J. Nuñez, R. L. Caira and N. Y. Molina, L. C. Entzeroth, D. R. Schneider. 56503

Figure 16 b. Increment in API gravity after treatment. Figure 16a. Increment in API gravity after treatment.
Well 2. Well 3.

29 29
27 27
25 25
23

o API
23
API Gravity

21 21
19 19
17 17
15 15

16-Jul-96

23-Jul-97
17-Nov-96
15-Jun-96

22-Jun-97
18-Dic-96

21-Abr-97
17-Oct-96

18-Feb-97

21-Mar-97
16-Ago-96

16-Sep-96

18-Ene-97
15-May-96

22-May-97
16-Jul-96

23-Jul-97
18-Dic-96
15-Jun-96

22-Jun-97
17-Nov-96

24-Nov-97
21-Abr-97
17-Oct-96

24-Oct-97
18-Feb-97
21-Mar-97
16-Ago-96
16-Sep-96

18-Ene-97

23-Ago-97
23-Sep-97
15-May-96

22-May-97

Date Date

Figure 17. Carbon distribution of whole oil from LL-05. Figure 18. Viscosity changes after microbial treatment

30
140

before 120
25 1 month before
2 months
1 month
100
3 months
2 months
Relative abundance (%)

20

Vi
sc 80
os
15 ity
(c
ps 60
)

10

40

5
20

0 0
20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
10

15

20

25

30

35

40

50

60
C

-C

-C

-C

-C

-C

-C

-C

-C
8-

Temperature (oC)
10

15

20

25

30

35

40

50
C

>C

>C

>C

>C

>C

>C

>C

>C

Carbon numbers
56503 Microbial Stimulation of Lake Maracaibo Oil Wells 11

Annex A

Data seet for product and water volume

calculation

DATE Jun-09-98 WELL

INJECTION DATE

RESERVOIR DATA COMPLETION DATA

OPERATOR TUBING LENGHT FT
FIELD VOLUMEN FACTOR BBL/FT
SAND VOLUME TUBING BBL
RESERVOIR CASING LENGHT FT
PLATFORM VOLUME FACTOR BBL/FT
PRESSURE LPCA VOLUME CASING BBL
RESEVOIR TEMP. ºF
NET PRODUCTION SAND PIES
NET OIL PRODUCTION BNPD PRODUCT DATA
GRADIENT LPCA/PIE PRODUCT QUANTITY DRUMS
BACTERIA CONCENTRATION PPM
PRODUCTION CHARACTERISTICS PARA-BAC DRUMS
TYPE CORROSO-BAC DRUMS
SYSTEM POTASIUM CLORIDE KG
POROSITY % TREATMENT DATA
PERMEABILITY MD PENETRATION RADIO FEET
°API FORMATION VOLUME BBLS
BSW COLUMN VOLUME BBLS
GOR TOTAL VOLUME BBLS