"More than two-thirds of all the oil discovered in the United States is still in the ground and can't be recovered economically using currently accepted practices."
— Dr. Lewis R. Brown, Mississippi State University




MEOR: Accepted Industry Technology

The Titan Process® is very different from other known MEOR technologies, specifically in its ability to change the skin surface of the microbes to induce a unique oleophilic [oil-loving] activity which dislodges and breaks down oil droplets and creates a unique natural emulsion. This is the patented domain of the Titan Process.

Microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) is a tested and increasingly applied method of oil treatment in the industry. Although many in the petroleum industry still consider MEOR as an experimental secondary recovery method, there is growing application of microorganisms for the treatment of petroleum-based products both in reservoirs and for remedial cleanup work on the earth’s surface.

Many Applications of MEOR

The many applications include oil well work-over, the stimulation of reservoirs and oil wells replacing more expensive conventional methods, and earth surface application for oil spills and petroleum hazardous site clean up. The microbial well treatment processes fall into three basic applications: wellbore clean up, improved water flooding (bypass treatment increases sweep efficiency), and well stimulation. The well stimulation process normally involves injecting both microbes and nutrients together into wells to have the microbes circulate in the reservoir and release the oil from the rock-oil-water structure.

Widespread Commercial Adoption of MEOR Has Not Taken Place

The Titan Process is different from all other MEOR processes and it uses indigenous microorganisms (microbes) already existing within the reservoir. They are delivered a nutrient that allows them to grow and multiply into great numbers. Their life cycle creates a number of physical phenomena that allow for increased recovery of oil from the reservoir and at significantly reduced cost compared to conventional solutions as well as other MEOR protocols.

Historically the petroleum industry used mechanical and chemical processes to combat production problems in oil and gas wells. Chemical service companies provide short-term solutions to production problems in oil and gas wells by using what are often environmentally toxic solutions. These solutions are mechanically pumped into the well bore or injected above ground, resulting in an immediate increase in production. Many of the chemical solutions being used require the use of extensive amounts of rented surface equipment and after short periods of time production often starts to fall off again, which necessitates another treatment of environmentally toxic solutions. The result is a quick fix to an ongoing problem but presents no long-term solution and poses a danger to the environment.

MEOR relies either on stimulation of the indigenous microbial population, or introduction of specific microbes into the reservoir that have some ability to improve recovery rates. The use of indigenous microbes has the advantage of being cheaper, however it is not possible to accurately state which groups of microbes may be stimulated. Conventional technology used in oil recovery extract on average 35-45% of the original oil in place. Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) methods are used in an effort to extract more of this oil. Microbes provide a cheap, environmentally acceptable alternative to many of the chemicals used in EOR. They are able to grow on low cost nutrients, and their small size helps them penetrate deep into the formation where they can act in situ.

In The United States

The United States Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy is encouraging research and development of unique in-situ bio-systems to increase oil recovery. The successful development and introduction of this MEOR technology is hoped to lead to incorporation into commercial field operations.

Worldwide Research — Over 230 Published Papers

The Society of Petroleum Engineers is a worldwide international association of petroleum exploration and production engineers. This is a very technical and published group of petroleum engineering professionals. In order for your technology to be valid it will have too be published and discussed within this organization. MEOR comes up very strong in the publications that have been presented by members of SPE. A.J.Sheehy (Co-inventor of BOS/Titan Process) is one of the publishers with papers in their library. One section of the library of this engineering society lists some 184 published papers under the search of “microbial”, 55 technical papers under the search of MEOR. These papers are listed below and can all be accessed through the web site of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. http://www.spe.org

Titan’s purpose to include this list is to show the reader the significant number of MEOR related papers that had been produced and published by the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Titan believes, however, that the significant new direction the Titan Process represents is the state-of-the-art technology in the MEOR field.

(36746) Microbial EOR Technology Advancement: Case Studies of Successful Projects

(59306) Slowing Production Decline and Extending the Economic Life of an Oil Field: New MEOR Technology

(35356) WORLD-WIDE APPLICATIONS OF MICROBIAL TECHNOLOGY FOR IMPROVING OIL RECOVERY

(72125) Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) Technology in Bokor Field, Sarawak

(71493) Application of Thermophilic Microbes In Waxy Oil Reservoirs at Elevated Temperature

(57306) Microbial Core Flooding Experiments Using Indigenous Microbes

(56496) Isolation and Characterization of Thermophilic Microorganisms from Malaysian Oil Fields

(24818) Design and Implementation of a Microbially Enhanced Oil Recovery Field Pilot, Payne County, Oklahoma

(14441) Preflush analysis of the Glenn Pool Surfactant Flood Expansion Project

(72128) Microbial EOR Laboratory Studies on the Microorganisms Using Petroleum Hydrocarbon as a Sole Carbon Source

(72125) Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) Technology in Bokor Field, Sarawak

(71493) Application of Thermophilic Microbes In Waxy Oil Reservoirs at Elevated Temperature

(69652) Waterflooding Optimization Using Biotechnology: 2-Year Field Test, La Ventana Field, Argentina

(68720) Improvement of Sweep Efficiency by Microbial EOR Process in Fuyu Oilfield, China

(65124) EOR Screening for Ekofisk

(63229) Reservoir Engineering Analysis of Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

(59306) Slowing Production Decline and Extending the Economic Life of an Oil Field: New MEOR Technology

(57316) Selected Indonesian Microbes Potentials For MEOR

(57315) Production of Biosurfactant and Biopolymer from Malaysian Oil Fields Isolated Microorganisms

(57309) Field Test of the Indigenous Microbes for Oil Recovery, Ledok Field, Central Java

(57306) Microbial Core Flooding Experiments Using Indigenous Microbes

(57303) Enhance Oil Production in High Waxy Oil Reservoir by Single Well Cyclic Microbial Injection-Production

(56827) Project of Increasing Oil Recovery from UAE Reservoirs Using Bacteria Flooding

(56496) Isolation and Characterization of Thermophilic Microorganisms from Malaysian Oil Fields

(54381) Laboratory Investigation of Polymer Producer TU-15A for MEOR Field Tests

(54380) Systematic Extensive Laboratory Studies of Microbial EOR Mechanisms and Microbial EOR Application Results in Changqing Oilfield

(54332) Microbial EOR Laboratory Studies and Application Results in Daqing Oilfield

(54328) Implementation and Performance of a Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery Field Pilot in Fuyu Oilfield, China

(38351) Field Testing of the Biocompetitive Exclusion Process for Control of Iron and Hydrogen Sulfides

(38070) Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery Field Pilot in a Waterflooded Reservoir

(35448) Utilization of Indigenous Microflora in Permeability Profile Modification of Oil Bearing Formations

(35356) WORLD-WIDE APPLICATIONS OF MICROBIAL TECHNOLOGY FOR IMPROVING OIL RECOVERY

(29518) A Commercial Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery Technology: Evaluation of 322 Projects

(28903) A Mathematical Model of Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) Method for Mixed Type Rock

(28830) Biologically Controlled Water Diversion Demonstrated by New Visual Experimental Technique

(28617) Microbial Profile Modification Using Spores

(27827) Application of a Microbial Selective Plugging Process at the North Burbank Unit: Prepilot Tests and Results

(27031) Enhanced Oil Recovery by Means of Microorganisms: Pilot Test

(24820) Mixed Culture Microbial Enhanced Waterflood: Tertiary MEOR Case Study

(24819) Laboratory Testing of a Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery Process Under Anaerobic Conditions

(24818) Design and Implementation of a Microbially Enhanced Oil Recovery Field Pilot, Payne County, Oklahoma

(24334) MEOR-Altamon/Bluebell Field Project

(24208) Commercial (Pilot) Test of Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery Methods

(24207) MEOR, the Suitable Bacterial Inoculum According to the Kind of Technology Used: Results From Romania's Last 20 Years' Experience

 (24206) Interfacial Tensions of Microbial Surfactants Determined by Real-Time Video Imaging of Pendant Drops

(24205) Laboratory Studies of Parameters Involved in Modeling Microbial Oil Mobilization

(24204) Aerobic Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery for Offshore Use

(24203) The Effect of In-Situ Pore Pressure on MEOR Processes

(24202) A Mathematical Model for Microbially Enhanced Oil Recovery Process

(24206) Interfacial Tensions of Microbial Surfactants Determined by Real-Time Video Imaging of Pendant Drops

(24205) Laboratory Studies of Parameters Involved in Modeling Microbial Oil Mobilization

(24204) Aerobic Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery for Offshore Use

(24203) The Effect of In-Situ Pore Pressure on MEOR Processes

(24202) A Mathematical Model for Microbially Enhanced Oil Recovery Process

(24142) Enhanced Oil Recovery for Independent Producers

(22846) Assessing the Effects of Microbial Metabolism and Metabolites on Reservoir Pore Structure

(22845) Modeling and Laboratory Investigation of Microbial Transport Phenomena in Porous Media

(22844) Surfactant-Based Enhanced Oil Recovery Mediated by Naturally Occurring Microorganisms

(21015) Prospects for Thermophilic Microorganisms in Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR)

(20481) Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery: Interfacial Tension and Gas-Induced Relative Permeability Effects

(20480) Mathematical Modeling of Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

(20254) Field Studies of Microbial EOR

(19686) Optimization of Microbial Formulations for Oil Recovery: Mechanisms of Oil Mobilization, Transport of Microbes and Metabolites, and Effects of Additives

(19418) Effect of Bacterial Polysaccharide Production on Formation Damage

(16646) Review of Microbial Technology for Improving Oil Recovery

(16284) Evaluation of Microbial Systems in Porous Media for EOR

(15155) Preliminary Studies Leading to Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

(13146) Biotechnology and Enhanced Petroleum Production

(12770) The Transport of Bacteria in Porous Media and Its Significance in Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

(72192) The Technology of Microbial Treating Drained Water of Oil Field

(72129) Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery: Diverse Successful Applications of Biotechnology in the Oil Field

(72128) Microbial EOR Laboratory Studies on the Microorganisms Using Petroleum Hydrocarbon as a Sole Carbon Source

(72126) Microbial EOR Study to Improve Sweep Efficiency In Caltex Fields. Phase I - Nutrient Selection

(72125) Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) Technology in Bokor Field, Sarawak

(71493) Application of Thermophilic Microbes In Waxy Oil Reservoirs at Elevated Temperature

(71449) Microbiology of Oil Degradation in Reservoirs

(69652) Waterflooding Optimization Using Biotechnology: 2-Year Field Test, La Ventana Field, Argentina

(68720) Improvement of Sweep Efficiency by Microbial EOR Process in Fuyu Oilfield, China

(67953) Bacterial Profile Modification With Bulk Dextran Gels Produced by In-Situ Growth and Metabolism of Leuconostoc Species

(66522) An Evaluation of the Department of Energy Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 3 Produced Water Bio-Treatment Facility

(65169) IOR/EOR - Over Six Decades of Romanian Experience

(65124) EOR Screening for Ekofisk

(63229) Reservoir Engineering Analysis of Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

(63016) Microbial-Induced Corrosion of Subsea Pipeline in the Gulf of Suez

(62610) Laboratory Studies of In-Depth Colloidal Dispersion Gel Technology for Daqing Oil Field

(61475) Biodegradation of Oil Spills under United Arab Emirates Conditions

(61466) Biodegradation of Water-Accommodated Fractions and Dispersed Oil in the Seawater Column

(61464) Oil Spill

(61282) Bioremediation of a Crude Oil-polluted Clay Soil in a Temperate Zone
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