Renato De Paula

Biocides overview and applications in petroleum microbiology

Abstract It is well established that microbes are ubiquitous in oilfield systems, causing problems such as localized corrosion, hydrogen sulfide production, and fouling. This chapter will discuss the detrimental impact of microbes in oil and gas, followed by a review of the most commonly used oxidizing and nonoxidizing biocides. In addition, this chapter provides a detailed review of how biocides are selected, applied, and monitored in the field and a discussion about how regulations impact biocide usage by examining the regulatory landscape for the United States and Europe. Finally, this chapter concludes by discussing next-generation technology for microbial control, some of which are already in use and others that are still in development at the time of writing of this book.