Souring Treatment with Nitrate in Fields from which Oil is Produced by Produced Water Reinjection

Abstract

Abstract Nitrate can control souring in fields with high bottom hole temperature (BHT) and where sulfide is produced in the near-injection-wellbore-region (NIWR). The objective of the treatment is to lower the sulfide concentration in produced water and oil, reducing corrosion risk in producing wells and above-ground infrastructure. Achieving this objective can be problematic for fields with low BHT or for fields in which the reservoir contributes sulfate to the produced water, as is demonstrated by analysing three PWRI case studies. Nitrate was found to effectively oxidize sulfide in produced waters, even when excess oil organics were present. An alternative strategy that should be considered is, therefore, to inject nitrate in the produced waters in a dose corresponding to the sulfide concentration.