Utilization of phosphite salts as nutrients for subterranean microbial processes
AssigneePhillips Petroleum Company
InventorsGary E. Jenneman, J. Bennett Clark
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Abstract
A novel process for sustaining microbial activity in subterranean formations which comprises introducing as a microbial nutrient, a phosphite salt. This process may include the sequential injection of sources of individual nutrient components which are deficient in said subterranean formation, whereby the injected phosphorus source is selected from the group consisting of a phosphite salt and a phosphorous acid.
Claims9
A process for sustaining microbial activity in subterranean formations which comprises introducing as a microbial nutrient a phosphate salt into said subterranean formations which are deficient in phosphate salt.
In a process of injecting microbial nutrients into a subterranean formation comprising the step of sequentially injecting sources of individual nutrient components which are deficient in said subterranean formation, the improvement which comprises using a phosphorus source selected from the group consisting of a phosphite salt.
In a process for sustaining microbial activity in subterranean formations comprising the steps of injecting a substantially carbon nutrient-free first nutrient solution comprising a phosphorus nutrient source into said subterranean formation;
- and thereafter, injecting a substantially phosphorus-nutrient-free second nutrient solution comprising a carbon nutrient source into said subterranean formation, the improvement which comprises using a phosphorus nutrient source selected from the group consisting of a phosphite salt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.