Development of a Novel Biocide for Enhanced Biofilm Control

Abstract Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is a significant challenge in the oilfield that results in substantial cost for the operator in downtime, pipe and equipment replacement, and safety hazards associated with failures. Although biocide treatments are usually performed to minimize the risk of MIC, this is often challenging to control a microbial population present as a biofilm. To this end, a novel biocide has been developed to provide enhanced microbial kill within a biofilm as well as biomass removal. The novel biocide was evaluated against biofilm populations grown in anaerobic conditions in bioreactors. The results indicated that the new chemistry provided superior results when compared to commonly used and best-in-class products. Enhanced microbial kill and removal of biomass was evidenced by Confocal laser Scanning Microscopy of biofilms grown on the surface of C1018 carbon steel coupons. Further, additional tests demonstrated that the novel product neither negatively impacts the oil and water interface nor causes corrosion in the metallurgy.