Mathematical modelling of the bio-plug technology: laboratory experiments, upscaling, and numerical simulations

In microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR), one of the strategies is selective plugging, where bacteria are used to form biofilm in the high permeable zones to diverge the water flow and extract the oil located in the low permeable zones. Therefore, it is necessary to build mathematical models that better describe the biofilm mechanisms. In the laboratory, biofilm is growth in a T-shape micro-channel. We built a mathematical model including water flux inside the biofilm and different biofilm components (extracellular polymeric substances, water, active bacteria, and dead bacteria). Using the best estimate of physical parameters from the existing experiments, we perform numerical simulations. The stress coefficient is selected to match the experimental results. A sensitivity analysis is performed to identify the critical model parameters. A reduction of the biofilm coverage area as the water flux velocity increases is observed. Homogenization techniques are applied in a strip and a tube geometry. Numerical simulations are performed to compare both upscaled mathematical models.