Biofilms form when bacteria adhere to surfaces in the formation, wellbore and surface equipment such as holding tanks and frac ponds and begin to excrete a slimy, glue-like substance that can stick to all kinds of materials–metals, plastics and soil particles. Biofilms can be formed by a single bacterial species, but biofilms more often consist of many species of bacteria, as well as fungi, algae, protozoa, debris, and corrosion products. Essentially, a biofilm may form on any surface exposed to bacteria and some amount of water. Biofilm decreases production during primary, secondary, and tertiary oil recovery or enhanced oil recovery.

Water quality is particularly important to consider in the drilling and production of oil wells. Frac ponds and holding tanks have been shown to harbor, in significant numbers, a wide variety of these microorganisms which colonize and replicate, creating accumulated biofilms. Once formed, these biofilms serve as a reservoir that significantly amplifies the numbers of free-floating microorganisms entering the formation and exiting the wellbore. Layers are created within the formation, wellbore and surface equipment which contaminates the water, spreading the bacteria and blocking the flow of hydrocarbons.

Hydrolyte®/OSG-Anolyte biocide kills bacteria and removes biofilm making it an excellent product for hydrogen sulfide removal. The active ingredient in Hydrolyte®/OSG-Anolyte biocide is Hypochlorous Acid (HOCL) which is pH neutral, super-oxidized water generated by a process known as Electrochemical Activation or ECA. It is created by passing a dilute salt solution through an electrolytic cell. This process creates large volumes of a gentle but extremely potent biocidal solution capable of rapid reduction of bacteria, viruses, spores, cysts, scale and biofilm making it an excellent product for hydrogen sulfide removal.

Hydrolyte®/OSG-Anolyte is stable, cost-effective to produce, greener than traditional harsh and toxic chemical technologies, and can be used in multiple applications from drilling through to production and Enhanced Oil Recovery or Tertiary Oil Recovery. Hydrolyte®/OSG- Anolyte is an oxidizing agent due to a mixture of free radicals, giving it an antimicrobial effect. Studies have shown that Hydrolyte®/OSG- Anolyte is highly biocidal and can substantially reduce/eliminate the growth of bacteria, including ARB’s, SRB’s and those responsible for Microbial Induced Corrosion (MIC) without the use of costly, toxic and harsh chemicals. In addition, it offers the added benefits of being compatible with most all drilling fluids and is able to remove biofilm and scale from downhole and surface equipment, greatly minimizing the cost of equipment replacement and/or workovers. Hydrogen sulfide removal turns sour wells into high revenue producing assets.

Because Hydrolyte®/OSG-Anolyte effectively destroys microorganisms, they cannot build up resistance as they can with other biocides. Standard chemical biocides can create strains of bacteria that become resistant over time, because the cell can expel or neutralize the chemical before it can kill it, thereby causing the overall efficacy of chemical biocides to be significantly reduced one reason why it’s the go to choice for hydrogen sulfide removal during primary, secondary, and tertiary oil recovery or enhanced oil recovery.