Dr J de Rezende
No more applications being accepted
Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
Reservoir souring, which is the production of hydrogen sulfide by microorganisms in reservoirs, and microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) are long-standing problems in the oil and gas industry caused by microbiological activity. Souring poses a risk to workers on platforms, as hydrogen sulfide is toxic, flammable, explosive and corrosive, and increases damage to pipelines, thereby increasing the chances of oil spills. MIC can be linked to souring but can also be caused by different microorganisms without the accumulation of sulfide. Souring and MIC lead to costs of billions of pounds yearly.
Souring and MIC result from the interaction of microorganisms in complex biofilms and with the physicochemical environment in reservoirs and pipelines. However, these interdisciplinary processes are often poorly integrated into a realistic understanding of ecophysiology and conditions that aggravate or mitigate the adverse effects of microbiological activity in oil reservoirs and pipelines. Informed by reservoir models, this project will investigate the development of anaerobic biofilms on porous and metal surfaces at various conditions that reflect environments in offshore oil production. The project aims to determine factors that lead to higher or lower souring and corrosion, identify key players in the microbial community at each condition and disentangle the functions of each microorganism in biofilms, to refine reservoir models.
State-of-the-art microbiology techniques will be applied, including 16S rRNA gene sequencing, metagenomics, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and stable isotope probing. The PhD candidate will also have an opportunity to develop a new microbial quantification technique based on digital PCR for monitoring applications, and to develop flow-through systems to better test reservoir models and investigate industrially-relevant biofilms.
The project will contribute to the understanding of biofilm development and microbiological mechanisms that lead to souring and MIC, provide microbiological data to improve reservoir models, and develop microbial monitoring methodologies for better reservoir management.
Funding Notes
Scholarships will cover tuition fees and provide an annual stipend of approximately £14,500 (at the RCUK approved rate) for the 36 month duration of the project.
To be eligible, applicants should have a first-class honours degree in a relevant subject or a 2.1 honours degree plus Masters (or equivalent). Scholarships will be awarded by competitive merit, taking into account the academic ability of the applicant.
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