Feasibility of using P- and S-wave Attenuation for Monitoring of Bacterial Clogging in Unconsolidated Sediments

Abstract:

Accumulation of bacterial biopolymers in porous media is known to decrease permeability by several orders of magnitude, referred to as bioclogging, thereby altering the hydraulic flow systems of porous media. Successful microbial bioclogging treatments require geophysical monitoring techniques to provide appropriate spatial and temporal information on bacterial growth and activities in the subsurface; such monitoring datasets can be used to evaluate the status of plugged reservoir sections and optimize re-treatment if the plug degrades. This study investigated the variations of P- and S-wave attenuation of porous media for monitoring in-situ accumulation of bacterial biopolymers in sediments. Column experiments, where Leuconostoc mesenterorides were stimulated to produce the insoluble polysaccharide biopolymer (referred to as dextran) in a sand pack, were performed while monitoring changes in permeability as well as P- and S-wave responses. P-wave responses at ultrasonic and sub-ultrasonic frequency ranges (i.e., hundreds of kHz and tens of kHz) and S-wave responses at several kHz were acquired using ultrasonic transducers and bender elements during accumulation of the biopolymer. The permeability of the sand pack was reduced by more than one order of magnitude while the insoluble biopolymer, dextran, produced by Leuconostoc mesenteroides occupied ~10% pore volume. The amplitude of the P-wave signals decreased at the both ultrasonic (hundreds of kHz) and sub-ultrasonic (tens of kHz) frequency ranges; and the spectral ratio calculations confirmed an increase in P-wave attenuation (1/Q_P) in the both frequency ranges. The amplitude of the S-wave signals significantly increased during the increase in S-wave velocity, possibly due to the increased shear stiffness of the medium. However, the spectral ratio calculation suggested an increase in S-wave attenuation (1/Q_S) in the several kHz band. The observed changes in permeability and P- and S-wave attenuation were correlated with the amount of biopolymer produced, and a pore-scale analysis of the experiment results provided meaningful insights into the pore-scale accumulation behavior of biopolymers and the interactions between biomaterial and grains in porous media.