Using technology originally developed in India, Houston-based Glori is using a novel system to stimulate the growth of bacteria in an oil well. As the bacteria grow on the droplets of oil, it becomes slicker and allows it to flow more easily.
“Our strategy is to go from brute force to biology,” said Glori chief executive Stuart Page.
Reviving old wells: Glori’s technology is aimed at older wells where the natural pressure has decreased to a point where the oil no longer flows to the surface by itself. Of the 5 million or so barrels of crude oil produced in the United States each day, about half come from such wells, said Page.